A machine that transforms a form of energy into electricity is called an electric generator. Electricity generators come in a variety of designs. According to Michael Faraday’s 1831 discovery that rotating a magnet inside a coil of wire causes (induces) an electric current to flow in the wire, the majority of the world’s power is produced by generators. He created the first electricity generator, known as a Faraday disk, which relies on this magnetic and electrical interaction and inspired the creation of the electromagnetic generators we use today.
An electromagnet—a magnet created by electricity—rather than a conventional magnet is used in electromagnetic generators. A fundamental electromagnetic generator consists of a rotor, which is an electromagnetic shaft, and a stator, which is a stationary cylinder made of insulated wire coils. The wire coil’s individual sections, which function as distinct electric conductors, become active when the rotor is turned. One big current is created when the currents in the various parts come together. The electricity that travels from generators to power wires to consumers is this current. Nearly 90% of the electricity generated in the United States is produced by electromagnetic generators powered by kinetic (mechanical) prime movers.
Electric power plants that use a turbine to drive energy generators produce the majority of the electricity used in the U.S. and around the world. A sequence of blades installed on a rotor shaft are pushed by a moving fluid, such as air, water, steam, combustion gases, or water, in a turbine generator. The generator then converts the mechanical (kinetic) energy of the rotor into electrical energy. Steam turbines, combustion (gas) turbines, hydroelectric turbines, and wind turbines are a few of the several types of turbines.
The majority of the world’s electricity is produced by steam turbines, which produced 44% of the nation’s electricity in 2020. The majority of steam turbines feature a boiler where fuel is burned to create steam and hot water in a heat exchanger, and the steam drives a turbine that drives a generator. Nuclear fuel rods are used in nuclear power reactors to create steam. Steam turbines are used in solar thermal power plants and the majority of geothermal power facilities. Steam turbines are used by the majority of the biggest electric power facilities in the US.
Hydroelectric turbines generate electricity by using the force of moving water to spin turbine blades. Most hydroelectric power plants use water that has been pumped from a river or stream or stored in a reservoir. Around 7% of the nation’s electricity was produced by these traditional hydroelectric power stations in 2020. Despite using the same kinds of hydro turbines as traditional hydropower plants, pumped-storage hydropower facilities are regarded as electricity storage systems (see below). Tidal power and wave power systems use hydrokinetic turbines, another form of hydroelectric turbine. Read up about the ᴍᴀɴy types of hydroelectric turbines.
Wind turbines move a rotor’s blades by harnessing wind energy to run a generator. The most prevalent and basic forms of wind turbines are horizontal axis and vertical axis turbines. A little under 8% of the electricity produced in the United States in 2020 came from wind turbines.
Let’s see Amazing Technology Hydropower Plant And Largest Modern Generator Production Process in the ᴀᴡᴇsome video below.
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