Different Types of Energy to Make Electric
Electricity provides the energy that powers homes and businesses around the world. While electricity occurs naturally as lightning, utility providers produce it using different kinds of fuel, like coal, natural gas and, to a limited extent, uranium. Alternative forms of electrical production sources include water resources, sunshine and wind. Most electricity comes from large power plants and the electricity flows through power lines, known as the grid.
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Coal
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Burning coal provides the majority of electricity produced in the U.S. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 45 percent of the electricity generated from January 2009 to November 2009 came from coal. Coal is pulverized into tiny particles and blown into burning chambers, where it creates additional heat to turn water to steam. The steam passes over the blades on turbines that turn generator shafts that produce the electricity in magnetic fields.
Natural Gas
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Natural gas is the second most common way to produce electricity. In the first 11 months in 2009, natural gas provided 24 percent of all the electricity in the U.S. Natural gas is a clean fuel for electrical production, unlike coal. Before burning natural gas, machinery removes many of its pollutants, like hydrogen sulfide, helium, carbon dioxide and water. When the gas burns, it heats water to create steam and drives turbines, producing electricity in the same way that coal does.
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Hydroelectric
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Hydroelectric power plants use the force of water to spin turbines to create electricity. For the most part, this is a clean way to produce electricity. Hydroelectric power requires a river or canyon, a dam and a reliable source of water. Some smaller hydroelectric power plants pump the water back to use it again when demand for power is low, like at night. One of the largest hydroelectric power plants lies between Nevada and Arizona, at Lake Mead, where the Hoover Dam provides power for areas in Southern California, Nevada and Arizona. Nationally, hydroelectric power provided just over 6 percent of the electricity used in the U.S. in 2009.
Nuclear Sources
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Nuclear power plants produced 20 percent of the power used in the U.S. in 2009. These plants cost the most to construct and represent one of the most dangerous ways to generate power, since nuclear fuels are highly reactionary. The fission process creates a great deal of energy that heats water to spin turbines, just like gas and coal power plants do. While all plants that produce electricity follow regulations, nuclear power plants have the highest levels of security and inspection because of the dangers associated with radiation.
Renewable Energy
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Renewable sources for electricity include sunshine, wind and biomass. As of 2009, these resources provided just 4.5 percent of the electricity used in the U.S. Solar installations can heat water to create steam and generate electricity using turbines, like conventional fuels. The propellers turn a shaft inside the wind turbine to create electricity. Both solar and wind energy can power individual homes or businesses, especially in locations off the power grid. Home solar panels can store the electricity in deep-cycle batteries for use at night or during cloudy weather.
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References
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