1. How do photovoltaic cells (solar cells or solar panels) generate electricity?

Two layers of silicon come together to create a solar panel. The solar cells connect with four
strong bonds so that no electrons can flow. The N type silicon has more electrons and the P
type silicon has extra spaces for electrons or holes. Electrons can wander through out both of
the layers creating a positive charge on one side and a negative charge on the other. When
photons from the sun strike the solar panel it can strike a photon from its bond leaving hole or
gap in the connection. The electron and the hole are now free to move around but they are only
drawn to one side. The hole is drawn to the P side and the electron is drawn to the N side. The
electrons are collected by thin metal fingers at the top of the solar cell. Then, they are collected
into an electrical circuit and can power things. Electrons all go back where they came from after
they are used so you can reuse them for decades.

2. How do wind turbines generate electricity?

Wind turbines have a curved shape to them so that they can catch wind. The wind will push the
turbines that are attached to a generator. However, the turbines can not be directly attached to
the generator because the spin generates a very low amount of RPM. Because of this, before
going to the generator the speed is increased by a gearbox. The gearbox uses a planetary gear
set to speed up the speed ratio. Tere is also a break connected to assist with extremely windy
conditions. After the electricity is created, it is transferred through wires to the base of the
windmill where a step-up transformer is. Even though the turbine faces where the usual wind
goes, the wind could change at any time. This is why there is a velocity sensor at the top of the
windmill to measure the wind speed and direction. This sends a message to the yawing
mechanism that will rotate the turbine to the appropriate position. The blades can also be tilted
to match the angle that the wind is coming from.

3. How do hydropower turbines generate electricity?

A hydropower plant has a dam that blocks between two separate water levels. Power Lines or
conductors connect to the turbine powered generators within the dam and send the energy out
to the national grid. Water from above the dam flows down through pipes called pinstocks. Each
pinstock can be blocked during maintenance or during an emergency. A scroll case that wraps
around the turbine. Its created to make an even amount of pressure enter into the turbine from
all sides. A set of veins or wicket gates control how the water flows into the turbine. They open
and close in response to the power condition on the national grid. Below the wicket gates are
the turbines that are shaped to extract the most possible spin from the moving water. The
turbine blades and the generator are connected by a shaft called the runner. At the top of the
runner is the excitor. It gets a small power supply from a cable attached to an external
controller. This is called the automatic voltage controller. Below this is the generator. Inside the
generator is a roter controlled by the runner. On the roter are electromagnetics powered by the
energy from the exciter. If these are turned off, the turbine will continue to spin without making
electricity. The magnets poles that are on the outside of the rotor create a separate rotating
magnetic field. As the rotor spins, Each pole’s magnetic field acts upon the windings. Every time
a pole makes a full rotation, it creates one pump of AC power. This pulses into the national grid
through a series of wires.

Sources:
Ted-Ed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKxrkht7CpY

TranspowerNC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx6UfiEU3Q0

Learn Engineering:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSWm_nprfqE