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Ever wondered how electricity arrives at your home all the way from the power station?

How is electricity produced around the world?

In South Africa, the most common way of driving the turbines that generate electricity is steam - lots of it. Steam turns the generator which produces electricity. This is done in a boiler and can be done by burning just about anything. Coal, oil and gas are the main fuels for power stations. In Ireland, for example they burn peat, which is a type of brown substance made from thousands of years of decaying sphagnum moss. What is peat?

In South Africa coal, unfortunately, is the main source to make the steam for most power stations. Burning fuel like coal produces large quantities of carbon dioxide. This gas happens to be one of the main contributors to the greenhouse effect which appears to be heating up the world.

Producing electrical power from tidal waves

See how the beautiful Island Pico of Azores do it with this small power plant for generating electric power from wave energy.

The oceans are vast and full of energy produced by the sun and wind. This makes wave energy a potential power platform. So, how does wave energy work?

Wave energy involves harnessing the movement and energy in ocean waves and converting them into electrical power. The fantastic thing about wave energy is that’s its renewable energy.

One of the main problems with wave power is that the sea is a very harsh. It can be an unforgiving environment. To be economically viable, the machinery needs to withstand large waves, as well as severe storms and other potential problems such as algae, barnacles and corrosion.

Nevertheless, wave energy seems to have the potential to provide as much (or more) renewable energy as the wind industry. The problem is that wave technology is currently still in its infancy and has a long way to go before we see real results.

Thermal Power,
Most common in South Africa

Coal, oil, gas and nuclear fuels can be used to heat water and convert it into steam at high temperatures and pressures. This is done in boilers or, in the case of nuclear, in reactors.

Very hot steam, at temperatures in excess of between 500° C is released and turns a large turbine, connected to the rotating magnet and electricity is generated.

Another way to make steam is to heat water using a lump of active uranium. A nuclear reaction in the uranium generates a lot of heat which boils the water. Nuclear stations produce no carbon dioxide, but they do produce small amounts of extremely hazardous waste instead.

South Africa has it's own Koeburg nuclear reactor power station producing about 6% of South Africa's electricity.

Hydro-power generating plant

See how they are doing it in Kenya.

Here the turbine is driven by moving water rather than moving air. Water is collected in a man made dam from rivers that flow into it - all the water from the lake is then dropped down through a narrow pipe and through the turbines. This extracts the maximum amount of power from the water. The water turns the turbine, the turbine turns the generator and the generator makes the electricity.

Hydro power stations have a great advantage over other types of power station - they can be turned on very quickly, often within a few seconds, if there is a sudden increase in demand for electricity.

A less obvious disadvantage is that of damming rivers. In hot countries evaporation from the surface of the lake may reduce the amount of water in the river significantly. Where water is scarce, this can trigger an environmental disaster, as well as reducing the output from the power station.

Wind-generated Power

See how Portugal is doing it.

Wind generators are probably the easiest type of power stations to understand. The turbine consists of the rotating blades. The wind turns the blades, these drive the generator. Wind generators are becoming more popular because they are clean and damage the environment the least.

These generators can produce a lot of noise, so they are rarely built in habitated areas. This means that the power must be transmitted long distances to the cities where most of the power is consumed - and power is lost in transmission. This type of electricity generation is better suited for local communities in small towns and villages

Denmark has been experimenting with wind generators standing in the sea.

Solar

Solar is another renewable energy source that has huge potential in countries with high sun levels, like Australia and of course, South Africa. Solar farms in Portugal have proved this to be a very viable source of energy for small towns and large villages. Each panel produces about 200 Watts of electricity - some solar farms have over 20 000 panels, producing 4 million Watts of power. (Portugal has less sunshine than South Africa)