Where does our electricity come from?
Generating electricity is a miracle of modern technology. Acting more or less like a force field, electric current is comprised of minuscule protons and electrons that become charged when induced by friction or chemical changes. Most power plants burn fuel – coal, oil, natural gas, biomass – which creates steam to drive a turbine that generates electricity. Sometimes nuclear or solar energy creates the steam to drive the turbine. Other technologies – such as solar photovoltaics or fuel cells – rely upon chemical reactions to generate electricity.
For specifics, select any of these technologies:
- Biomass
- Coal
- Gethermal
- Hydro
- Landfill Gas
- Municipal Solid Waste
- Natural Gas
- Nuclear
- Oil
- Solar
- Wind
Also see environmental issues for more details on how electricity production affects our planet.