We use electricity in many areas of our daily lives, such as turning on lights, charging phones, and air conditioning. We cannot imagine our lives without electricity.... BUT, do we know how this important electricity is generated?
Let's take look at the steps in which electricity is generated!
I. A turbine converts the energy of a moving fluid to a mechanical energy. For example, in a hydroelectric plant shown below, as the water stored in a upper lake moves down the tunnel towards the turbine, the gravitational potential energy is converted to kinetic energy. This kinetic energy of the water is used to rotate the turbine.
II. The turbine shaft is connected to the generator shaft. When the turbine starts rotating, the rotor in the generator starts rotating as well.
III. A simplified diagram of how a generator works is shown below. A generator consists of a series of wire coils and a rotating electromagnet in between. The rotating magnet (rotor) produces a changing magnetic field which induces a current in the surrounding wires. This principle is known as the electromagnetic induction. In the generator, the mechanical energy from the turbine is converted into an electrical energy.