SOURCES OF ELECTRICITY

Sources of electricity are everywhere in the world. Worldwide, there is a range of

energy resources available to generate electricity. These energy resources fall into two
main categories, often called main sources and alternate sources. Each of these
resources can be used as a source to generate electricity, which is a very useful way of
transferring energy from one place to another such as to the home or to industry
Main sources of energy fully developed technology is available for these sources and
they are widely used for electrical power generation. Moreover, these sources are
dependable to a great extent. They include fossil fuels ,water power and nuclear power.
Fossil fuels can be classified as:
Solid fuels mineral coal is the most commonly used type of solid fuel. In fact, mineral
coal was and is the biggest source to produce electrical power worldwide. Other solid
fuels such as wood pellets and agriculture waste can also be used for generating
electrical power.
Liquid fuels: Liquid fuels are derived from crude oil. They are basically hydrocarbons.
Different types of liquid fuels are used for power generation depending on the type of
power plant. Steam turbine power plants mainly use furnace oil or bunker oil as fuel,
while gas turbine and diesel engine power plants use diesel engine oil as fuel.
Gaseous fuels natural gas is most commonly used type of gaseous fuel. Methane is the
main component of natural gas.
Water power flowing water possesses great amount of energy as potential and kinetic
energy. The energy stored in water is converted into mechanical energy by turbines and
then to electrical energy by generators. This requires a suitable location on a river or a
stream.
Nuclear fuels huge energy is released by fission of nuclear fuels such as Uranium or
Plutonium in a nuclear reactor. This energy is used for power generation at large scale.

Alternate sources of Energy: These sources are not yet fully dependable due to various
reasons. Although fully developed technology is available for many of them but they
cannot be used for dependable power generation due to different limitations such as
dependency on nature, being tied to a certain location, high initial cost, etc. These
sources include.
1. Solar Energy
2. Terrestrial heat or Geo thermal
3. Wind power
4. Tidal power
Alternate sources have the potential to become main sources for power generation in
future with developments in technology. These sources are also considered
environment friendly, so their importance and use will increase with time.
Solar Power: The energy from the sun can be converted into electrical energy by two
methods: Solar-Thermal which utilizes heat energy of the sun to produce steam by
concentrating heat energy at a focal point using mirrors. Photovoltaic cells convert
sunlight directly into electrical energy.
Terrestrial heat or geo-thermal energy: This type of heat is generally not available under
normal circumstances. At places of fresh volcanic activity or in surface vents, the
natural stream of water escape deep into earth and it may face these high temperatures
to change this water into steam thus providing natural steam wells which can be used to
run turbine. Also at places of fresh volcanic activity, water pipes can be embedded in
the earth to produce steam. This steam is then used in operation of steam turbine to
generate electrical power.
Wind Power: Wind power is used to run wind turbines. These turbines are coupled with
electrical generators, which convert the energy from wind into electrical energy.
Tidal Power: There is a tremendous amount of energy in ocean tides, but it is very
difficult to harness this power for development of electrical energy, only at favorable
points. Their use can be made for generations. A small dam with larger gates can be
made across the mouth of the bay and low head turbines are used for generation of
electrical power. At the time of the tide the gates are opened and then they are closed
and the water so trapped is allowed to pass through water turbine. When the tide has
receded, there will be small working head between the bay and the ocean.
In another method, tidal turbines are placed at suitable locations in ocean or sea where
water currents are fast, such as entrance of a bay.
Saudi Arabia is an oil-rich country and almost all electrical energy in Saudi Arabia is
generated by using liquid fuels as source of energy. Use of gaseous fuels is also
increasing with the discovery of new gas fields. In future use of nuclear energy, solar
energy and wind energy for power generation will increase.
Sources of electricity are everywhere in the world. Worldwide, there is a range of
energy resources available to generate electricity.