Power plants

Energy comes in various forms but electrical energy is the most convenient form of energy since it can be transported with ease, generated in a number of different ways, and can be converted into mechanical work or heat energy as and when required.

 a power plant -a place where electrical energy is obtained by converting some other form of energy. A power station (also referred to as a generating station, power plant, or powerhouse) is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power

At the center of nearly all power stations is a generator, a rotating machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy by creating relative motion between a magnetic field and a conductor. The energy source harnessed to turn the generator varies widely. It depends chiefly on which fuels are easily available and on the types of technology that the power company has access to.

Types of power plants

Nuclear Coal Geothermal Biomass Hydroelectricity Wind Solar Steam turbine

Nuclear
Nuclear power plants use a nuclear reactor's heat to operate a steam turbine generator. About 20% of electric generation in the USA is produced by nuclear power plants.

Nuclear power is produced by controlled (i.e., non-explosive) nuclear reactions. Commercial and utility plants currently use nuclear fissionreactions to heat water to produce steam, which is then used to generate electricity. In 2009, 13-14% of the world's electricity came from nuclear power.

Coal
A coal-fired power station produces electricity by burning coal to generate steam, and has the side-effect of producing a large amount ofcarbon dioxide, which is released from burning coal and contributes to global warming. About 50% of electric generation in the USA is produced by coal fired power plants

Geothermal
Geothermal power plants use steam extracted from hot underground rocks. Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly, but has historically been limited to areas neartectonic plate boundaries. Recent technological advances have dramatically expanded the range and size of viable resources, especially for applications

Biomass
Biomass Fuelled Power Plants may be fuelled by waste from sugar cane, municipal solid waste, landfillmethane, or other forms of biomass.

Steam Turbine
Steam turbine plants use the dynamic pressure generated by expanding steam to turn the blades of a turbine. Almost all large non-hydro plants use this system. About 80% of all electric power produced in the world is by use of steam turbines.

Hydroelectricity
Dams built to produce hydroelectricity impound a reservoir of water and release it through one or more water turbines, connected to generators, and generate electricity, from the energy provided by difference in water level upstream and downstream. This was approximately 20% of the world's electricity, and accounted for about 88% of electricity from renewable sources.

Solar
Solar power is the generation of electricity from sunlight. This can be direct as with photovoltaics (PV), or indirect as with concentrating solar power (CSP), where the sun's energy is focused to boil water which is then used to provide power. Solar power provided 0.02% of the total world energy consumption in 2008.

Wind
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, wind mills for mechanical power, wind pumps for pumping water or drainage, or sails to propel ships. Wind turbines can be used to generate electricity in areas with strong, steady winds, sometimes offshore. Many different designs have been used in the past, but almost all modern turbines being produced today use a threebladed, upwind design.

Power station manager

Most plant managers supervise the production of one specific good: Electricity. managing power loads, controlling production and inventory, and handling the continuous maintenance chores--the heart of managing a power plant is managing people. can work during the day or night hands-on managing

Power station manager

must know the basic rules of electrical safety "When in doubt, shut it down." are good at distributing their human resources, combining seriousness and a dedicated work effort with a personal approach that fosters quality work and loyalty. The personality traits of power plant managers translate well into any managerial position. Some become production managers, quality control managers, and inventory control managers.