Electric Power
Electric power is possibly the greatest scientific development in the last 100 years and the one which has made the biggest improvement to everyday life. It is impossible to imagine a world now where we cannot turn on the lights or boil a kettle with a flick of a switch. Although electricity is everywhere, most of us struggle to understand what actually makes electrical power. After all, the process takes place at a molecular level, caused by the movement of the very atoms that make up the building blocks of life. Atoms contain protons and electrons and when the electrons come into contact with magnetism, it creates a positive charge and causes them to move. This natural movement can be transformed and used to create our electricity and seems as natural today as the water in the tap.
To create electricity you need a generator - a coil of copper wire that spins in a turbine within a magnet. This creates the energy that can be then transformed and used for power. All methods of generating electric power work basically in the same way whether it is a small wind turbine on the side of your house or a huge turbine inside a power station. All power that is generated commercially joins the National grid, is sent down the power lines via a network of pylons, to an electrical substation near your home, and then by cable direct into your house.
Today there is a need to find safe and clean ways to generate more electric power. In the UK, we rely on a number of sources to power our electricity turbines. These include power stations which run on fossil fuels, nuclear power, bio mass or alternative methods such as wind turbines, solar power and waterpower- hydroelectric schemes. All these methods of generating electric power are delivered via the National Grid and produce the electricity that we use.
Traditionally, all UK power stations were powered by fossil fuels. Gas, oil and coal are used to create the steam power necessary to keep the turbines moving and the electric power flowing. They are efficient but today are seen as dirty because they give off carbon dioxide - a major contributor to the greenhouse effect.
Nuclear power stations offer a cleaner alternative. The chain reaction of nuclear energy generated by uranium is used to heat the water necessary to power the turbines. This method of generating electric power is cost effective and clean and has been used in Britain since 1956. When run properly as they are in the UK, Nuclear power stations are safe and are seen by many as the only effective method of coping with the high demand for electricity. However as everyone knows, if things go wrong it can have disastrous consequences. And, although little waste is produced this radioactive waste has to be stored for thousands of years.
In recent years, there has been an explosion in the number of wind farms. They have been controversial but love them or hate them they are here to stay. Wind power is clean and efficient and the percentage of electric power that is added to the National Grid annually is rising.
Hydroelectric power or waterpower is globally the biggest source of renewable energy but only provides a small percentage of the annual electric power in the UK. The majority of British hydroelectric schemes are situated in Scotland but with new hydroelectric schemes planned for the future it seems likely that this safe method will increase.
Biomass or bio fuel is taken from a range of products and is a renewable source of power. Rubbish, wood, waste, landfill gases and alcohol can all be used to generate electric power. A biomass electric power station can be a small-scale operation, run on poultry waste or wood pulp, or a large-scale biomass power station fuelled by landfill waste.
Solar power is becoming very popular in the UK with private households and businesses. As yet, the UK does not have a commercial solar power station but any excess electric power that you generate domestically can be sold to the National Grid. Solar energy works by the use of photovoltaic cells which transform sunlight to electric power.
The National Grid is the network of electrical power that supplies the UK. They oversee the supply of electricity that is taken from all the various power sources and ensure that the flow of electricity is kept at a constant level. In the UK, we have a phenomenon, unlike anywhere else in the world. This is the tea surge, a surge of power used when millions of people put the kettle on at the same time and overload the system. The highest ever recorded electricity surge was in 1990 immediately after the penalty shoot out at the end of England's World cup semi final against West Germany. The Royal Wedding of William and Kate was the fourth highest surge in history and came after the party arrived at Buckingham Palace. Well over a million kettles were simultaneously switched on causing a power surge of 2.600MW. Surprisingly one of the biggest surges was after an episode of the Thornbirds, a TV drama aired in 1984.
There are around 18 electricity suppliers in the UK and the electricity that you use in your home is the same no matter which electricity supplier you choose. Their rates vary so you can save money by switching providers and taking advantage of special deals. Although it seems strange to charge different prices for what is essentially the same product on offer, the competition does keep the price low so is good news for the consumer. The provider that you choose will also make a difference to the future of the environment. Signing up with an electricity provider who is concerned with green issues and invests in using cleaner or renewable power means that your money will be channelled into to environmentally sound ways of producing electric power.
