Most people never think about the electrical grid when they turn on their TV, charge their smartphone or surf the Internet. But, without it, none of those things would work.

The grid consists of an intricate network of high-voltage towers and cables that transmit electricity from power stations. A series of local substations and wires then distribute power to end users. In between, there are thousands of capacitors, switches, transformers and other devices. Throughout this process, up to 10 percent of the available electricity is lost.