Michael Faraday is the father of electricity. This title came from the work that he did towards the discovery of electricity. He was the first person to develop practical ideas regarding what electricity could do for humanity. Electricity is the most widely used form of energy. However, it is not the only form of energy used by humanity.
Electricity is very versatile. It can power vehicles, it can run industries, it can produce light, and it can produce heat. In addition, it is possible to transport it from one place to another more easily than any other source of energy. Many times, when people speak of power, what they mean is electrical energy. In this paper, both terms apply interchangeably.
The goal of this paper is to review the evolution of power production as the basis for considering the future options of power for the planet. In recent years, the concern over the damage done to the environment since the industrial revolution is leading many people to question the sustainability of current power generation methods.
Basic Principles of Power Generation
Power generation relies on one little understood phenomenon. This phenomenon is the basis of Faraday’s law, which states that when a conductor cuts through a magnetic field, it generates an electric current (electromotive force) (Meier, 2006). There are several theories postulating how this phenomenon works. However, none of these theories explains why it happens. This phenomenon is the foundation of the generation of electricity. It is the basis of the design of electromagnetic generators of all sizes.
Secondly, power generation depends on the principle of conservation of energy. This principle states that it is not possible to create or to destroy energy (Singh, 2008). Rather, it is only possible to convert energy from one form to another (Singh, 2008). The generation of electricity involves the conversion of mechanical power to electrical power. In power plants, different sources of mechanical power drive turbines, which in turn operate power generators.
Not all power comes from electromagnetic generators. Some electric power comes from the sun based on photovoltaic technology. In this case, radiation from the sun becomes electric power when it strikes a solar panel (Okai, 2008). Solar photovoltaic cells rely on the excitement of electrons in the panel by photons from the sun. The excited electrons create a potential difference on the two terminals of solar cells. These two terminals are the source of electromotive force produced by solar panels.
Research into chemical production of electricity is ongoing. Researchers are developing a power generator that can use hydrogen to generate power. The name of this generator is the fuel cell (Okai, 2008). The concept behind the generator is that in the process of converting hydrogen to water, a free electron becomes available. Electrons are charged particles, which are the basic elements of electromotive force. Therefore, fuel cells may become the third fundamental method of producing electricity.
The most common method used in the production of power is by the use of electromagnetic generators. The variety of power sources such as wind, hydro, and nuclear comes from the need to turn turbines. In themselves, these sources do not produce electricity. They drive the turbines, which operate the electromagnetic generators that produce electric power.
The Evolution of Power Systems
The production of power evolved over many generations after the production of stable electromagnetic generators. In many cases, engineers adapted available technologies to turn power turbines. Before the first hydropower station came into existence, many water mills existed. These mills provided the mechanical power needed to grind grain, pump water, and for all work that required torque.
This is the reason why many industries during the industrial revolution were located near rivers. The invention of the electric generator led to the retrofitting of some watermills to produce electricity. Bicycle dynamos are also a spin off from this invention. Essentially, the wheel of the bicycle can turn the small dynamo to generate sufficient power for its headlamp.
When petroleum products became available, engineers developed mechanical engines powered by diesel. Thereafter, these engines started driving turbines for use in power generation. This example illustrates the fact that the fundamental technology in power production is the electromagnetic generator.
Similarly, the development of steam engines provided engineers with another option of providing mechanical power to electromagnetic generators. Steam power is still useful in various formats for powering electricity generators. For instance, nuclear power plants use steam generators to provide motive power for electromagnetic generators (Meier, 2006).
In addition to these, coal became useful in coal-fired plants as a source of motive power. Coal plants and fuel-fired steam plants arose in response to the opportunities developed by the technologies of the time.
Wind power also existed as a source of power for regions without hydropower resources. Wind power provided the power needed to operate mills, ginneries, and fabric making industries. Other uses of wind power included the operation of winepresses and lumberyards. Wind power is becoming an important source of renewable energy. The idea that it is a modern source of power is inaccurate because wind energy use predates many power generation alternatives reputed as being modern.
