10 Examples of Electric Power

We call electric power to the phenomenon in which the difference in electric potential between two or more points --that is, the difference in their electric charges-- connected by a transmitting medium (electrical conductor), produces a transfer of negatively charged particles (electrons) from one towards the other. Said charge, called electric current, can then be transformed into other forms of energy, such as caloric, kinetic, mechanical or light. For example: urban lighting, lightning, rechargeable batteries.

The materials more suitable to facilitate this transmission are, so far, the metals, since they have the highest charge of free electrons in their atomic structure. That is why electrical energy is conducted from its generation sources to its places of consumption through a distribution network of metallic (copper) cables covered with rubber. insulating.

Electric energy is considered today as one of the elemental needs of contemporary man, so that its generation and commercialization are carried out in different ways throughout the world.

Electric power generation

Yes OK exists in natureAs in electrical storms, the electrical energy that man uses every day is generated in plants specialized through a rotating mechanism capable of generating direct current (a dynamo) or alternating current (alternator).

This movement in turn requires an injection of mechanical energy, generally obtained from large falls of water (hydroelectric), from the passage of the wind (wind) or from the expansion of gases in a turbine, the latter heated by fossil fuels, controlled nuclear reactions or other sources of hot.

Another way to produce electricity is by electrochemical reactions, such as those that take place inside batteries or different models of accumulators.

Electric energy storage

Like so many other forms of energy, electrical energy can be stored in batteries or accumulators, usually composed of chemical substances reactants and metal atoms. Most operate based on the ordering of these positively or negatively charged particles, to promote a usable flow of electrons that reside in compartments or "cells" of different size.

Taking advantage of the solar energy, in fact, it operates using similar cells to convert the caloric energy of solar radiation into a usable source of electrical energy.

Advantages and disadvantages of electric power

This type of energy so common today meant a leap forward in the industrialization of the world and allowed contemporary technological development. Furthermore, our model of society would not be sustainable without it. Even so, we can identify the following advantages and disadvantages in it:

Examples of electrical energy

1. Urban lighting. One of the great changes of recent times was imposed by electrical energy to the way of conceiving the cities, which until now were lit at night with gas lanterns, in the best of cases. The management of electricity massified the light and allowed that today our cities are more and better illuminated than before.
2. The ignition of automobiles. As we all know, automobiles operate on the burning of fuel (gasoline), but to start that Controlled reaction requires an initial spark that occurs when we turn the ignition key. Where does that spark come from? Well, from the electrical energy contained in the accumulator (battery) of the car, which is then recharged by the alternator and thus keeps the electrical systems running.
3. Activation of an appliance. When we turn on the blender, the television or the computer, these devices use electricity for their operation, so they must be connected, through the wall socket, to the mains power supply. Our city. Thus, electricity is converted into different things: mechanical energy, light energy, information, etc.
4. Our own body. It is known that the human body also works with specific and controlled doses of electricity. Between neurons, for example, there are electrical exchanges; muscles are operated on the basis of controlled discharges that activate elastic cells, etc. This does not mean that we can "charge" with electricity like batteries; Quite the contrary: contact with large electrical charges can lead to death or severe damage of all kinds.
5. Defibrillators in hospitals. Taking advantage of the knowledge of the previous point, in hospitals a device called defibrillator, which by means of controlled electric shocks makes it possible to try to start a heart stopped. This serves to try to revive people in cardiac arrest and prevent damage to their various tissues, But it also does not mean that, as Doctor Frankenstein dreamed, we can revive the dead with electricity.
6. The Lightning. The classic example of electricity in the wild is lightning in a thunderstorm. These are discharges visible to the naked eye in the form of light rays, the explanation of which is none other than the difference in electrical charge between suspended particles in rain clouds and the ground, which is violently balanced through these sudden emanations of Energy.
7. Rechargeable batteries. A rechargeable battery is an accumulator designed to allow the extraction and incorporation of electrical energy into its chemical components, through chemical reactions reversible. Thus, by incorporating electricity, ions charged that can then transmit their electrons by bringing the positive and negative poles together, just like any ordinary accumulator.
8. Electrolysis. This chemical laboratory process consists of adding electricity to various reactions or substances to separate them into their integrating components. Thus, for example, the electrolysis of water can separate oxygen from hydrogen, and this allows these elements to be rescued for later industrial or experimental use.
9. Electric heating. Through a system of resistors, through which the electrons flow, thus generating a share of energy caloric, these devices serve to counteract the cold without the need to consume matter (without combustion) or generate toxic by-products. Of course: the load of electrical energy consumed is quite high in comparison.
10. The many power plants. Whether they are nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, geothermal or burning fossil fuels Like coal and natural gas, there are hundreds of electricity generation sites on the planet that power different nations. One of the most famous of all time was that of Chernobyl, in Ukraine, which suffered a major It broke down and contaminated hundreds of hectares around with radiation in what was called the Chernobyl Accident.

Other types of energy

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