In this chapter, you will learn to: / explain how a turbine generates electricity / appreciate the importance of energy for our needs / describe non-renewable and renewable energy sources
/ evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each energy source.
How electrical energy is generated
Many of the devices and machines we use every day need electricity to work. Electrical energy is generated in power stations as follows: 1. Fuel is burned to release heat. 2. The high temperature boils water into steam. 3. The steam’s kinetic energy causes the blades of a turbine to turn.
4. The turbine blades rotate coiled wire near magnets (a magnetic field), which generates electrical energy.
Steam Electricity
)Fig. 39.1 How a turbine generates electricity
? TEST TUBE
1. Outline the energy conversions that take place in a turbine generator.
Michael Faraday (1791–1867) developed the world’s first electricity generator in 1831. He discovered that when a magnet moves near a coil of wire, electrical current flows. This simple method has been the foundation of most of our electrical generation ever since. :Fig. 39.2 Michael Faraday