Trystan Casey
The demand for electricity has increased dramatically since its introduction into everyday life in the 19th century. There are many ways companies create electricity, including through the use of natural gas, coal, nuclear energy, wind, hydropower, solar power, biomass, and geothermal. Most electricity generation is from generators that are based on scientist Michael Faraday's discovery in 1831, which found that moving a magnet inside a coil of wire induces an electric current.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Sources of Energy | Natural gas, renewable sources, coal, nuclear energy, wind, hydropower, solar power, biomass, and geothermal |
| Electricity Generation | A turbine generator set converts mechanical energy to electrical energy |
| Heat Production | Natural gas, coal, nuclear fission, biomass, petroleum, geothermal, and solar thermal |
| Steam Production | Heat produced from the above sources is used to create steam |
| Steam Turbine | Steam moves the blades of the turbine |
| Electricity Transmission | Electricity travels through a transmission grid of high-voltage transmission lines |
| Voltage | Voltage is increased or "stepped up" by a transformer after leaving a generating facility |
| Voltage Range | Ranges from 100 kV to 1,000 kV to minimize power losses over long distances |
| Coal-fired Power Stations | About 2,500 coal-fired power stations worldwide, capable of generating a gigawatt each |
| Solar Energy | Solar panels or photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly into electricity |
| Wind Turbines | Wind turns the blades of a shaft connected to a generator to produce electricity |
| Nuclear Energy | Nuclear power plants use nuclear fission to split atoms and create energy |
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What You'll Learn
Solar power
Solar panels are the most common way to generate electricity from solar power. They are simple and reliable sources of electricity, and they come in various sizes, from residential rooftops to solar farms stretching over acres of rural land. Solar panels are made from silicon or another semiconductor material installed in a metal panel frame with a glass casing. When exposed to sunlight, the semiconductor material releases electrons and produces an electric charge. This process is called the photovoltaic effect. The photovoltaic effect creates the current needed to produce electricity. The electricity generated by solar panels is direct current (DC) electricity, which is then converted to alternating current (AC) by an inverter. AC is the type of electrical current used when plugging appliances into standard wall sockets.
The rate at which solar panels generate electricity depends on the amount of direct sunlight and the quality, size, number, and location of the panels in use. Solar panels with more direct sunlight exposure and better qualities will generate electricity at a higher rate.
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Natural gas
Power plants use a boiler, a combustion turbine, or both to convert natural gas into electricity. In the boiler method, water is boiled to create steam, which spins a turbine that generates electricity. In the combustion turbine method, the pressurised gas produced by burning natural gas turns the blades of a turbine connected to a generator. The spinning motion creates an electromagnetic field, and the rotor within the generator's electromagnetic field generates an electric current through electromagnetic induction. This electric current is the electricity that is transmitted and distributed to homes, businesses, and industries.
In a combined cycle system, the energy created by one turbine is used to generate more energy in another turbine. The Combined-Cycle Gas & Steam Turbine (CCGT) plant, for example, combines a gas turbine and a steam turbine to maximise electricity output. In this process, the hot air exiting the engine is used to heat water to create steam, which drives another turbine to produce more energy.
In 2023, natural gas was the top source of US utility-scale electricity generation, accounting for about 43% of the total. It was also the leading source of electricity generation in the US during the past winter, reaching a record-high 619 billion kilowatt-hours (BkWh) over five months.
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Coal
There are about 2,500 coal-fired power stations globally, each capable of generating a gigawatt of power. The process of burning coal to generate electricity was established in the nineteenth century and was once a primary source of electricity in countries such as the US and Britain. In 2019, about 23% of all electricity in the US was generated by coal-fired power plants. In 2022, this figure had dropped to 19.5%. In Britain, coal generated 2% of electricity in 2022, down from a peak of over 60% in the early 1990s.
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Nuclear power
Nuclear energy is a form of energy released from the nucleus, the core of atoms, which are made up of protons and neutrons. Fission is the process of splitting a nucleus in two. Inside each uranium fuel pellet, there are millions of uranium nuclei. When these nuclei are split, a large amount of energy is released, with the biggest source being kinetic energy. This process generates heat inside a reactor, which is then used to produce steam. The steam is then channelled to spin turbines, activating an electric generator to create low-carbon electricity.
Uranium is a naturally radioactive element found in most rocks. To make natural uranium more likely to undergo fission, the amount of uranium-235 in a given sample is increased through a process called uranium enrichment. Once the uranium is enriched, it can be used as nuclear fuel in power plants for three to five years. After this period, it is still radioactive and must be disposed of following strict guidelines to protect people and the environment.
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Wind power
Wind turbines use blades to collect the wind's kinetic energy. As the wind flows over the blades, it creates lift, causing the blades to turn. The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator, which produces electricity. Modern wind turbines can generate usable amounts of electricity over 90% of the time. They will start to generate electricity at wind speeds of around six to nine miles per hour and will shut down if the wind is blowing too hard (around 55 miles per hour) to prevent equipment damage.
The cost of wind power has declined by 31% over the last decade, and it is now competitive with other energy sources. The UK government, for example, plans to invest £160 million in offshore wind power to ensure the country can produce enough electricity to power every home by 2030.
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Frequently asked questions
Electricity is created through various methods, including natural gas, renewable sources, coal, and nuclear energy. Natural gas is ignited to create pressurised gas, which spins turbines to generate electricity. Coal-fired power plants burn coal to generate electricity. Nuclear power plants use a process called nuclear fission, which splits atoms to create energy. Renewable sources include wind, hydropower, solar power, biomass, and geothermal.
Wind turbines use wind to make electricity. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft connected to a generator to produce electricity.
Solar panels, or photovoltaic cells, convert sunlight directly into electricity. When sunlight hits the panels, it loosens electrons from their atoms, allowing them to flow through the cell and generate electricity.
In coal-fired power plants, coal is pulverized and burned in a boiler. The heat converts boiler water into steam, which spins turbines connected to generators. This process converts the chemical energy stored in coal into thermal energy, then mechanical energy, and finally electrical energy.
There are various other methods of electricity generation, including hydroelectricity, internal combustion engines, fuel cells, and binary-cycle turbines. Additionally, energy storage systems such as hydro-pumped storage, electrochemical batteries, and compressed-air storage can be used to generate electricity.
