BC Power Story
Electricity Generation
Hydroelectric generation
Hydroelectric generation starts with the head gate of the dam and the damn makes a smaller pathway for water intake and doing that and bringing it downhill will increase speed of the water. And when that water is speeding up there is a turbine at the bottom of the dam that will be twirled, pushed around in circles by that water at an increased speed.
That turbine in motion will start to power the generator. The generator picks up and starts producing electricity. That electricity moves towards a transformer which will transmit the electricity into a transmission tower that goes into the city where another transformer is and after that those towers go to your home.
Pros: Efficient, doesn’t pollute the air, keeps water flow
Cons: Effects fish to be able to travel up stream, can cause floods, expensive to maintain
Thermal Generation
Thermal generation starts with a water tank that water tank carries lots of water. Underneath the water tank there are burners or chemical energy this is used to turn the water into superheated steam. That will rise into a small passage and then in a small tunnel push around the turbines so they rotate and power the generator. All the excess water from the steam gets sent down into a condenser and the condenser will push he water back into the same loop.
Pros: Fossil fuel is easy to find, easily transportable, resources are cheap
Cons: pollution, dangerous to be around, noisy
Electricity Transmission:
Once electricity is generated by one of the above, it is brought into a pylon or a transmission tower. Those towers will carry the electricity to a city it will travel into a transformer.
Once the electricity is brought to a transformer most of the electricity is stored and then slowly distributed to make it more manageable. It is redistributed into a smaller pylon which you can see along the side of the roads, you can also see a cord that heads right into your house.
Sources:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/hydropower-plant.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/physics/energy_matters/generation_of_electricity/revision/1/
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Brandon, you’ve got a good summary of hydroelectric and thermal power generation. The videos you chose give thorough detail that supports your summary. You have some basic pros and cons – can you think of any other benefits & costs for these methods?