First, people collect coal in coal mines. Then, once the miners have collected enough coal, they send it off to power plants in trucks and on trains. All the coal is then set on fire, and used to heat water to make steam. All that steam is used to power a Turbine Generator, or in other words, a giant fan. The Turbine Generator is used to rotate a giant magnet on a large steel wire. That causes static, also known as electricity.
how it gets to you:
Electricity is made at a power plant. Most power plants use coal, natural gas, water, or even wind. After the electricity is made, it is sent through transformers to increase the voltage. The charge goes through the power lines that stretch along the country side. After a while it reaches the substation, which lowers the voltage so it can be sent along smaller power lines. It travels through these lower voltage power lines, where smaller transformers lower the voltage even more, so it is safe for your homes. the lines connect to your home through a service drop, which measures how much electricity your house uses.