Three Ways to Create Electricity
Introduction
The power that you use everyday to light a lightbulb comes from a structure called a powerhouse. Inside the powerhouse there are generators. If scientists hadn’t created a bigger generator, you wouldn’t have a house full of electricity. A generator generates powerful energy called electricity. There are different ways to make the generators turn, like fossil fuel energy, hydroelectric, and wind. Scientists want to use clean energy that are reusable like water, wind, and the sun to turn generators. Also, have you ever seen the movie transformers? The generators in the powerhouses could be as big as a transformer.
The Wonderful Invention of Michael Faraday
Inside a Huge Generator
Do you know what it’s like to be inside a generator? I’ll tell you what’s inside the generator. The generator has a little magnet in the motor, the magnet was attached to a coil of wire that connects the fan called the turbine. As the turbine moves, the magnet spins, the magnet will make electricity. The coil of wire would receive the electricity and then it would transfer the electricity to other wires. But, how do we spin the turbine? It’s too big and too heavy! Scientist had found out ways to turn the generator!
Fossil Fuel Energy
Some powerhouses uses nuclear, coal, oil, and natural gas (most of the people call them Fossil Fuels) power plants to heat water, and then steam is formed by boiling hot water. The steam goes in a tube and goes in another part where the turbine is. Then, the steam will force the turbine to turn and generates electricity. The steam that forced the turbine to work will cool off and turn into water, which goes in another tube and back to the spot where the water is being heated. For example, the source, which is the fossil fuels, heats the water into steam. Steam is lighter than air, so it could float into a tube which leads to the turbine. When the center that has the turbine is full, the steam would force the turbine to turn. Nuclear power uses a element called uranium. Uranium need to be put in a metal tube called fuel rods, the fuel rods that are full with uranium would go into a center where there’s water and then heat it. As it heats the water, the water turns into steam, which forces the turbine to spin the magnet.
Hydroelectric and Wind Energy
There are other kinds of power plants that does not heat water and use steam to turn the turbine. This one is called Hydroelectric power plant. Hydroelectric power plants uses the force of falling water to make the turbine spin. There’s some places in the river, they make a wall called dams, that blocks the water and pours the water into a hole. But one thing I tell you is they pour out the water after it’s used, and when it’s been poured out, colder water would come out. The hole is actually a plastic tube that leads to the turbine. As the water pours into the plastic tube, the force of the water was so strong that it turned the turbine. I have one more way to share in this writing.This way is called is wind energy. Wind energy has a generator but it’s different from hydroelectric power plants. They have this wind mill called wind turbine, as the wind turbine spins, it turns the coil of wire that’s attached to the magnet that spins and makes electricity. The wind energy structure is not called “wind energy power plants”, it’s called wind farm.
Fossil Fuel Energy Compared to Hydroelectric and Wind Energy
Fossil fuel vs Hydroelectric and wind energy:
Conclusion
Like I said before, there are so many ways people can make electricity, nowadays, we couldn’t even live without electricity! Electricity is made with the force of the water falling, the wind blowing the wind turbine, and the steam forcing the turbine to turn. Unfortunately, coal, natural gas, and nuclear power to heat water would pollute the Earth, because if we burn coal, natural gas, and uranium, it would send carbon dioxide out, which creates global warming. So scientist are finding out more ways to make electricity, like solar power, and a lot of other natural power that doesn't pollute the Earth. This writing only talks about three types how they generate electricity. So if you are interested in this topic, you could read other writings about how do people generate electricity. Don’t forget to read and find out more ways!
Glossary
Fossil Fuels - animals and plants die, and been squashed by mud and dirt over a million years, people get them from mining.
Wind Farm - many wind turbine in one place and get the electricity to a powerhouse.
Turbine - a fan that's attached to the coil of wire.
Work Cited:
Fossil Fuels. BrainPOP, 1999. Web. 2016.
Dynamo, Oct. 1831. Web.