Industries Served

Power Generation

Ever since 1881, we have been generating electricity for industry. The very first power plants used coal for hydroelectric power. Several other methods have been used since, including oil, natural gas, nuclear energy, solar, tidal wind and geothermal energy. Power generation is when heat energy is transformed into mechanical energy, or when mechanical energy is transformed into electrical energy. An example of heat energy transmission is the burning of oil and an example of mechanical energy transmission is wind power via a windmill. In nuclear energy transmission, heat is used to heat water, which turns a turbine and produces electricity.

Ever since the Industrial Revolution, power has been generated into energy in large quantities. At first, it was used to run power looms and to synthesize plants. Today, there's almost an endless array of opportunities to use power generation. One of the main issues today is finding a way to decrease the use of nonrenewable fossil fuels and utilize renewable energy sources, like the sun and wind. While many of the power generation methods that have been proposed are creative and efficient, they're still not able to completely replace fossil fuels throughout the world. While nuclear energy may be on the brink of a major comeback, the world as a whole is concerned about the risk.

The best option for power generation very well could be nuclear fusion, which is the same source of energy that the sun uses. In nuclear fusion, atomic nuclei are combined to release bond energy. Unfortunately, so far, nuclear fusion experiments do not yet produce more energy than they consume, making them impractical for a replacement energy source. One of the biggest reasons to veer away from fossil fuels is because they finance terrorists. Also, through combustion, greenhouse gases are released. These gases have been shown to be a major cause of global warming.