Without it life can get somewhat cumbersome. Power travels from the power plant to your house through an amazing system called the power distribution grid. The grid is quite public - if you live in a suburban or rural area, chances are it is right out in the open for all to see. It is so public, in fact, that you probably don't even notice it anymore. Your brain completely ignores all the power lines because it has seen them so often.
Electrical power starts at the power plant.
In almost all cases the power plant consists of a spinning electrical generator. Something has to spin that generator - it might be a water wheel in a hydroelectric dam, a large diesel engine or a gas turbine. But in most cases the thing spinning the generator is a steam turbine. The steam might be created by burning coal, oil or natural gas. Or the steam may come from a nuclear reactor.