Electricity Generation

* What do industries use to generate steam and hot water? All, boiler fuel, process heat, electricity

Wind energy, one of the oldest forms of renewable energy used by humans, is produced simply by harnessing the power of the wind with wind turbines and generating electricity. Geothermal energy is energy from the heat of the Earth, and is drawn from locations with naturally heated water like hot water reservoirs and geysers or areas deep within the Earth accessed by drilling (NREL, "Learning About Renewable Energy"). Hydroelectric power, in simplest terms, uses the power of water rushing downwards to rotate a propeller attached to a generator that in turn produces electricity (Perlman). Another form of renewable energy is biomass, such as wood, biofuel, and bio-waste, which is burned to produce energy; however, it is not clean energy.

Hydroelectric energy is used the most in France because France is trying to use more renewable energy sources. Due to the Kyoto Protocol, France is developing a new system of energy-related research and development for renewable energy sources. (Campus France)

Nuclear energy is only one energy source. Others include: Coal, Hydropower, Wind power, Geothermal, Biomass, Natural Gas, Petroleum. Fossil fuels(Natural gas, petroleum, coal) are made by burning organic elements. In simpler form, rocks, plants and animals are burned to create the fossil fuels.

Energy Story, Hands-On Science with Squishy Circuits, and Conducting Solutions all have one important similarity: they all explain how electricity works!

Government has introduced many schemes, policies and incentives in order to enhance the use of electric

Flash steam power plants are the most common. They use geothermal reservoirs of water with temperatures greater than 360°F. This very hot water flows up through wells in the ground under its own pressure. As it flows upward, the pressure decreases and some of the hot water boils into steam.

In the article “energy story” it talks about all the importance of electrity and how it is made. It informs you about the different number of protons electrons and neutrons that are used to make electricity. We use electricity for everything in the

In short, the water which is captured in a dam flows through a tunnel which has turbines at the end. The speed of water turns the turbines, and following to that, the turbines turns the generator and create electricity and send it to the transformers. The transformers then supply the electricity in a designated area.

A fossil-fueled power plant relies on the ancient technology of fire to produce heat. According to Harold L. Flescher “Today, almost 50% of electricity in the United States comes from coal, almost 20% from natural gas, almost 20% from nuclear and 7% from hydroelectric. That adds up to over 95% of the United States electrical energy generation capability. Everything else, including solar and wind, today contributes less than 5% of U.S. electrical needs” (2). It is believed that our country and many others will continue to use coal and other fossil fueled plants as a main source for electricity for another couple of generations until we eventually graduate from the idea of using fossil fueled power plants (Flescher 2). The structure developed

The way that hydroelectric energy is created is actually pretty simple. In bodies of water where the water travels quickly, like at the bottom of a hill, there are turbines. Turbines are rotors that spin when the water goes through them, sort of like a windmill underwater. The turbine is connected to a piece of metal in a generator above land, so when the water spins the turbine, the metal spins and electricity is generated.

The source of power to fuel homes, industry and transportation has changed tremendously from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution to this present day. According

In 1831, scientist Michael Farday discovered the first form of electricity. He found that when a magnet moved inside a copper coil it created what is known as an electric current. This invention is known as a turbine generator. Even today, in full sized power stations this simple invention is still used and works very effectively. These power stations create mass amounts of energy to turn the turbines. Most of the time the energy is made from the heat, for example when coal is burned. More environmentally friendly power stations use wind or flowing water to turn these turbines. This is known as renewable energy because it will not run out, unlike when oil and coal are used.(3)

The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River will probably be finished by 2009 and will be the largest hydroelectric dam in the world.

By the late 1800s, the world’s first coal powered electric generator was made, the world’s first electric light was used, and the world’s first hydroelectric plant was utilized. A few years later a new type of fuel was becoming well-known, petroleum. Initially it had been an inconvenience for polluting water but by the end of the century oil, turned into gasoline, powered up engines. With the spread of economical gas cars and electricity, society’s energy use rapidly increased. Power plants became massive and power lines stretched out from hundreds of miles between cities, even during The Great Depression. After World War II, the use of energy was quickly doubling every 10 years and it concerned no one.