The Various Options For Generating Electricity

Electricity powers home appliances, industry processes, trains, and vehicles. In other words, it is essential to modern life. Across the globe, the use of electricity is rapidly rising, especially with emerging economies like China and India. This need is driving up the demand for electricity, and as a result, there are various power generation companies in India and even more will be needed in the future.

Power generations plants have various options when choosing to generate electricity, and each of these methods has its pros and cons. Moreover, companies and governments must also ensure that countries generate electricity while focusing on reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and waste material. Let’s take a look at the most popularly used methods for generating electricity.

Fossil Power Plants

Power plants that use fossil fuel for power generation burn carbon fuels like coal, oil or gas to produce steam. This steam then drives large turbines that ultimately produced electricity. Fossil fuel power plants can reliably generate electricity over a long period of time.

However, burning carbon fuels results in the emission of carbon dioxide, which plays havoc with the climate. Carbon fuels also emit other pollutants like sulphurous oxides, which are responsible for acid rain. Moreover, these types of fuel are usually transported over great distances and can lead to an unstable rise in fuel price and consequently, higher electricity generation costs.

Hydro Power Plants

Hydropower plants utilize stored water for generating electricity. They flow vast reservoirs of water in dams through turbines to generate electricity. While hydropower plants can generate enormous amounts of electrical power, dry climates can drain the water reservoirs leading to low electricity generation.

Nuclear Power Plants

Nuclear power plants function similarly to fossil fuel plants; however, the heat required is generated with the help of nuclear fusion. However, unlike the use of fossils, nuclear power plants only produce a small quantity of greenhouse gases. Nuclear fuel can be used for several years and is more practical compared to fossil fuels.

However, it’s crucial that once nuclear fuel is used, it is either recycled or disposed of carefully. All in all, nuclear power plants are capable of running for months without interruption, is reliable and one of the least environmentally damaging forms of generating electricity.

Renewable Resources Power Plants

Renewable energy such as solar, wind, and small hydropower plants can produce electricity with extremely low greenhouse gas emission. Setting up a renewable resource power plant can be expensive since it often requires subsidies to be completed. Over the years these costs have been reduced.

However, the electricity generated isn’t consistent or predictable. For instance, generating electricity with the help of wind turbines depends on the wind speed; if the wind if too weak or too strong, then no electricity can be produced. Similarly, solar panel outputs rely upon the strength of the sunshine, which depends upon the time of day and the cloud cover. Therefore, other sources of power generation must be used to support the electricity generated using renewable resources.

With the rising need for more electricity and the increasing environmental dangers, it’s become imperative that governments and companies utilize all power generating options responsibly.