Distribution grids, mini-grids and interconnectors: Overview
The last stretch of wire that reaches every home and shop
What this tile covers The local networks that bring power to homes and businesses, and the links that join grids. Share of use 18% share of world energy carried (2024)Share of world total energy supply (592 EJ in 2024, Energy Institute Statistical Review 2025, physical energy content) carried at least once by this mode; overlaps allowed, so shares do not add to 100 (calculated) Same 30,000 TWh of 2024 electricity demand (Ember): almost every unit reaches users through distribution networks or mini-grids. Upper bound; overlaps fully with AC transmission. Source: Global Electricity Review 2025: 2024 in review, Ember.
Key facts
| Form | Electricity |
Included from the reference tables
- Medium- and low-voltage distribution
- Microgrids and mini-grids
- Interconnectors between national grids
Linked to the material world
Cu CopperAl AluminiumAlso in Electricity
HVAC AC transmissionHVDC HVDC linksCab Underground, submarine and superconducting cablesRW Railway electrification and wireless powerExplore paths from here
More on this tile in the tabs above: how it works, efficiency and losses, technology advances, value chain, geopolitics and regulation, unit economics, impact on the biosphere.