alt.hn

5/17/2026 at 10:47:05 PM

Design posters showcasing your country's electrical grid

 https://github.com/open-energy-transition/grid2poster

by lyoncy

5/18/2026 at 3:27:05 AM

I created a poster for Japan, where I live:

https://www.gally.net/temp/20260518-japan-transmission-grid/...

The image produced by the program seemed unbalanced because Japan’s southernmost islands were included even though they are not part of the electrical grid. I used an image editing program to remove the outlines of those islands and shift the main part of the country toward the center.

Side comments:

Not indicated on the map is the fact that Japan’s electrical grid runs at 50 Hz in the eastern and northern parts of the country and 60 Hz in the west:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_in_Japan

The electrical power distribution system is now undergoing a major redesign:

https://souhai-sys.co.jp/business/ (Japanese only)

by tkgally

5/18/2026 at 12:51:04 AM

Somewhat related:

https://openinframap.org/

by cheschire

5/18/2026 at 1:18:07 AM

That was fun, a major power line that connects NJ to PA cut right though my neighborhood in NJ. It was interesting seeing how it connects and a little detail about the specs of the lines themselves.

by Projectiboga

5/18/2026 at 2:58:47 AM

Wow, this is super interesting! Just checking out the Bay Area I learned a lot about the size and placement of the powerplants that supply the area.

San Francisco has a power line going to it via the underwater "Trans Bay Cable (200kV DC)" from Pittsburg. I'll have to look that up as that's quite an engineering feat in my opinion.

If you select a powerplant, wind farm or solar project, you can see how much power is generated in MW. It lists battery projects as well like the one in Moss Landing (182.5 MW). It's enlightening to compare how much power each type of generator provides, especially if they're located near each other.

Fun find: The Apple Campus's solar power output is 14.4 MW. There needs to be more of these around.

Really educational link, thanks!

by russellbeattie

5/18/2026 at 1:58:02 AM

The aesthetics of this feel very similar to this project I saw on here a few months back. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46656834

by aaronbrethorst

5/18/2026 at 2:39:41 AM

The readme says it's heavily inspired by that one

by flexagoon

5/18/2026 at 12:45:13 AM

I see two examples, India and Africa. Both of which look great but Africa is not a country.

by baliex

5/18/2026 at 1:09:10 AM

> Grid2Poster supports countries, states, provinces and continents, as well as predefined regions.

by jihadjihad

5/18/2026 at 12:50:11 AM

Neither is California. So?

by cheschire

5/18/2026 at 1:14:56 AM

Africa is not a country.

by seliopou

5/18/2026 at 1:19:12 AM

I doubt that's a misconception held by the author.

Directly under the image of electrical grid connections in Africa is the caption:

  Grid2Poster supports countries, states, provinces and continents, as well as predefined regions.

by defrost

5/18/2026 at 1:17:24 AM

as much as 'Middle East and North Africa' - you just pass region in .json and name it whatever you want

by Svoka

5/17/2026 at 11:49:10 PM

I was really hoping these would be propaganda posters for (or against) your country’s grid.

by bombcar

5/18/2026 at 12:55:23 AM

Didn't know that's "a topic", although funnily enough, it has been on my mind lately. The impetus being households increasingly adopting solar, and batteries improving at a better pace finally.

I wondered if there might come a time in the somewhat near future, where people would decide to disconnect from the grid for good, eventually resulting in large parts of the electrical grid becoming unnecessary (possibly alongside related jobs) and being removed.

I then ran a calculation on our own electricity use vs. production, and came to my senses. Still, personally, I think it would be great if it became possible one day. Just really unsure how it would, based on our own data.

by perching_aix

5/18/2026 at 1:22:43 AM

Utility electricity is pretty handy. Even if you have sufficient local generation and storage (assuming intermittent generation), a utility connection gives you flexibility to do maintenance and repairs without losing power.

But some people probably won't want to pay for that flexibility. If utility costs keep going up and local generation and storage costs keep going down, there's likely a point where utility power becomes undesirable for many. Unfortunately this probably increases costs for those still using utility power.

by toast0

5/18/2026 at 12:19:47 AM

Well, I know Africa is sparsely populated but the poster really puts it into perspective.

by cammikebrown