This is even more important now that things like windmills affect housing score, making people less likely to place them.

it could be done simply from my point of view, as it is in reality.

Each power plant or take-off point would have a "facility" (meter/substation) that would connect to the global grid (the existing grid created by power poles).

All sources and consumers of electrical energy would be connected to the device.

If the device will be connected to the global network (it doesn't have to be, if I don't want to distribute or take energy), then the selling price per KWh and the maximum purchase price per KWh will be set. the network would always supply from the cheapest supplier, unless it is through a contract.

If the device has its own source of electrical energy, it would primarily consume its own energy.

Distribution or consumption could be done through contracts where a fixed price per kWh or reserved power for a certain period of time with an hourly rate would be defined. The customer would then take the supply from a specific supplier.

Alternatively, the whole thing could be virtualized and simplified more. The device could be similar to a bank or registration of people in cities. Then the appliances/generators would be connected to the global network and a registered customer/supplier would be set up in them. If I produce and consume electricity, I first consume my energy and then buy the rest or sell the surplus.

Sorry for the English, it's made through a translator.

People already share their power when they install it, so neighbours can use it too. Both mechanical and electric. If it's made sellable, it's bad for cooperating gameplay.

It would be great to add electrical wiring system, which allows to make hidden wiring inside the walls. So you could power individual devices and lamps in your house. It will increase complexity of building and add engineering aspect to it.

Possible implementation:

You can apply wire item on the building block (any building material, but not natural blocks like rock or dirt). While applying the wire, you determine what two sides of the block you want to connect with the wire. It can be opposite sides as well as adjacent sides.

This system allows to add switches, which cut off power line. Splitters are easy to implement as wire with 3 connected sides instead of two.

So many opportunities. Even basic logic systems with AND and OR devices to make lights blinking.

This would need to also come as part as a bigger rework as to how power grids work and operate I would imagine, in a way so that you can separate grids somehow which will probably be the biggest change functional wise.

This should also remove the auto connection of any machines to the grid.

Something that could work really well:

Power grids can use the rent option like on work tables, you can pay a fix price per hour and/or price per W/kW consumed. This would allow to simulate the cost for network maintenance and expansion (fixed cost) + operating costs.

This would bring a lot of realism to a power grid, add possible blackouts if people overload the network as well as give freedom to users to either self produce and setup their local grid themselves or join up a much larger grid and pay whatever the owner decides is fair.

this is great!

This would be an amazing feature. It would give players a reason to build more power generation. Add on buying power too so that there aren't some players that are connecting 100 oil rigs to the global grid making everyone struggle while they don't contribute to the PG&D