1. Generating Electricity
Power Plants
Generating Electricity

2. The Non Renewable Fuel Sources
Fossil Fuels
Coal
Petroleum (Oil)
Natural Gas
Uranium (Nuclear Power)

3. The Renewable Fuel Sources
Water (Hydro)
Wind
Solar
Geothermal
Biomass
Fuel Cell

4. So How is Fuel converted in Electricity?
Lets look at Hydroelectric first
The flow of the water cause the wheel to turn. This wheel is called a turbine.

5. If you connect a generator to the turbine, you can create electricity

6. How does a generator work?
It is composed of two parts – a magnet and wires surrounding it. The turbine turns the magnet or the wires. When the magnet moves, an electrical current is generated in the wires.

7. All fuel sources create electricity in the same way – we turn a turbine, to power the generator to create electricity
In wind power – the wind turns the turbine

8. Most fuels don’t turn the turbine directly, they heat water to steam and THAT turns the turbine.
Geothermal – the heat from the ground heats water to steam. The pressure of the gas moving causes the turbine to spin.

9. We burn fossil fuels, and the heat given off heats the water to steam

11. Label the parts of the power plant
1- Fuel stored for future use
2- Boiler – the fuel is burned, giving off a lot of heat
3- Water in pipes is heated to steam
4 – Steam under high pressure is pushed through the pipes
5 – The Turbine is turned by the steam
6- The Generator creates electricity.
7 – Electricity goes out along the wires to transformers and homes
10- Condenser – Here the steam is cooled down so it can go through the cycle again.
Label the parts of the power plant

12. Nuclear power works the same way, but because of radioactivity it needs an extra closed system so no fuel touches the water turning the turbine

13. General Information
During the burning of fossil fuels, stored chemical energy is converted to electrical energy through heat transfer
In nuclear fission, matter is transformed directly into a process that is several million times as energetic as chemical burning
Alternative energy sources are being explored and used to address the disadvantages of using fossil and nuclear fuels