What Are the Main Forms of Electricity Generation?
Electricity is a widely used medium of power generation in the world. It is one of the three main kinds of energy - the other two being gas and oil. Electricity is generated by electric generators that are called electrical generators or alternators. When these generators are switched on, an electrical current is generated and carried to the electrical poles which transmit the current to the actual electrical device such as the dynamos, transformers, meters, lights and motors.
Electricity can be created by the use of fossil fuels or nuclear reactions. Both these methods of creating electricity have their own advantages and disadvantages. The coal is usually stored in mines for a long time before being burnt; however, it generates more pollution and a large amount of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide.
If the process of converting coal into electricity is carried out without doing any emissions, then the resulting electricity is cleaner and carbon dioxide is not produced. The process involves separating the combustible portion of the coal using gasification and crushing the remaining coal in order to get rid of the ash. The ash is then sent to a chemical plant for use as a fertilizer.
Gasification is the method of converting carbonaceous substances into usable forms through heating them up to about 1100 degrees Celsius or about 2700 degrees Fahrenheit, where the carbon is converted into carbon dioxide and oxygen gas. This is done by adding certain chemicals to the gas and electrolysis where the gas is subjected to an electrical current.
The use of nuclear reaction involves the use of an ionizing beam that is normally applied to a membrane containing the radioactive substance in order to split the substance into its constituents, these can include both neutrons and protons. The protons released when the nucleus splits produce an electrical charge and this in turn changes the electrons, which in turn produces an electric current.
However, nuclear reactions are expensive because of the cost of the materials and equipment used to carry out the processes. That is why it is important that nuclear reactions are used only in cases where there is a high demand for electricity. This is so that the country or state that uses this method of generating electricity does not encounter any loss of income.
In order to carry out nuclear reactions, there are some specially designed devices called nuclear reactors that are called fission reactors. These are comparatively easier to set up compared to the fusion reactors because they do not require the use of electricity to run. They are the most common form of electricity generation, because they are less expensive and reliable.
The fusion process, also known as nuclear fission, involves the use of a gas (usually a gas and water) and another material with equal mass and charges to create a fusion of atoms, which results in the creation of a large amount of energy. In order to carry out fusion, a powerful laser is required to heat the material to a high temperature.