ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Transmission tower

Okay kiddo, do you know what electricity is? It's like magic that makes your light bulbs light up and your TV work. But before electricity can get to your home, it has to travel on something called power lines. Those power lines are like a highway for electricity, and they need something called a transmission tower to hold them up.

Think of a transmission tower like a giant pencil. Instead of paper, though, it stands on the ground and reaches up really high into the sky. Sometimes, these towers are super tall – like as tall as 20 big elephants stacked on top of each other! That way, the power lines are high enough that they won't get blocked by trees, hills, or buildings on their way to your home.

Transmission towers are actually made of metal, and they're held upright by a special base that's buried deep in the ground. Sometimes, they're surrounded by a fence to keep animals and people away.

Without transmission towers, we wouldn't be able to have electricity in our homes. So next time you turn on a light or watch TV, think of those big towers way out in the distance, working hard to keep the electricity flowing!