Everything you want to know about electrical energy
Electrical energy is one of the most important basic elements of daily life, as it is indispensable in various fields for different groups. If we look around us, we will find that all institutions, bodies, companies, facilities, and even homes use many devices that operate with electricity, and we do not have the ability to continue working and improve the quality of life without it. We must know what electrical energy is, what are the sources and methods of generating it, how it is stored, and its features and benefits.
Therefore, we will take you on a journey to learn about electrical energy through several articles that you can easily follow with us.
Definition of electrical energy
Electrical energy is a form of energy that represents 18% of the energy used around the world. It is characterized by its ease of use and transfer from one place to another.
Electrical energy is expressed as the energy stored in the charged particles in the atom that generate an electric field surrounding them. Electrical forces arise between these particles and other charged particles within the electric field. Thus, the electric force is a force arising from the electric field that makes the charged particles move.
Electrical energy is a secondary source of energy, as it is not extracted from the ground like coal, but rather from primary energy sources such as solar and wind energy.
Electrical power generation sources
There are two main sources of energy for generating electricity: -
-Renewable energy sources (solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy, wave energy, hydroelectric energy).
-Non-renewable energy sources (fossil fuel sources such as coal, natural gas, crude oil, and nuclear energy).
Methods of generating electrical energy
Electrical power generation from thermal plants is divided into:-
• Steam generation plants: The idea of their work is to burn fuel to convert water into steam to drive the turbine connected to the generator drive shaft to produce electrical energy.
• Gas generation plants: The idea of their work is to mix air with fuel to produce gases with high pressure and temperature that drive a turbine connected to the generator’s drive shaft to produce electrical energy.
• Gas and steam generating stations together: The idea of their work is to generate electrical energy mainly from the gas station, and the combustion gases are used to heat water and convert it into steam for use in managing the turbines of the steam station units.
Generating electrical energy from renewable sources is divided into:-
• Wind energy: The idea of its work is to convert wind energy into electricity using wind turbines.
• Solar energy: The idea of its work is to absorb photons of sunlight and convert them into electrical electrons using solar cells.
• Wave energy: The idea of its work is to take advantage of the movement of waves to use it in mechanical work to generate electrical energy.
• Hydroelectric energy: The idea of its work is to build dams in rivers to raise the water level to obtain a strong water stream to operate the turbine.
• Tidal energy: The idea of its work is to convert tidal energy in the oceans into electrical energy.
Electrical energy generation from non-renewable sources is divided into:-
• Coal: His business idea is to convert coal into gas for use in gas turbines to generate electricity.
• Natural gas: The idea of its work is to use it in steam turbines and gas turbines to generate electricity.
• Oil: His business idea is to use residual fuel oil and coke oil in steam turbines and diesel engine supplies.
• Nuclear energy: The idea of its work is to produce electricity from nuclear fission through the use of steam turbines in nuclear power plants.
