Headings Electromagnetism Induced Current Search Questions 
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Power stations convert an energy resource into electrical energy.
The energy
resources may be non-renewable, such
as
fossil fuels
or nuclear
power,
or renewable, such as
hydroelectric,
tidal,
wave, wind, solar, geothermal and
biomass.
Non-renewable means
that there is only a certain amount of
the resource.
Once it is used up, it cannot be replaced.
Renewable means that the resource will not run out.
Fossil
fuels, nuclear power, geothermal
energy and biomass
are all used to boil water to make steam
which turns a turbine.
A turbine has a number
of blades, like the blades of a windmill,
which rotate when a liquid or gas
(steam) is forced through it under
pressure.
Large cooling towers condense the steam
back into water
which is recycled, reheated and turned back into steam.
The rotating
turbine is connected to a generator
which produces alternating current
electricity.
This electricity is then put through a
step up transformer
and transmitted across the National
Grid.
Hydroelectric and tidal
power use falling water to turn
the turbines.
Wind power uses modern windmills (called wind turbines)
to turn small generators.
Solar power generates electricity directly from sunlight.
The following pages give the
advantages
and disadvantages of these
processes.
Headings Electromagnetism Induced Current Search Questions
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