Were you aware that the majority of all the electricity used in the world today is generated by burning coal, the dirtiest, most polluting fossil fuel of them all? The reason for this is that it remains by far the cheapest way to produce large amounts of electricity. However, it is not the only way, as we shall see:
Of all the fossil fuels used for electricity production, natural gas is the one that is the least harmful to the environment, although the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, is still produced during its combustion. One of the reasons it is one of the most efficient methods is that the products of combustion can be used to provide additional propulsion for the steam turbine.
Petroleum-fired power stations do not, as the name suggests, run on the expensive fuel that you might put in your automobile, but rather on a by product of the refining of crude oil called residual fuel oil, which is cheap, but very, very dirty.
At present, the biggest non-fossil fuel source of energy for electricity generation is nuclear fission. In a nuclear power plant, a nuclear fuel such as uranium is bombarded with neutrons, splitting the atoms in the fuel and setting of a controlled chain reaction which releases a huge amount of heat energy. This heat is used to turn water into steam which turns the turbine in the same way as in a fossil fuel based power plant.
The kinetic energy in a flowing river or the outlet from a dam is what spins the turbines in Hydro Power stations. Although they are completely non-polluting and totally renewable, they have quite a detrimental effect on river ecosystems, and often run into planning difficulties as a result.
If you have ever seen a volcano erupt, you will be aware that beneath the earths crust there is a lot of heat waiting to get out. In some regions, this heat energy is so close to the surface that underground water is turned into steam and shot through holes in the surface known as hot springs. This can be harnessed to power steam turbines in the usual way, and this is known as Geothermal Power.
Photovoltaic cells, also known as solar panels, can trap the energy in the suns solar rays and turn it into electricity. The heat from the sun can also be focussed using special lenses to heat water for steam turbines in a process known as solar thermal generation.
Another renewable option, in countries where there is no shortage of windy weather, is wind power, which uses windmills equipped with dynamos to turn the kinetic energy of the wind into electrical energy. However, these windmills have a habit of ruining a nice landscape, which is why so many proposed wind farms run into planning difficulties.
Of all the fossil fuels used for electricity production, natural gas is the one that is the least harmful to the environment, although the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, is still produced during its combustion. One of the reasons it is one of the most efficient methods is that the products of combustion can be used to provide additional propulsion for the steam turbine.
Petroleum-fired power stations do not, as the name suggests, run on the expensive fuel that you might put in your automobile, but rather on a by product of the refining of crude oil called residual fuel oil, which is cheap, but very, very dirty.
At present, the biggest non-fossil fuel source of energy for electricity generation is nuclear fission. In a nuclear power plant, a nuclear fuel such as uranium is bombarded with neutrons, splitting the atoms in the fuel and setting of a controlled chain reaction which releases a huge amount of heat energy. This heat is used to turn water into steam which turns the turbine in the same way as in a fossil fuel based power plant.
The kinetic energy in a flowing river or the outlet from a dam is what spins the turbines in Hydro Power stations. Although they are completely non-polluting and totally renewable, they have quite a detrimental effect on river ecosystems, and often run into planning difficulties as a result.
If you have ever seen a volcano erupt, you will be aware that beneath the earths crust there is a lot of heat waiting to get out. In some regions, this heat energy is so close to the surface that underground water is turned into steam and shot through holes in the surface known as hot springs. This can be harnessed to power steam turbines in the usual way, and this is known as Geothermal Power.
Photovoltaic cells, also known as solar panels, can trap the energy in the suns solar rays and turn it into electricity. The heat from the sun can also be focussed using special lenses to heat water for steam turbines in a process known as solar thermal generation.
Another renewable option, in countries where there is no shortage of windy weather, is wind power, which uses windmills equipped with dynamos to turn the kinetic energy of the wind into electrical energy. However, these windmills have a habit of ruining a nice landscape, which is why so many proposed wind farms run into planning difficulties.