Types of Electricity Generation Fossil Fuel Wind Hydroelectric

Types of Electricity Generation Fossil Fuel Wind Hydroelectric Solar Nuclear Power Background Nuclear Home

1. Burn fossil fuel to make heat 2. Use heat to boil water and make steam 3. Use steam to spin an enormous turbine 4. The turbine spins huge magnets in the generator, making electricity Steam Water How a fossil fuel power plant works E Metal Wire E E Generator E Fossil Fuel Magnet Tu rb in e E E E Home

A coal fired power plant Home

Another coal power plant Home

Coal pile next to plant Home

1. Use water to spin an enormous turbine 2. The turbine spins huge magnets in the generator, making electricity How a hydroelectric power plant works E Metal Wire E E Generator E Water trapped by dam Magnet Tu rb in e E E E Home

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The inside of a hydroelectric plant Home

1. Use wind to spin an enormous turbine 2. The turbine spins huge magnets in the generator, making electricity E Metal Wire E E Generator E Magnet E E E How a wind power plant works Home

Some windmills Home

E P N E E P N P N P N E E To understand how a nuclear power plant works, you need to remember a little bit about how atoms are put together… E P N P N E Home

No. 2 First some background: everything is made of atoms – Wood including this pencil magnified 10 times Home

The wood is made of cells Cells magnified 1000 times Home

Cells have parts inside them, like DNA magnified 10, 000 times Home

DNA and everything else are made of atoms Atoms magnified 50, 000 times O C C H Home

Atoms are made of a few parts: protons, electrons, and neutrons O C C H C C E H E N P P N E Home

The basic parts of an atom Key N Neutron (0) P Proton (+) E Electron (-) The electrons spin around the outside of the nucleus. The protons and neutrons are stuck together in the center of the atom; this center is called the nucleus. There is a lot of space between electrons and the nucleus. E E N P P N E Home

If you break an atom’s nucleus apart, it gives off some heat energy N P N P N P P Home

If you break an atom’s nucleus apart, it gives off some heat energy Neutron “bullet” N N P N P N P P Home

When you break apart a large atom like uranium, 3 neutrons get separated N N P N P N P P P N P N N P N P N P P N N P N P N Home

These neutrons that get knocked off can bump into other atoms and break them apart too… P P N N N N P P P N P N P P N N N P N P N N N P P P N P P N N N P P N P N P N P P P P N N N P P N N P P P N N P P P N P N N P P N N P N P N P P N P N P P N Home

This is called a nuclear chain reaction Home

Multiplying by 3 speeds up quickly Round Nuclear Explosions P N N N P P P P N N N P P N N P P P N P N P N Home

1. Split uranium atoms to make heat 2. Use heat to boil water and make steam 3. Use steam to spin an enormous turbine 4. The turbine spins huge magnets in the generator, making electricity Steam Water How a nuclear power plant works E Metal Wire E E Generator E Uranium Magnet Tu rb in e E E E Home

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How solar power works Sun When light hits the photovoltaic cell, electrons are knocked loose from the atoms inside it, creating electricity. Solar panel (made out of photovoltaic cells) E E Rays of sunlight E Home

Some solar panels Home