global electricity network, United States, existing grid, individuals, cooperatives, corporations,
utilities, governments, geography, business, marketplace, finances
Most energy grids are owned by the entity, utility
or national government that built the project.
In the United States, this normally means a public
or private utility. There are both public and private
utilities, plus municipal utilities in some cities.
There is usually a single electric grid within
a service territory. In many nations, there is a
single national utility, so for many nations, the
network of lines and substations are owned by the
state.
Under deregulation and privatization, there are
sections of grids that are now being proposed, financed,
and built by newly formed transmission companies
and their investors. Yet, energy grids are managed
in a cooperative way by system operators to minimize
power costs, level load fluctuations, maintain reliability
and provide back-up emergency.
The ownership of growing grid networks doesn't
change as they expand interconnections. What's created
is similar to a wide area computer network and the
Internet — with many generation points and
transmission pathways.
In essence, the grid becomes a common carrier for
the good of all. In almost all cases, these different
entities cooperate between each other in the exchange
of electric power — a mutually beneficial
relationship for all.
So, ownership of this interconnected grid is held
by thousands of companies and the nation-states,
who cooperate on the buying and selling of power
over those same transmission lines that cross regional
and political borders.
