Power station

A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.

For other uses, see Power Station.

Many power stations contain one or more generators, rotating machine that converts mechanical power into three-phase electric power. The relative motion between a magnetic field and a conductor creates an electric current.

The energy source harnessed to turn the generator varies widely. Most power stations in the world burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas to generate electricity. Low-carbon power sources include nuclear power, and use of renewables such as solar, wind, geothermal, and hydroelectric.

may also use a steam turbine generator or in the case of natural gas-fired power plants may use a combustion turbine. A coal-fired power station produces heat by burning coal in a steam boiler. The steam drives a steam turbine and generator that then produces electricity. The waste products of combustion include ash, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide. Some of the gases can be removed from the waste stream to reduce pollution.

Fossil-fuel power stations

^[8] use the heat generated in a nuclear reactor's core (by the fission process) to create steam which then operates a steam turbine and generator. About 20 percent of electric generation in the USA is produced by nuclear power plants.

Nuclear power plants

plants use steam extracted from hot underground rocks. These rocks are heated by the decay of radioactive material in the Earth's core.^[9]

Geothermal power

may be fuelled by waste from sugar cane, municipal solid waste, landfill methane, or other forms of biomass.

Biomass-fuelled power plants

In integrated , blast furnace exhaust gas is a low-cost, although low-energy-density, fuel.

steel mills

is occasionally concentrated enough to use for power generation, usually in a steam boiler and turbine.

Waste heat from industrial processes

electric plants use sunlight to boil water and produce steam which turns the generator.

Solar thermal

can use green hydrogen from electrolysis to help balance supply and demand from Variable renewable energy sources.^[10]

Hydrogen power plants

Identification System for Power Stations (KKS)

Largest Power Plants in the World

Database of carbon emissions of power plants worldwide (Carbon Monitoring For Action: CARMA)

Archived from the original (pdf) on 21 October 2012

Net vs Gross Output Measurement

Archived from the original (pdf) on 2 October 2012