How is electricity generated? This is a big question for the electric vehicle since electricity is the fuel used. At the present time in the USA, for example, most electricity is produced by burning the fossil fuels coal and natural gas. Many other countries still use fossil fuels as their primary source of power generation as well. However, most French electricity is produced by nuclear reactors.
In either case, water is heated to steam which turns a turbine which turns a generator. The generator is basically loops of wire turning in a magnetic field. Other fluids may be used, and different engines may be used to spin the turbines, but the bottom line is that heat is turned into electricity.
Other things used to turn generators are internal and external combustion engines, rivers (hydropower), solar concentrators, geothermal heat (natural steam), nuclear reactors, and wind turbines. Tidal generators tend to oscillate rather than turn, but again in this case, mechanical energy is turned into electrical energy through a generator.
Pure sunshine falls all over the planet. Rivers flow because of the hydrologic cycle, which is driven by the sun. The wind blows because of heating and moisture differences, also driven by the sun. Although solar sources are relatively constant, some say that wind patterns are changing.
A big topic these days is the amount of carbon dioxide released when you burn oil, gas, or coal to heat the water to steam. Coal has long been used since there is a lot of it around, it has a fairly high energy density, and it is portable by train. Too bad that coal burns not so clean, fouls the air, and sometimes mining it ends up causing mountain top removal. So coal works, but it is dirty to mine and use. Oil provides a lot of energy but its use is associated with more air pollution, shortages, high prices, and wars. Natural gas is cleaner, but suffers from problems with transport, environmental destruction, shortages, and political bickering. So the next time you ask how is electricity generated, remember the above facts, and remember renewable energy.
Renewable energy is the best bet for the future of electrical power. The amount of solar energy is incredible. All the energy stored in Earth's reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas is matched by the energy from just 20 days of sunshine. Solar power therefore could be used to power the planet with way more than enough electricity for electric cars.
