Page 10 - The Regent Digest Volume 13 Issue 13
P. 10

So, This Is Why



                                                                                                                              Power Isn’t Stable!









                                                                                                                                Chizaram Opara (Year 11 Volta) On Her Experience
                                                                                                                                During The Physics Trip To Abuja Electricity
                                                                                                                                Distribution Company


                                                                                                                                      n  Tuesday,  5th  of  November,  the  Year
                                                                                                                                      11  Physics  students  visited  AEDC  head-
                                                                                                                               Oquarters.  We  received  a  safety  briefing
                                                                                                                               from  the  head  of  marketing  and  public  com-
                                                                                                                               munication before the managing director ad-
                                                                                                                               dressed  us.  He  explained  the  evolution  of  the

                                                                                                                               power  sector,  opportunities  for  engineering
                                                                                                                               and ICT careers, and the effects of energy theft.

                                                                                                                               The  highlight  was  understanding  why  power
                                                                                                                               cuts  happen.  He  explained  that  supply  con-
                                                                                                                               straints often cause outages. Power cannot be
                                                                                                                               stored and must be transmitted simultaneous-

                                                                                                                               ly,  but  economic  and  infrastructure  challeng-
                                                                                                                               es hinder its distribution. Surprisingly, the AEDC
                                                                                                                               headquarters  also  experiences  power  cuts!

                                                                                                                               After  a  question-and-answer  session,  we  vis-
                                                                                                                               ited the transmission station and saw a step-
                                                                                                                               down transformer that receives 33kv and out-
                                                                                                                               puts 11kv, as higher voltage is unsafe for homes.
                                                                                                                               The  directors  explained  how  voltage  reduc-

                                                                                                                               tion is offset by increased current without los-
                                                                                                                               ing power, making physics theories come alive.
                                                                                                                               Personally, it was very exciting to see a theoret-
                                                                                                                               ical aspect of physics in real-life applications.

                                                                                                                               Finally, we viewed a defunct transformer to learn
                                                                                                                               how it functions safely.






                                    THE REGENT SECONDARY SCHOOL                                                   10 10                                               THE REGENT SECONDARY SCHOOL                                           11
   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15