History of Electricity Generation:
– Electricity generation principles discovered by Michael Faraday in the 1820s
– Central power stations became practical with AC power transmission
– Commercial electricity production began with dynamo-hydraulic turbine coupling
– First power plants used water power or coal
– Popularity of electricity surged in the 1880s with the introduction of the Incandescent light bulb
Methods and Technologies of Electricity Generation:
– Coal, natural gas, hydro, nuclear, wind, solar, and other sources used for electricity generation
– Electric generators transform kinetic energy into electricity
– Electrochemistry directly transforms chemical energy into electricity
– Photovoltaic effect transforms light into electricity
– Different types of turbines include steam, nuclear, renewable energy, natural gas, and water turbines
Economics and Production of Electricity:
– Electricity production modes vary in economic viability worldwide
– Base load is supplied by plants running continuously
– Different power sources have pros and cons
– In 2021, coal, gas, and hydro were the top electricity generation sources
– China produced a third of the world’s electricity, mainly from coal
Environmental Impact and Concerns:
– Electricity generation impacts the environment differently in various countries
– Fossil fuel combustion for electricity generation is a significant source of sulfur dioxide emissions
– Low-carbon electricity generation needs to increase to mitigate climate change effects
– Methane and carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions
– Nuclear and renewable energy expansion is recommended to reduce carbon emissions
Specific Energy Sources for Electricity Generation:
– Coal-fired power generation: Processes, emissions, and global impact
– Natural gas power generation: Processes, efficiency, and environmental impact
– Nuclear power generation: Processes, contribution to global electricity, fuel, and environmental concerns
– Solar power: Utility-scale capacity, technology, ownership, and regulatory incentives
– Wind power: Types of farms, global presence, environmental impact, and technological advancements
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its delivery (transmission, distribution, etc.) to end users or its storage, using for example, the pumped-storage method.
Usable electricity is not freely available in nature, so it must be "produced", transforming other forms of energy to electricity. Production is carried out in power stations, also called "power plants". Electricity is most often generated at a power plant by electromechanical generators, primarily driven by heat engines fueled by combustion or nuclear fission, but also by other means such as the kinetic energy of flowing water and wind. Other energy sources include solar photovoltaics and geothermal power. There are exotic and speculative methods to recover energy, such as proposed fusion reactor designs which aim to directly extract energy from intense magnetic fields generated by fast-moving charged particles generated by the fusion reaction (see magnetohydrodynamics).
Phasing out coal-fired power stations and eventually gas-fired power stations, or, if practical, capturing their greenhouse gas emissions, is an important part of the energy transformation required to limit climate change. Vastly more solar power and wind power is forecast to be required, with electricity demand increasing strongly with further electrification of transport, homes and industry. However, in 2023, it was reported that the global electricity supply was approaching peak CO2 emissions thanks to the growth of solar and wind power.
