Why it matters, product
Power transformer
Steps voltage up at generators and down at substations and distribution points. Long-lead equipment with a concentrated supplier base.
- Depends on
- 3
- Depended on by
- 1
- Metrics
- 0
Neighbourhood: what depends on it (left), what it depends on (right)
- Candidate
- Hypothesized
- Mechanism supported
- Causally supported
- Established relation
Systems that would feel a shortage
Downstream: what depends on it
Transmission and distribution grid requires input Power transformer2 evidenceEstablished relation
Transmission and distribution grid depends on Power transformer.
Mechanism
Power is transmitted at high voltage to limit losses and stepped down for distribution. Every generator connection, substation and distribution feeder passes through transformers, so grid expansion and interconnection queues move with transformer supply and lead times.
Evidence
- documentIEA, Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions (2023)iea.orgGrid expansion, connection queues and transformer and cable supply chains.checked 2026-09-07
- documentEIA, Electricity explained: how electricity is delivered to consumerseia.govTransmission at high voltage, step-up and step-down transformers, distribution.checked 2026-09-07
- Status
- established_identity_or_engineering_relation
- Reviewer confidence
- 0.99
- Stated strength
- 1.00
- Lag
- not stated
- Version
- curated_seed_v1
- Reviewed
- 2026-09-07
Confidence and strength are curated judgements recorded with the edge, not measured quantities.
Inputs it cannot do without
Upstream: what it depends on
Power transformer requires input Grain-oriented electrical steel2 evidenceEstablished relation
Power transformer depends on Grain-oriented electrical steel.
Mechanism
Transformer cores are stacked laminations of grain-oriented electrical steel chosen for low core loss. Amorphous alloy cores are a partial alternative in distribution units; there is no drop-in core material for large power transformers.
Evidence
- documentUSGS, Iron and steel statistics and informationusgs.govchecked 2026-09-07
- documentIEA, Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions (2023)iea.orgGrid expansion, connection queues and transformer and cable supply chains.checked 2026-09-07
- Status
- established_identity_or_engineering_relation
- Reviewer confidence
- 0.95
- Stated strength
- 0.90
- Lag
- not stated
- Version
- curated_seed_v1
- Reviewed
- 2026-09-07
Confidence and strength are curated judgements recorded with the edge, not measured quantities.
Power transformer requires input Primary aluminum2 evidenceEstablished relation
Power transformer depends on Primary aluminum.
Mechanism
Aluminum is the alternative winding conductor and is used in tank and structural parts; it is lighter and cheaper per unit of conductance but needs more volume.
Evidence
- documentUSGS, Aluminum statistics and informationusgs.govEnd uses in transportation, electrical and construction; substitution with copper.checked 2026-09-07
- documentIEA, The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitionsiea.orgCopper and aluminum intensity of grids and electrical equipment.checked 2026-09-07
Substitutes for Primary aluminum
- copper Copper windings where space and strength matter.
- Status
- established_identity_or_engineering_relation
- Reviewer confidence
- 0.90
- Stated strength
- 0.40
- Lag
- not stated
- Version
- curated_seed_v1
- Reviewed
- 2026-09-07
Confidence and strength are curated judgements recorded with the edge, not measured quantities.
Power transformer requires input Refined copper3 evidenceEstablished relation
Power transformer depends on Refined copper.
Mechanism
Transformer windings are conductors carrying the full load current. Copper is the standard winding material for its conductivity and mechanical strength; aluminum windings are used in many distribution transformers at a larger cross-section.
Evidence
- documentUSGS, Copper statistics and informationusgs.govEnd uses (building construction, electrical and electronic products) and substitutes (aluminum in power cables and some transformer windings).checked 2026-09-07
- documentIEA, The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitionsiea.orgCopper and aluminum intensity of grids and electrical equipment.checked 2026-09-07
- sourceUSGS National Minerals Information CenterSeeded source; commodity summaries are the cited documents.checked 2026-09-07
Substitutes for Refined copper
- aluminum Aluminum windings, larger cross-section for the same current; common in distribution transformers.
- Status
- established_identity_or_engineering_relation
- Reviewer confidence
- 0.95
- Stated strength
- 0.80
- Lag
- not stated
- Version
- curated_seed_v1
- Reviewed
- 2026-09-07
Confidence and strength are curated judgements recorded with the edge, not measured quantities.
Measured, from the catalog
Linked metrics
No catalog metric is linked to this entity yet.
Named on the edges that depend on it
Substitutes
No substitute is named for this entity on any stored edge.
Derived from curated edges
Bottleneck centrality
- Score
- 7.70
- Downstream entities
- 9
- Direct dependents
- 1
Sum over every entity downstream (within six hops) of the strongest path weight to it, where each edge weighs its stated strength divided by one plus its named substitutes. A graph statistic over curated edges, not an observation. Computed 2026-09-07 22:42 UTC.
Curated paths this entity is part of
Chains
Names that resolve to this node
Aliases
- LPT
- distribution transformer
- large power transformer
- transformer
- transformers
slug power-transformer, updated 2026-09-07 22:42 UTC