Power Stations & The National Grid | Electricity | Physics | FuseSchool

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The flick of a switch, that’s how easy it is to get electricity, right?
If you’re one of the lucky ones, then yes.
But in 2017 there are still over 1 billion people who do not have access to electricity.

In this video we will discuss how electricity is generated and transferred to our homes, for those of us fortunate enough to have it.

There are a variety of ways in which electricity is generated or made.

How many can you think of?

Solar panels, Wind turbines, Biomass, hydroelectric, nuclear and fossil fuels And then there is also geothermal energy, tidal power and wave power as well.

Except for burning fossil fuels and nuclear, the rest are renewable sources of energy.

Currently about 80% of the world’s energy comes from fossil fuels.
First, we’re going to have a look at burning fossil fuels in power stations, to generate energy.

And then we’ll look at the national grid - which is relevant for both non-renewable and renewable energies.

Fossil fuels in power stations.

Most power stations use coal as an energy source, and they work in the following way.

Coal is burned in a power station.
The heat produced as the coal burns is used to heat water.
The water boils and turns into steam.
This steam is used to turn the blades of a turbine.
A turbine looks like a fan or a wind turbine.
The turbine turns a generator.
Inside, wires turn within magnets to generate electricity.

So that was a fossil fuel power station.

These next steps are for energy generated from any source - whether it’s fossil fuels or renewable like wind-powered substations or biomass fuelled.

The electricity, whether renewable or not, is passed through transformers and wires, within the national grid, that carries it to our homes.

So, what exactly is the National Grid?

The National Grid is a system of cables and transformers linking power stations to consumers.

Have you ever felt an electrical wire and noticed it gets hot?
This is because some energy travelling through the wire is lost as heat. In order to lose as little energy as possible, transformers are used.

When the electricity leaves the power station it passes through a step-up transformer. Power station @ 25,000 V

A step-up transformer increases the voltage and reduces the current. National grid cables @ 275,000 V

Reducing the current makes the transfer of electricity more efficient, as less energy is lost as heat.
Before the electricity gets to our homes, the voltage needs to be reduced back down to a safe level. The electricity therefore passes through a step down transformer. Household @ 230 V

So, now you know how electricity is generated and sent to our homes, it’s not quite as simple as flicking a switch. Quite a lot of infrastructure is needed.


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