The production of electrical energy is based on transforming some kind of energy (chemical, kinetic, thermal, light, nuclear, solar, among others) into electrical energy. For industrial production, we go to facilities called power plants, which perform some of the aforementioned transformations. These confirm the first step of the electrical supply system. Electric generation is carried out by means of an electric generator; Although these do not differ among themselves in terms of their main functioning, they vary according to the way in which they are operated.
Since the discovery of the alternating current and the way to generate it in the alternators, a great technological activity has been carried out to take the electric power to all the inhabited spaces of the world, so, together with the elaboration of large and diverse power plants, refined transport networks and distribution systems have been built. However, the benefit has been and remains very uneven throughout the world. Thus, the industrialized or first world countries are large consumers of electricity, while the developing countries hardly enjoy their advantages.
A thermoelectric plant is a space used for the production of electrical energy from heat. This heat can reach either the combustion, the nuclear fission of the uranium or other nuclear fuel, the sun or the interior of the Earth. The plants that in the future will implement the fusion will also be thermoelectric plants. The most common fuels are fossil fuels (oil, natural gas or coal), their derivatives (gasoline, diesel)
The thermoelectric plants are based on a boiler in which the fuel is burned to produce heat that is transferred to pipes through which water circulates, which evaporates. The steam reached, at high pressure and temperature, is then expanded into a steam turbine, whose activity drives an alternator that creates electricity. Then the steam is cooled in a condenser where cold water from an open river flow or cooling tower flows through pipes
Geothermal energy is one that results from the use, heat that is concentrated in the interior of the Earth. The term "geothermal" comes from the Greek geo (Earth), and thermos (heat). This internal heat reaches the deepest layers of water: when ascending, hot water or steam generate manifestations, such as geysers or hot springs, implemented for heating since the earliest times like that of the Romans. Currently, advances in drilling and pumping methods allow the exploitation of geothermal energy in numerous places on the planet. To enjoy this energy in large-scale power plants, it is important that very high temperatures are given at a shallow depth.
It is one that is implemented for the generation of electrical energy by using the potential energy of the dammed water in a dam located at a higher level than the central one. The water is carried by a pipe that discharges to the machine room of the plant, where electricity is generated by alternators through enormous hydraulic turbines. The two most famous features of a hydroelectric plant, from the point of view of its power generation capacity are:
1.- The power, which will depend on the unevenness between the average level of the reservoir and the average level of the water below the power station, and the maximum turbine flow, in addition to the characteristics of the generator.
2.- The energy will be guaranteed in a fixed period, generally one year, which is a function of the useful volume of the reservoir or dam, of the study carried out annually or when required and of the installed power.
Wind energy is achieved through the movement of air, that is, the kinetic energy produced by the effect of air currents or vibrations produced by the wind. Windmills have been implemented for many centuries to grind grain, pump water or other tasks that require the use of energy. Nowadays, wind turbines are needed to produce electricity, generally in areas exposed to continuous strong winds, such as coastal areas, mountainous heights or islands. Wind energy is associated with the movement of air masses traveling from areas of high atmospheric pressure to adjacent areas of low pressure, with proportional velocities.
Like all the previous generators this produces environmental pollution although it is relatively low, we can mention the aesthetic impact, because they deform the landscape, the death of birds by collision with the blades of the mills or the need for large extensions of territory that are subtracted from other uses. Like the previous forms of electricity generation, it also depends on weather conditions
It is known as obtaining electricity through the implementation of photovoltaic panels. The panels, or photovoltaic collectors are composed of diode-like semiconductor devices that, when receiving the sun's rays, are excited and cause electronic jumps, generating a small difference in potential at their ends. The series coupling of several of these photodiodes gives way to the generation of larger voltages in very simple configurations and suitable for feeding small electronic devices. On a larger scale, the continuous electric current provided by the photovoltaic panels can be transformed into alternating current and injected into the electrical network.
The implementation of photovoltaic solar energy has advanced significantly in the last few years. Generating exponential growth Although it is one of the least polluting ways to generate electricity, it is also one of the most expensive in the world, only developed countries such as China, Japan or the United States have implemented this technology in some of its regions.
