Energy Conversions Involved in Producing Electricity

Electricity is essential to modern Australian society and is mostly supplied by power plants.
Power plants must able to supply constant electrical energy with varying demand by using
energy from other sources, converting it to electrical energy and transfering it through wires
to the home, office or school. During all energy conversions, there is always a small amount of
energy lost to the environment as heat. This phenomenon determines the efficiency of the
power
The sources we get our original energy and how we convert it varies. Sources used to supply
energy to societies throughout the world include: Coal, Gas, Crude Oil, Solar, Hydro,
Geothermal, Tidal, Wind.
Below is a diagram explaining how a power plant uses Coal to supply us with Electricity.

The energy conversions can be summarised in a flow chart, i.e.

Power plant
burns coal
(chemical) to
create steam;
converting to
heat energy

High pressure
steam is pulled
through a
turbine;
converting to
kintetic energy

A
electromagnet
attached to the
turbine creates
an electrical
current;
converting to
electrical
energy

Global average efficiency of Coal-fired power plants (i.e. how much electrical energy is
created from the chemical energy in the coal)

33%

(According to World Coal Association: http://www.worldcoal.org/coal-the-

environment/coal-use-the-environment/improving-efficiencies/)

Your task

is to investigate how energy is produced from the below sources. You should
find a diagram which correctly shows how various power plants convert energy. Summarise
the conversions in a flow chart and identify the average global efficiency of each type of
power plant.

Gas
Diagram

Flow chart
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Wells art drilled into the ground

The collection is transported to an extraction chamber
The gas, water and oil is separated.
Gas is burnt to produce pressurised gas
Spinning the blades of a turbine which is connected to a generator
Creating an electrical current due to the magnets in the generator and producing
electricity

Average Global efficiency (reference- http://www.brighthubengineering.com/powerplants/72369-compare-the-efficiency-of-different-power-plants/)

32%-38%
Solar
Diagram

Flow

chart

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Sunlight shines on panels and cells

absorb it
The photovoltaic cells convert the sunlight into energy
Each cells makes 1 or 2 watts of energy
Energy is transported to AC power
The created AC power is stored in a battery ready for use

Average Global efficiency (referenc- http://www.brighthubengineering.com/powerplants/72369-compare-the-efficiency-of-different-power-plants/e)

20%
Hydro
Diagram

Flow chart
1. A hydroelectric dam installation uses the potential energy of the water retained in the
dam to drive a water turbine which in turn drives an electric generator.

2. The available energy therefore depends on the head of the water above the turbine and
the volume of water flowing through it.
3. Turbines are usually reaction types whose blades are fully submerged in the water flow.
4. The spinning generator creates electric currents-energy
5. The energy is transported along power lines
Average Global efficiency (reference- http://www.brighthubengineering.com/powerplants/72369-compare-the-efficiency-of-different-power-plants/)

85%-90%
Geothermal
Diagram

Flow chart
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Collects hot water from the ground

The steam is pressured
The steam turns the turbine
The turbine turns the generator creating electrical currents-energy
The energy is transported on power line and the remaining water is sent to a cooling
tower to cool and inject what into the ground

Average Global efficiency (reference- http://www.brighthubengineering.com/powerplants/72369-compare-the-efficiency-of-different-power-plants/)

38%
Tidal
Diagram

Flow chart
1.
2.
3.
4.

The
The
The
The

tides of the water push the propellers of the turbine

turbine spin, which is connected to a generator
generator creates electrical currents-energy
energy is transported on power lines to be used by the community

Average Global efficiency (referencehttp://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Tidal_power)

80%
Wind
Diagram

Flow chart
1.
2.
3.
4.

The wind spin the rotor blades, which spins the gear box
The gear box which is connected to a generator creates an electrical current-energy
The energy is transported on power cables to a transformer
Power line connected to the transformer transport the energy to the community

Average Global efficiency (reference- http://www.brighthubengineering.com/powerplants/72369-compare-the-efficiency-of-different-power-plants/)

30%-45%