Generating Electricity

* In power stations, steams drive turbines, along with an electrical generator to produce electricity 

* Coal, fuel and natural gas are burned in fossil-fuel power stations

* Uranium or plutonium is used as the fuel in a nuclear power station

* Biofuels are renewable sources of energy which can generate electricity 

* A wind turbine is an electricity generator on top of a tall tower.

* Waves generate electricity by turning a floating generator 

* Hydroelectricity generators are turned by water running downhill 

* A tidal power station traps each high tide and uses it to turn generators 

* Solar energy from the sun travels through space to Earth in electromagnetic radiation

* Solar cells transfer solar energy directly into electricity

* Solar heating panels use the Sun's energy to heat water directly

* A solar power tower uses thousands of mirrors to reflect sunlight onto a water tank to heat the water and produce steam

* Geothermal energy is produced inside the Earth by radioactive process and heats surrounding rock. 

* Burning fossil fuels produces greenhouse gases that cause global warming 

* Nuclear fuels produce radioactive waste 

* Using renewable energy resources can affect the plant and animal life

* The National Grid distributes electricity rom power stations to our homes 

* This is a network of pylons and cables that connects power stations to buildings

* Step-up and Step-down transformers are used to reduce the amount of energy wasted in the cables with a too high a voltage- makes it more efficient 

* Mains voltage in homes is 230V

* A constant amount of electricity is provided by nuclear, coal and oil power stations- Base load demand 

* Gas power stations and pumped storage stations can meet variations in demand

* When demand is low, energy is stored by pumping water to the top reservoir of pumped storage systems

* Different types of power stations have different start-up times