Electricity and Different Ways to Generate it

Electricity is one of the most widely used form of energy. Electricity has a great importance in our daily lives. Every household appliance needs electricity to run. Electricity is a controllable and convenient form of energy used in the applications of heat, light and power. But do you ever wonder how this electricity is produced? So this article will help you in understanding electricity and ways to generate electricity.

Electricity is the flow of electrical power or charge. It is a secondary energy source. We get it from the conversion of other sources of energy like coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear power and other primary sources.

The methods to generate electricity are as follows:

• Electricity through fossil fuels: Electricity can be produced by burning fossil fuels. Fossil fuels can be petroleum, coal and natural gas. Fossil fuels are used to make fire and boil water. When the water is heated enough, its vapor are used to move turbines and make electricity.
• Electricity through water: This is also known as hydropower. It is a process in which a running water is used to spin turbines connected to a generator thus making electricity.
• Electricity through wind: This is also known as wind power. It is a process in which wind is used to move turbines and make electricity.
• Electricity through nuclear: This is also known as nuclear power. It is a method in which steam is produced by heating water through a process called nuclear fission. This steam spins a turbine generating electricity.
• Electricity through sun: This is known as solar power .Solar-thermal electric generators use the radiant energy from the sun to produce steam to drive turbines, thus producing electricity.
• Electricity through biomass: Biomass includes wood, municipal solid waste (garbage), and agricultural waste, such as corn cobs and wheat straw. These sources replace fossil fuels in the boiler. The combustion of wood and waste creates steam that is typically used in conventional steam-electric plants.

Wind Energy

Human beings have used wind energy for hundreds of years. Wind energy is a clean and free source of energy. Since ancient times, people have been harnessing power from the wind for everyday use. Traditionally, windmills are used to pump water and grind grains. Today, windmills are even used to generate electricity.Some of the advantages and disadvantages of wind energy are, wind energy is free, inexhaustible and clean. So long as the wind turbines of the windmill work, electricity will be generated.

The uses of wind power, unlike others, carry with it almost no environmental impact. A single wind turbine can create electricity for over 200 homes. It can be built without any geographical alterations and is extremely safe and easy to maintain.

But the main drawback with wind mill is its optimal location. The optimal location for a windmill is where there is a constant and moderate flow of wind and there are very little areas on earth that has such geographical conditions;

Advantages of Solar Power

Solar power can be used in both large-scale scenarios in the world of commerce and industry and in smaller scale scenarios, such as the home. Whilst captains of industry can diversify their choices and improve operational efficiency by using solar technology, homeowners can claim their own piece of the pie and choose this emerging technology for their own uses.

Heating and cooling are obviously the larger costs faced by the home operator, some of those kitchen and wash room appliances just set the utility meter whirring! Many pro-active homeowners would love to find an alternate source for the provision of hot water for their daily needs.

Working of solar power depends totally on which type of solar power you are using! One method involves the use of electro-voltaic solar panels which help convert sunlight into electricity, and the second method is solar heating, i.e., using the sunlight to heat the house.

Photovoltaic cells, popularly called solar panels, are common of the two and most people prefer using it since it is reliable and can store enough electrical energy in a battery for running household appliances. However, most people opt for the hybridized version of the solar panel, which allows them to pull power out of the electrical grid when needed. To heat your house using the sun's rays, is common in the mountainous areas where snowfall makes solar panels not a viable option. If you opt for this version, you have to amplify the heat from the sun by using glass found in greenhouses. This heat is used to warm water, which is then pumped throughout the house to the radiators.