We find electrical energy present in our daily lives in almost everything we do, from waking up in the morning with an alarm clock to the movie we watch at night. All the machines we use use electrical energy to function. To obtain it, man uses various electrical power sources.
Know how it is obtained and what are the sources of electricity that we can use, is something that everyone should know. Here we are going to answer some of the most common questions that people often ask about electricity and electrical energy sources.
What is electricity?
Electricity is a natural phenomenon that can be used to power electronic equipment and power devices.. Everything around us is made up of atoms, and in all atoms there are electrons. By this I mean that electricity is the flow of electrons from one atom to another.
This flow is what we call electric current. Atoms that easily exchange electrical currents are known as conductors.. These conductors can be combined to allow us to control the flow of electricity to our benefit.
What are the sources of electrical energy?
Electricity is obtained from different sources and those sources can be divided between renewable and non-renewable. Renewable energy sources can be replenished naturally, while non-renewable sources are finite.
The world’s most common sources of electricity are non-renewable, such as gas and coal. Other common sources of electricity include nuclear power, hydroelectric power, wind power, and solar power.
Hydroelectric power
Hydroelectric power plants generate electricity from the movement of water. To obtain it, rivers are dammed to retain the water, creating reservoirs, which are very similar to a lake. The water is conducted through pipes to a machine room.
Through turbines and generators, the pressure of the water contained in the dam is transformed into movement, generating electricity from the water. Hydroelectric power is one of the most used in the world.
The main disadvantage of this type of electrical power source is that due to its large size it usually has a great impact on the environment.. As is the deforestation caused by its construction, the change in the course of the rivers and also requires an extensive flood area.
Wind power
Wind power plants convert wind into energy. As with hydroelectric power, it works through turbines. these turbines They are activated through a windmill that moves due to the wind. In addition to the turbines, it also uses generators that, thanks to a rotor, generate electromagnetic fields that are transformed into electrical energy.
It is a 100% clean source of electrical energy, with a reduced environmental impact. The main disadvantage is the intermittency, after all, there is not always enough wind to generate electricity through this process.
thermoelectric power
Thermoelectric plants are other sources of electrical energy. In this type of power generation, the system works by heating water using fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas, and coal.
The heating produces steam, which is conducted through pipes to the turbines, making them rotate. The turbines are connected to generators that create an internal electromagnetic field, which is what generates electricity..
Unlike the previous option, this source of electricity is not renewable, since it is powered by fossil fuels that are not renewable, because they are finite. The burning of fossil fuels causes a great environmental impact generating air pollution.
Solar energy
Solar power uses light and heat from the sun to generate clean, renewable energy. Solar panels or photovoltaic cells are the most common ways to take advantage of solar energy.. As the sunlight becomes more intense, the voltage generated between the two layers of the photovoltaic cell increases.
When sunlight hits solar panels, the atoms release their electrons, which flow through the cells and generate electrical energy.. In other ways, the sun’s energy is used to boil water and operate a steam turbine to generate electricity similar to coal or nuclear power plants.
Solar power plants are steadily gaining popularity with the increase in the price of fossil fuels. Through large reflectors they trap solar energy. This energy is then directed to receivers where various technologies are used to drive gas or steam turbines to generate electricity.
The nuclear energy
Nuclear power is generated from the energy contained in the nucleus of an atom. Nuclear power plants use the process of nuclear fission, which is the process used to split an atom, to create energy.
Nuclear power plants typically use uranium atoms they split when hit by a neutron, releasing heat and radiation, creating more neutrons.
Once the neutrons collide with other uranium atoms, the process repeats itself again. Nuclear power plants take advantage of this chain reaction to produce heat.. When combined with water, the heat produces steam that is then used to generate electricity that we can use in our homes.
What energy sources contribute to environmental pollution?
Although the cheapest way to generate energy is by burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal, and oil, it is also the most dangerous for the environment.
burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which has been linked to serious environmental complications. Complications such as global warming, climate change, air pollution, natural disasters, habitat destruction, and chronic health problems.
