Types of Power Plants
Energy is an important requirement for us. From running our air conditioners to fueling our vehicles, our daily survival depends upon energy. Energy requirements have led countries to war and continues to be a bone of contention between many nations. Energy comes in various forms. The most convenient of all of them is electrical energy. Not only is it easy to generate, but it can also be generated through a number of different ways with the help of different types of power plants.
Different Types of Power Plants
Nuclear Power Plants:- Nuclear power plants work on the chemical process of fission. Fission is a type of nuclear reaction in which, when the atoms of certain elements called nuclear fuels absorb free neutrons, they split into two or more smaller nuclei and some free neutrons. In the process, large amounts of energy is released. The free neutrons further strike the atoms of other fissile materials, thus setting off a chain reaction. The energy released from this chain reaction is harnessed in nuclear power plants to generate electricity.
Nuclear power plants have ways to control or stop these reactions when they seem to go out of control and become threatening. The nuclear fuel used in the nuclear power plants are Uranium-235 or Plutonium-239. Every country is in the race of becoming capable of harnessing nuclear energy. It is so because the free energy released by nuclear material is millions times more than that contained in an equal amount of any other traditional fuel. However, what raises the concern about these reactions is that a lot of radioactive material is created in the process. These substances remain radioactive for long. This raises the problem of managing nuclear waste.
Thermal Power Plants:- These power plants generate electrical energy from thermal energy (heat). Since heat is generated by burning fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, or natural gas, these power plants are also collectively referred to as the fossil fueled power plants. Coal power plants were the earliest of the fossil power plants to have been built. The heat generated by burning the fossil fuels is used to turn a rotating machinery, most commonly a steam turbine or a gas turbine that changes the thermal energy into mechanical energy. The rotating turbine is attached to an alternator that coverts the mechanical energy of the rotating turbine into electrical energy.
Hydro Power Plants:- These plants use the kinetic energy of flowing water to produce electrical energy. Hydro power plants store water in large reservoirs. Water in these reservoirs flow down the dam and rotate a turbine. As the blades of a turbine turn, so do the magnets inside the generator which is connected to the turbine. These magnets rotate past copper coils and with each rotation, electricity is produced. There are more than 2,000 hydro power plants in the US, making it the largest source of energy in the country. Despite their utility, the major drawback of hydro power plants is that they are highly dependent on the hydrological cycle of the area where they are built.
Solar Power Plants:- Solar energy is one of the most abundant natural resources that is capable of providing more power than the current demand requires. Most of the solar power plants are concentrating solar power plants in which the rays of the Sun are concentrated into a single beam using lenses and mirrors. The beam is then used to heat a working fluid that is used to generate power. Besides the concentrating solar power plants, multi-megawatt photovoltaic plants have also been built in recent times. In these plants, Sun rays are concentrated on photovoltaic surfaces which convert the Sun's energy into electrical energy using the photoelectric effect.
Other than these, there are the geothermal energy power plants, wind turbines and renewable power plants that generate electricity for human consumption. Despite the different types of power plants, man is still on the lookout for more ways of generating power. Although fission is the only way of producing energy in nuclear power plants, efforts are on to use nuclear fusion and radioactive decay for energy production.
Methods of Generating Electricity
Turbines
Turbines are a kind of heat engine. Almost all turbines are propelled by a fluid which acts as an energy carrier. Some turbines can be propelled by wind or flowing water. Steam is one of the sources which powers turbines. For steam, the water is boiled either through the heat from nuclear fission, burning coal, natural gas or petroleum. Water is also boiled by using renewable sources of energy like biomass and geothermal power. Solar energy is used to heat the fluid, and then the steam is used to generate electricity. Water which flows at a great force can also drive a turbine to create electricity. Using wind energy on the turbines is another way to generate electricity.
Photovoltaic Panels
Photovoltaic panels convert sunlight directly into electricity, unlike solar heat concentrators. Initially, it was considered to be best suited to rural areas where there is no electricity grid or proper infrastructure. But with an increasing awareness about its environmental advantages, it is being used on larger scale around the world. Many experiments are being conducted to tap solar energy which is the purest source of energy.
Power through Nuclear Fission
When the nucleus of an atom splits, a chemical reaction occurs, which is called nuclear fission. This process takes place in a nuclear reactor as well. The most used mineral in a nuclear power generation process is uranium. It is placed in the reactor's core and random neutrons are released in the core. These neutrons collide with the nucleus of an uranium atom, resulting into a fission, creating a chain reaction. The consequence of this chain reaction is production of large amount of heat in the core. But, there are coolants to tackle this heat and they absorb the heat, and then, heat is transported to a steam boiler through a tube. After this, the heat from the coolant passes through the tube walls, which heats the water, which is obtained from a nearby natural water source. The heated water transforms into steam, which then propels the turbine, generating electricity. A major problem, though with nuclear fission is the nuclear waste, which is extremely harmful for the environment.
Turbines are a kind of heat engine. Almost all turbines are propelled by a fluid which acts as an energy carrier. Some turbines can be propelled by wind or flowing water. Steam is one of the sources which powers turbines. For steam, the water is boiled either through the heat from nuclear fission, burning coal, natural gas or petroleum. Water is also boiled by using renewable sources of energy like biomass and geothermal power. Solar energy is used to heat the fluid, and then the steam is used to generate electricity. Water which flows at a great force can also drive a turbine to create electricity. Using wind energy on the turbines is another way to generate electricity.
Photovoltaic Panels
Photovoltaic panels convert sunlight directly into electricity, unlike solar heat concentrators. Initially, it was considered to be best suited to rural areas where there is no electricity grid or proper infrastructure. But with an increasing awareness about its environmental advantages, it is being used on larger scale around the world. Many experiments are being conducted to tap solar energy which is the purest source of energy.
Power through Nuclear Fission
When the nucleus of an atom splits, a chemical reaction occurs, which is called nuclear fission. This process takes place in a nuclear reactor as well. The most used mineral in a nuclear power generation process is uranium. It is placed in the reactor's core and random neutrons are released in the core. These neutrons collide with the nucleus of an uranium atom, resulting into a fission, creating a chain reaction. The consequence of this chain reaction is production of large amount of heat in the core. But, there are coolants to tackle this heat and they absorb the heat, and then, heat is transported to a steam boiler through a tube. After this, the heat from the coolant passes through the tube walls, which heats the water, which is obtained from a nearby natural water source. The heated water transforms into steam, which then propels the turbine, generating electricity. A major problem, though with nuclear fission is the nuclear waste, which is extremely harmful for the environment.
These are a few conventional methods of generating electricity. There are a other methods as well, for which a lot of experiments are being carried on. Lot of innovations in this field are being conducted to use minimum amount of non-renewable energy sources to generate electricity. Hopefully, in the near future, solar energy will be in use to generate electricity!
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