Energy production types

ENERGY SOURCE

HOW IT PRODUCES ENERGY

COAL power stations

burning thermal coal (either black or

brown) that has been pulverised to a
fine powder to make it easier to burn.
The heat is then used to turn water into
steam, which is used to turn a turbine
connected to an electrical generator

GAS power station

steam generation, simple cycle and

combined cycle. Steam generation
plants use natural gas to heat water
and create steam that spins a
turbine, just as in a coal plant

OIL to create various forms of

fuel

The first part of refining is to heat it

until it boils. The boiling liquid is
separated into different liquids and
gases in a distillation column. These
liquids are used to make petrol,
paraffin, diesel fuel etc. Crude oil is
a mixture of different chemical
called hydrocarbons

NUCLEAR

much like a fossil-fueled power plant

water is turned into steam, which
in turn drives turbine generators to
produce electricity. The difference is
the source of heat. At nuclear power
plants, the heat to make the steam
is created when uranium atoms split
called fission

FUELWOOD

Wood fuel can be used for cooking

and heating, and occasionally for
fueling steam engines and steam
turbines that generate electricity

PICTURE

HEP

Capture the energy of falling water

to generate electricity. A turbine
converts the kinetic energy of falling
water into mechanical energy. Then
a generator converts the mechanical
energy from the turbine into
electrical energy

GEOTHERMAL

are similar to other steam turbine

thermal power stations heat from
a fuel source (the earth's core) is
used to heat water or another
working fluid. The working fluid is
then used to turn a turbine of a
generator, thereby producing
electricity

SOLAR

photovoltaic (PV) panels convert the

sun's rays into electricity by exciting
electrons in silicon cells using the
photons of light from the sun

WIND

The energy in the wind turns two or

three propeller-like blades around a
rotor. The rotor is connected to the
main shaft, which spins a generator
to create electricity

BIOMASS energy

organic matter that can be burned or

decomposed to be used a source of
energy. It comes in many forms.
These include burning wood,
converting waste into energy,
collecting methane for biogas, and
using energy crops for biofuels

TIDAL

is produced through the use of tidal

energy generators. These large
underwater turbines are placed in
areas with high tidal movements,
and are designed to capture the
kinetic motion of the ebbing and
surging of ocean tides in order to
produce electricity