Electricity Generation: Uses and How Electricity is Generated

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Electricity Generation: Uses and How Electricity is Generated – Electricity is a form of energy. Electricity is of great significance to every household as when generated can be used to do so many important things. Among all the things science has provided for the society, electricity is one those that man or world cannot do without. In line with this, there are so many ways on how electricity can be generated for human or world consumption which is of great benefit or usage to the public.

Uses of Electricity

Electricity can be used for the following:

• Electricity can be used for lighting rooms, working fans and domestic appliances like using electric stoves, A/C and so on.
• Electricity is a source through which we have comfort in our houses
• Electricity is used to operate or help in working factories large machines.
• It also helps in the production of essential items like food, cloth, paper and others
• Electricity helps in transportation and communication as trains and cars uses electricity and battery. Also, radio, television and cinema works with the help of electricity which serves as a means of communication.
• Electricity plays a pivotal role in the fields of medicines and surgery too such as X-ray, ECG.

Generation of Electricity

Generation is one of the 3 key components that make up our national electricity industry:

• Generation (making electricity)
• Transmission (moving electricity across high-voltage lines from generating plants to communities)
• Distribution (delivering electricity to individual customers)

How Electricity is generated

Electricity is produced when mechanical energy is harnessed and used to rotate a turbine. The mechanical energy to spin the turbine can come from a variety of sources, including falling water, wind, or steam from heat generated either by a nuclear reaction or by burning fossil fuels.

Electricity generation sources

To generate electricity, we use:

Hydro: Hydropower uses the power of flowing water to create electricity. It is a clean and renewable resource from which countries creates most of its electricity.

Nuclear: Nuclear power comes from a nuclear fission process that generates heat, which is used to generate the steam that rotates the turbines to generate electricity.

Coal: Coal is an abundant and inexpensive energy source with a long history. It provides 40% of the world’s electricity.

Natural Gas: Natural gas, a fossil fuel found in underground reservoirs, emits approximately half the carbon emissions of coal when used to produce electricity.

Biomass: Burning organic materials produces high-pressure steam that drives a turbine generator to make electricity.

Wind: Turbines capture kinetic energy from wind and convert it into electricity. The amount of energy is determined by the speed of the wind.

Cogeneration: Cogeneration is when waste heat from electricity generation is recovered and used for applications, such as space heating and cooling, water heating, and industrial process heat.

Solar: Two technologies harness solar energy. Solar photovoltaic converts sunlight to direct current electricity using semiconductors, while solar thermal uses the sun’s heat.

Tidal: Tidal power is created when tides rotate submerged turbines. The resulting energy is converted into electricity.

Geothermal: Geothermal energy uses the internal heat of the Earth’s crust to produce electricity. Geothermal generation is concentrated in regions that are volcanically and tectonically active.

No matter how electricity is generated, it serves the purpose which it is meant for. Electricity has solved lots of crude things and changed everything to mechanical which has made life comfortable.