where does electric power come from and how do you sell it?

today was a slow day in the office. i am waiting on a researcher downstairs and the head system administrator (or computing officer as they call them here) for the building to return. with all honesty, i could have gotten more done today, but i was lazy and not trying very hard to focus on what i needed to get done. i did search the web for some data similar to that that i am collecting at the moment. as i was searching, i came back to some concepts that i have always had difficulty wrapping my mind around: where does electric power come from? and how do you distribute/sell it? of course i know the textbook answers that power comes from coal, water, biomass, etc., but it is amazing to me. i guess this is one of those topics that i will need answered more than once or twice before i really understand it all. since i have been investigating power consumption, i have come to realize how much power we actually use......A LOT. how are there enough resources to provide the entire world with power? AND, once the power is created, how is it "boxed up" and delivered to my house in a manner that the power company can charge me for it? these were just a few thoughts running around in my head as i procrastinated today. maybe i'll just call my brother and ask him. he works for georgia power.