The explanations in this section clarify that the main component used in electricity generation is the electromagnetic generator. The sources of power discussed provide the motive force that turns the electromagnetic generators. The purpose of the next section is to examine in more detail some of these sources of motive power.
Hydropower
Hydropower is power from water. Globally, hydropower provides 20% of all human energy requirements (Mongay, 2011). The basic concept behind hydropower generation is that moving water has energy that can turn electromagnetic generators. The energy in water exists in two forms. Moving water has energy due to the motion (kinetic energy).
When water is flowing from a region of high altitude to a region of low altitude, it is possible to tap into the power produced by this motion. The second form of power that engineers extract from water comes from the pressure of the water. Water falling from a height has a pressure differential. This difference in pressure can also form the basis of generation of power.
The main advantages of hydropower are that it is renewable, it is clean, and it is free. Renewable energy refers to forms of energy that do not diminish with repeated use (Kopezak & Lee, 1994). Essentially, renewable energy relies on natural restoration cycles that are relatively short.
In a certain sense, all forms of energy are renewable. The classification of renewable energy ignores energy forms that need millions of years to regenerate, such as petroleum (Frankenberg, Meirink, van Weele, Platt, & Wagner, 2005). Water used in hydropower systems rely on natural hydrological cycles.
Clean energy is also a popular concept in the production of energy. Electricity is clean because if does not produce emissions at the point of use. However, electricity may not be clean if the power generation facilities emit greenhouse gases.
For instance, electricity produced by burning coal is not clean. Hydropower generation does not lead to the emission of greenhouse gases. However, some dams are producing greenhouse gases because of the biodiversity of dams. Dead organisms that sink to the bottom of hydropower dams produce methane (Harris, 2004).
Hydropower relies on free water for its generation. Hydropower plants have costs associated with maintenance. These costs are marginal. When compared to other power plants such as nuclear power plants and coal-fired plants, which need fuel in order to generate electricity, hydropower plants are cheaper to run.
Hydropower has impacts on the environment related to its use. First, the creation of dams leads to the submergence of river valleys. This displaces communities. It also leads to loss of farmland and cultural heritage sites. Large dams can cause seismological instability in the nearby regions.
Dams also interfere with the natural migration patterns of aquatic organisms. They impose a new ecosystem characterized by localized climatic changes and the emergence of foreign species (Harris, 2004). These changes are some of the undesirable elements of hydropower.
Wind Power
Wind is an ancient source of energy. Long before wind turbines emerged in continental landscapes, sailors were using it to navigate the seas. Wind became important in the last four centuries as a source of power for local industries. There are two main types of wind turbines.
The first type of turbine uses power from the wind to drive heavy loads at low speeds. These turbines have many vanes covering a wide surface area. They are useful for pumping water and for driving shafts to grind grains. The second type of wind machines are for the production of electricity. These types of wind machines spin at high speeds. They usually have three vanes or less to maximize the speed of rotation.
Wind turbines have an electromagnetic generator located either on top of the mast, or at the bottom of the mast. The wind provides the motive power that drives the generator. Usually, wind generators store their energy in batteries for use when the power from the wind reduces. Some wind generators connect straight to the grid, thereby eliminating the costs associated with energy storage.
Wind power is free, and it is renewable. This is similar to hydropower. Wind power follows the wind patterns of a region. It makes production predictable over long periods and can serve to supplement other forms of energy. However, wind can be unpredictable over short periods.
Changes in local temperatures may affect power production. The wind turbine is vulnerable to extreme weather such as high winds, and storms. Wind turbines also interfere with the view of the natural landscape because of the need to mount them on high platforms.
Nuclear Power
Nuclear energy arose from developments in chemistry and particle physics. Physicists discovered that subatomic particles contain large amounts of energy accessible by nuclear fission, or fusion. The chemists on the other hand discovered radioactivity and the potential to instigate it artificially as a means of releasing sub atomic energy. When a radioactive particle decays, the result is a new element with a new atomic configuration, and radiation.
