<div dir="ltr">Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription.<br><br>Why Is It So Hard to Build the Thing Our Entire Power Supply Depends On?<br><br>Transformers are the linchpin of modern civilization. A single one can take five years to build.<br><br><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/17/magazine/transformers-power-electric-grid.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6VA.YkQF.14WC5VsBqJ3B&smid=em-share">https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/17/magazine/transformers-power-electric-grid.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6VA.YkQF.14WC5VsBqJ3B&smid=em-share</a></div>