ELECTRICITY GENERATION

Electricity is essential to our everyday lives in 2014. As stated previously, energy is used everyday. One could say it is even appropriate to call us the “Electricity Generation” because of the amount of electricity we generate. From work to play, technological advances have used electricity to make activities much easier than ever before. Three ways electricity is generated are coal-fired, nuclear gas, and nuclear power plants.

COAL FIRED: The process of creating electricity starts by creating heat. Coal is turned into talcum powder and is burned. Then it’s mixed with hot air and blown into the boiler. Then water is pumped through pipes inside the boiler, which turns into steam (1,000 degrees). Next, the steam is pressurized to move a turbine for the generator. This turbine is what moves to create the electricity in the generator. After the energy is created, the steam is moved into a condenser where millions of gallons of cool water from a natural source are pumped through tubes. The cool water in the tubes converts the steam  to be reused without contamination. When coal is burned, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury compounds are released into the air.

NATURAL GAS: Natural gas is a fossil fuel formed when layers of buried plants and animals are exposed to intense heat and pressure over thousands of years. To generate electricity, natural gas is extracted by wells are drilling into the ground. Then it is treated to remove impurities and transported to the power plants. Finally, it is combusted in boilers and turbines to generate electricity.

NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS: Electricity is generated in nuclear power plants through the process of fission. Uranium-rich water is turned into steam and pressure then drives the turbine generators to produce the electricity. The heat to make the steam at a nuclear power plant is created when uranium atoms split. The source of heat is different from natural gas and coal fired so there is no combustion. The water heats, but does not boil by using a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR).This means that the steamed water can be fed back into a lake or river, making it a renewable resource.

CONCLUSION: Coal-fired electricity is economically the best choice. However, it has the greatest impact on the environment by releasing harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. Natural gas has been proven to be the best environmental option, but it is nonrenewable. Nuclear power plants, however, have been developed so that the water being used can be replaced back into natural water sources. In my opinion, nuclear power plants are the best option for our planet and, ultimately, economy!

Resources: 

1. http://www.tva.com/power/coalart.htm

2. http://www.cpsenergy.com/Services/Natural_Gas/natgas_generation.asp

3. http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/affect/nuclear.html