The composition of the radiation is mainly alpha and beta particles. This process also releases tremendous amounts of heat. In a nuclear power plant, a jacket of water surrounds the reactor’s core. The water jacket cools the reactor’s core and in the process, it becomes superheated. The superheated steam turns steam turbines, which in turn produce motive power for driving electromagnetic generators.
Nuclear power is the only source of energy that accounts for all its raw materials and waste. There are strict laws governing the mining, transport, and use of nuclear materials. Nuclear power is clean in the sense that power production in nuclear plants does not pollute the environment.
This is true only if no radioactive emissions leak out of the facility. The safety records of nuclear power plants are the best in the power generation industry. However, the impacts of single accidents from the nuclear plants surpass the impact of single accidents of all other power generation modes.
Nuclear power is ideal for regions with high power demand because of its capacity to meet high-energy demands. The plants do not depend on the weather for production. This makes them ideal for providing base-load power. Some of the risks associated with nuclear power production include nuclear proliferation, radiation poisoning, and lack of clarity on how to deal with nuclear waste. Nuclear power plants produce plutonium as a waste product, which is the main raw material in the production of nuclear bombs.
Green Energy
The discussion on power production is incomplete without dealing with the issue of green energy. Energy production and use is the single largest cause of emissions linked to global warming. The burning of fossil fuels by aircraft, cars, locomotives, and ships contribute a significant portion of carbon dioxide emissions (Crescent Petroleum, 2012). Many factories also burn fossil fuels to generate power and to provide heat.
Green energy refers to energy sources that do not emit greenhouse gases. Stricter definitions of green power include lifetime analysis such as the cradle-to-grave analysis. This means that for a source of energy to qualify as a green source, the entire production process of the equipment used for energy generation should not cause emissions (Harris, 2004).
For instance, if a solar panel comes from a factory that uses electricity generated in a coal-fired power station, then the solar panel is not green. In reality, it is almost impossible to find any source of energy that is purely green.
The main sources of energy identified with the green label include solar power, wind power, nuclear power, and tidal and wave power. Nuclear power passes as a green source because it does not have gaseous emissions that aggravate global warming. However, there is ongoing debate about the place of nuclear power in the global energy mix. The debate comes from the concerns caused by accidents in nuclear power plants such as the Chernobyl disaster, and the recent Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan (Blackden, 2012).
The debate on green energy is behind the efforts to produce electric cars in order to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. While it is desirable to produce these cars, there is a need to clarify the source of the electricity that will charge the batteries of these cars.
Future Energy Sources
The future production of power for use by large population centers is an active area of research and discussion. Electricity will remain the dominant form of energy. However, the methods used to generate it will change in response to the challenges of the current energy mix. Oil is finite, and the burning of fossil fuels is not sustainable (UNWTO, 2011). Some of the technologies that will define the future of power generation include solar power, fuel cells, and wave and tidal power.
Research into solar power is very active. One of the innovative approaches will be placing solar power panels in space to tap energy from the sun without interruption. Solar panels on earth do not produce energy at night. The main problems bedeviling the growth of solar power as the best source of energy is that solar panel efficiencies are still low.
The use of the hydrogen fuel cell promises to provide a viable replacement for gasoline engines. Fuel cells use hydrogen and oxygen to produce energy, with water as the only waste. One of the challenges associated with the development of fuel cells is that hydrogen is difficult to store safely (Frankenberg, Meirink, van Weele, Platt, & Wagner, 2005).
In addition, it is very flammable and can explode. It is also difficult to pressurize. In addition to these, hydrogen tends to seep into its storage container. Finally, before using hydrogen in the fuel cell, it requires separation from other elements such as water, because it does not exist naturally in pure form. This process needs high amounts of energy from other sources.
The use of tides and waves to generate power is also a viable option for use in replacing conventional fuels. Already, several generators and power stations use offshore energy resources to generate power. The limitation in the use of this option is that not all countries have access to the oceans. In conclusion, power production will remain dynamic. The only element that will remain unchanged for a long time is the use of electricity as the dominant form of power.
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