Science & Nature

AC is the abbreviation for alternating current, and DC is the abbreviation for direct current. They are both composed of moving charges. AC current has sinusoidal patterns and so moves back and...

Solar panels capture the heat of the sun and turn it into power. American homes commonly use solar power to heat water. Photovoltaic (PV) systems are used in many homes to heat water and provide...

Power inverters are becoming increasingly common as people are powering AC electronic equipment, including televisions and computers, with batteries such as those found in cars and boats....

Wind turbines are used to capture wind and convert the kinetic energy (energy generated through motion) into mechanical or electrical power. Most turbines are used in wind farms to generate bulk...

The term "high voltage" usually refers to hundreds or thousands of volts, depending on the application. High-voltage power supply types can be internal in a piece of equipment or stand-alone for...

Flywheels have many uses in modern machinery. Probably the most common is to store rotational energy to help drive internal combustion engines. The engine spins a flywheel mounted at the...

Alexandre Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect in 1839, which is the conversion of light into electricity. The photovoltaic effect is what makes solar power possible, as metals...

Since electricity was brought to our homes, life kept getting easier. Inventions that use electrical power to run and that make our activities easier, continue to be developed, including personal...

Decades ago, when solar power first appeared, it was seen as a curious piece of technology that required a huge investment, technical expertise to install and sacrifices to live with. Today, solar...

The first step in turning sunlight into grid power is the solar cell. Solar cells convert sunlight into electricity through a process where light energy in the form of a photon strikes the solar...

Solar energy has been harnessed by humans for thousands of years for heating purposes, and more recently for electricity generation. Solar power is an extremely vast resource, but it has some...

A kilowatt-hour is an electrical unit of energy. It is the amount of work done when 1 kilowatt is expended or consumed in an hour. Power stations that supply electricity to buildings use...

Windmills have been used for thousands of years to harness the power of the wind to perform mechanical work and, more recently, to generate electricity.

Amplifier technology gives us the ability to increase the power of an AC electrical signal. An older technology for power amplification uses vacuum tubes. One method in particular uses a special...

According to Solar Energy International, the U.S. uses 25 percent to 30 percent of the world's energy. "Fossil fuels--coal, oil and natural gas--currently provide more than 85 percent of all the...

The search for alternative sources of power has increasingly focused on green sources. Nuclear power is only one of these technologies. Solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal power are viable...

Coal powers our modern life, even though it seems antiquated. A vast majority of the coal used in the U.S. is used to run our computers, lights, and elevators, but few people even know how...

Solar-powered technology provides us with an alternative to the use of fossil fuels. Many power plants rely on the burning of fossil fuels to boil water, which then produces steam and causes...

Parallel and series circuits are two different types of electronics. While both deliver power for gadgets, they work very differently.

AC currents and DC currents share some characteristics. They are both composed of moving charges, and are vital for circuits and electronic devices. However, they are generated differently, and...

Solar energy has many uses in both small and large scale applications. Improvements in solar cell technology are continuing to decrease installation cost, which is one of the major factors...

Electricity is something that would be hard to imagine living without. It can easily be taken for granted, not knowing how exactly it is made. The truth is that power can be generated from many...

People use a number of different types of non-conventional methods to supply themselves with electricity. Producing energy is not limited to burning coal and eliciting nuclear power; forces on...

Clean energy projects can help the green-conscious DIYer balance having a green lifestyle while still enjoying the many technological gadgets that appear from year to year. Harnessing the power of...

Though fossil fuels are deeply entrenched in the world's economy, problems such as global warming have many people taking a second look at nuclear power. Events in the late 1970s turned public...

A solar cell is a device that converts sunlight into energy via a phenomenon called the photoelectric effect. Discovered in the 19th century, solar cells have undergone great advancements in the...

Nuclear energy powers nearly 20 percent of the U.S.,according to posse.net. Even with so much use, nuclear power gets a lot of criticism for its dangers and harm to humans and the environment....

Solar power is a clean technology that can be a major source of society's power needs. It has many benefits, but there are also some potential problems associated with its adoption worldwide. Some...

Solar power has the potential to be a major source of energy in the 21st century. While much interest has recently been generated around solar power, there are other alternatives available. Some...

Solar energy is energy from the sun that can be converted into other forms of energy. It has been widely researched and tested over the years due to its numerous benefits. Users of solar power can...

Developed in the early 1960s, the laser has proved to be indispensable in many areas of research, engineering and commerce. Many kinds of lasers have been developed since then, spanning a power...

Nuclear power has been used for centuries in the United States to provide power for homes across the country. The use of nuclear power presents benefits over other power sources like coal burning,...

Nuclear power is associated with around 20 percent of electricity in the United States, according to the Nuclear Energy Information Service's website. Considering that number, a large amount of...

Nuclear power plants are a form of energy production first developed using technology from the Manhattan Project and the development of the atomic bomb. The energy utilizes radioactive material...

The sun provides heat, light and even power to homes connected with solar panels. Making the conversion to solar power on a home is a decision that will change the way your house is run. Before...

The coal is brought to the bottom of the plant into a burning room. Here, coal is coal lit and burned to create large fires. As coal burns off, more is added to produce electricity. During peak...

Magnets are fun toys that can be easily made at home. Making a magnet--more specifically, an electromagnet--is safe and can be a good introduction to the world of science. This is a fun project...

Solar cells take light from the sun and produce usable direct current (DC) electricity that can be used in green energy systems to power everything from small radios and electronic appliances to...

Though a nuclear power plant, a coal-fired plant, and a wind turbine may look different, they all make electricity the same way: by turning a generator. Electric energy comes from a handful of...

Nuclear power has been used in a wide variety of applications for decades. Most people are at least vaguely familiar with the existence of nuclear power plants for civil utilities and aboard naval...

The dictionary defines power as the "ability or capacity to act or perform effectively" (See Reference1). But power can also refer to the authority to exert control, might of a nation, economic...

An uninterruptable power supply is a safety backup device that monitors incoming electric activates its own battery pack to supply power in case of an external power interruption. Computers, SCADA...

There are many advantages and disadvantages to fossil fuels. While there are adequate amounts to currently sustain the demand, fossil fuels are not a renewable resource. The environmental havoc...

Though economics still favor power derived from coal, uranium, and petrochemicals, people are seeking to replace these wherever possible with cleaner alternatives. Solar, wind, and other...

Following the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II, scientists immediately began looking for ways to harness atomic energy for peaceful purposes. The first commercial nuclear reactors...

Electrical power, measured in watts, is the rate at which energy is transferred in an electric circuit. Power can be calculated using the Joule's law equation: "Power = Voltage x Current." Voltage...

Chosen more for their price than their prudence, traditional methods of generating electricity are odorous, dirty and smoky affairs that have often left the adjacent land, air and water...

Power in an electric circuit refers to the rate of energy transfer as a charge passes through a potential difference in a component or load. The rate of energy transfer refers to how quickly the...

Solar energy is becoming increasingly popular because it is sustainable, requires little maintenance and is cost-effective in the long run. Typically, solar energy is captured and converted into...

Knowing how much power is going to be generated is very important. If too much power is generated, the device being powered can be destroyed, while too little power will leave the device...