Electricity Generating Technologies

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:

  1. Biomass
  2. Coal
  3. Gethermal
  4. Hydro
  5. Landfill Gas
  6. Municipal Solid Waste
  7. Natural Gas
  8. Nuclear
  9. Oil
  10. Solar
  11. Wind

Also see environmental issues for more details on how electricity production affects our planet.