5 Methods of Generating Electricity

Electricity generation is a method 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. For example, the pumped-storage method.

Electricity is not freely available in nature, so it must be "produced" (that is, transforming other forms of energy to electricity--transformation of energy). 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 also 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.

Let's talk about a little bit of 16 methods of generating electricity--------

                                              NO:01  -Wind Power                                                             

Wind power is a clean form of electricity generation. This power is the use of wind energy to generate useful work. Wind turbines use blades to collect the wind's kinetic energy. Wind flows over the blades creating lift (similar to the effect on airplane wings), which causes the blades to turn. The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator, which produces (generates) electricity. That means the turbines use the power in wind to move the blades of a rotor to power a generator.

Historically, wind power was used by sails, wind-mills and wind-pumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. 

                                                NO:02 - Hydropower                                                       

Hydropower, also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. That means it is produced with moving water. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a water source to produce power. Hydropower is a method of sustainable energy production. At the plant level, water flows through a pipe—also known as a penstock—and then spins the blades in a turbine, which, in turn, spins a generator that ultimately produces electricity. Most conventional hydroelectric facilities operate this way, including run-of-the-river systems and pumped storage systems.

Hydropower plants produced about 6.3% of total U.S. electricity generation and about 31.5% of electricity generation from renewable energy in 2021.

                                                NO: 03 - Nuclear Power                                                  

Nuclear is a  stable and reliable CO₂-free source of energy. Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. The power can be gained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. currently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by nuclear fission of uranium and plutonium in nuclear power plants.

Nuclear reactors are the heart of a nuclear power plant. The power reactors use nuclear fuel rods to produce steam. Solar thermal power plants and most geothermal power plants use steam turbines. They contain and control nuclear chain reactions that produce heat through a physical process called fission. That heat is used to make steam that spins a turbine to create electricity.

Nuclear power plants work by using the heat from fission to create mechanical energy, which turns an electric generator. This heat is used to make steam, that turns a turbine, and then turns the generator.

                                               NO: 04 - Solar Energy                                                       

Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy, and solar architecture. Solar photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. This energy can be used to generate electricity or be stored in batteries or thermal storage. There are two forms of energy generated from the sun for our use – electricity and heat. Both are generated through the use of solar panels, which range in size from residential rooftops to 'solar farms' stretching over acres of rural land.

The most commonly used solar technologies for homes and businesses are solar photovoltaics for electricity, passive solar design for space heating and cooling, and solar water heating. Businesses and industry use solar technologies to diversify their energy sources, improve efficiency, and save money.

Solar and wind generation are growing quickly across the world. This is, of course, good news as we try to shift our energy systems away from fossil fuels.

                                                NO: 05 - Geothermal Energy                                        

Geothermal energy is the thermal energy in the Earth's crust that originates from the formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials. Geothermal wells release greenhouse gases trapped deep within the earth, but these emissions are much lower per energy unit than those of fossil fuels. The high temperature and pressure in Earth's interior cause some rock to melt and solid mantle to behave plastically. Geothermal power plants draw fluids from underground reservoirs to the surface to produce steam. This steam then drives turbines that generate electricity. There are three main types of geothermal power plant technologies: dry steam, flash steam, and binary cycle.

Larderello Geothermal Complex, Italy is the second largest plant in the world  which is comprised of 34 plants. The net capacity of this geothermal facility is 769 MW. The first plant was constructed in 1913, making it the oldest of its kind.Since then, the amounts of U.S. energy consumption from biofuels, geothermal energy, solar energy, and wind energy have increased.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, most of the nation's electricity was generated by natural gas, nuclear energy, and coal in 2020. Electricity is also produced from renewable sources such as wind, hydropower, solar power, biomass, and geothermal.