Electricity is very important to modern society. Without it, most of us would be left in the dark – literally. The most common method of producing electricity is to change mechanical energy (the turning of turbines), into electrical energy, through the use of electromagnetic induction. Electricity can also be obtained directly from sunlight inside solar cells, using the photovoltaic effect.
Electromagnetic Induction
Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction in 1831. In a simple generator, copper wire is passed though an electric field (or conversely a magnet can be moved past copper wire), causing electricity to be produced. Click here to view a cool moving diagram of a simple generator. The mechanical energy needed to move the wire (or magnet) can come from a variety of sources including running water (hydro), wind, and steam heated by various means.
Hydro
The movement of the water in the river causes massive turbines to turn, providing the mechanical movement needed to power the generators producing electricity. Hydro power is a renewable resource and causes virtually no pollution once initially established. There is some disruption of the natural environment however, as the area upstream to the dam is flooded. This flooding causes mercury from decaying plant matter to enter the water and be absorbed by the aquatic animals. Contaminated fish will pass mercury up the food chain to animals and humans. Mercury is a toxic element that can cause birth defects and other health problems. Mercury content in the water, and, as a result, in the fish, decreases over time. The solution to this issue is to refrain from eating fish from that river until mercury levels return to normal. The only lasting negative effect of a hydro installation is that the natural movement of aquatic wildlife is constricted by the dam, which can be a problem to migrating species.
Wind
Wind power is a natural and renewable resource. Wind power causes no pollution. The wind turns giant propeller-like turbines, providing the needed mechanical energy to power the electricity-producing generators. Checkout our post on the St Leon Wind Farm or our Wind Power section.
Steam
Traditional substances, such as coal, or alternative fuels, primarily biomass fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel (vegetable oils), are burned to heat water into steam. As the steam rises, it turns the generator creating the ele
ctric power. Biomass fuels are renewable but do release carbon dioxide into the air – unless you’re talking about algae oil, then that’s another matter altogether.
Photovoltaic Effect
The photovoltaic effect was discovered in 1839 and named after Volta, a scientist who studied electricity. Solar cells are complex, manufactured flat panels, usually composed of silicon, that convert sunlight directly into electricity. Solar power is also a form of renewable energy.
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- What is Renewable Energy?
- How to Generate Sustainable Electricity Simply
- Hydro Energy: About It & It’s Use
- Are You Using Green Electricity?
- Hydro Electricity – Renewable Energy Basics
- Why Use Clean Electricity?
- Using the Photovoltaic Effect For Electricity
- How To Generate Wind Power From Home
February 15th, 2009 at 2:32 am
There are a few more types of sustainable electricity generation. Have you heard about solar thermal power?
Also, I read an article the other day that there’s no such thing as a sustainable source of power. I mean all these methods are great and all but the cost of the resources required to produce these power generation tools is highly unsustainable.
Makes sense to me as well…
May 3rd, 2009 at 1:33 am
I LIKE THIS GENERATION PART BUT THE THING IS AS ITS EVIDENT THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH EACH AND EVERY METHOD SO CANT WE PRODUCE BETTER GENERATION METHODS?
May 3rd, 2009 at 10:06 am
Yeah that’s the problem – each method has its problems. Just need to match the right generation method with the right environment in the right situation.
August 5th, 2009 at 2:51 am
One of these renewable sources of energy needs to be used in a major way if we need to sustain our energy needs. Also we need to realise that using these are not easy as your article has pointed out. Conserving energy and minimising usage is also needed. We all have a part to play!
August 5th, 2009 at 3:21 am
There is no single solution to our world-wide energy problems. It is going to have to be a piecemeal solution like Rob mentioned–in windy areas, wind power will be prevalent, in sunny areas, more solar panels and water heaters will be installed. We also have to look at the other side of the issue: reducing the amount of electricity we’re using to begin with!
August 5th, 2009 at 7:09 am
Exclusively the production of electricity is given here with all features. I am very happy to take a copy of this to give it to my my son who asked me some details about methods of producing electricity.Really informative one with all details.
May 8th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
is there any method available for generation of electricity.?
like running vehicles on the roads . In my point of view there are no. of forces working on earth.we can bring forward those methods for production of electricity with the best method of perfection and use of those forces present right now on the earth.
May 8th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
vibrant forces is one of the source for producing electricity?
May 27th, 2011 at 2:03 pm
The technologies are out there now. I see articles about MIT students designing solar panels that are 3 times more efficient than currently sold panels. I see a company in Philadelphia taking trash and extracting oil since most trash contains some amount of carbon. I think the technology hurdle is just one part of the process to going green. The government and it’s lobbyists won’t give it a green light until somebody presents a grand plan on how this will affect our economy and our daily life. We are in bed with so many countries paying them billions of dollars so they don’t start nuking us off the map. So if we flip off Iran,Iraq,Saudi Arabia, etc. and say we going to stop buying your oil. What happens to us? If we stop mining coal and we layoff all the miners then what? Layoff half the people in the oil industry? I think we need to slow down. Is it really cheaper to buy that $10 toy made in China. How much energy was expended to make it. And if we made that toy in the U.S.A. 40 years ago it is still around today. Unlike the energy sucking toys made in China today that will break in a year and need to be replaced using more energy. And let’s use more resources to make every sign, instruction manual, etc in more than the language of the United States of America where every immigrant from Germany, Italy, Poland, France, etc. for the last 200 years came to this country and learned to communicate using the English language… until the Mexicans decided to come on in to our country and change it for them. Their language has to be used here, their right to shelter food has to be provided for them if they are illegally here. I guess my point as I return from my rant is that reducing consumption would slow things down and give people more time to consider the impact of radical energy changes.