6. POWER STATIONS THAT USE RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE.

6. POWER STATIONS THAT USE RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE.

Some power stations use clean, renewable energy sources to produce electricity.

They have several problems:

• They are 'greener' than conventional power stations because they produce less pollution.
• They use renewable energy, so they don't consume limited natural resources.
• They reduce our dependence on other countries that produce fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas.
• They are relatively cheap, in comparison to other energy sources.

6.1. Wind farms.

Wind farms use the kinetic energy of the wind to generate electricity. The wind the blades of a turbine, at the top of a tower.

The output and efficiency of a wind farm depend on two factors:

• The location of the farm, which determines the speed and strength of the winds.
• The number of turbines that can be installed there.

6.2. Hydroelectric power stations.

There are two main types of hydroelectric power stations:

• In conventional hydroelectric stations, the water flows from the reservoir to the turbines through a high-pressure conduit.

 

• In pumped-storage hydroelectric stations, the water flows from the turbines to a second reservoir. Then it is pumped back up to the higher reservoir and stored for later.
  
  6.3. Solar power stations.
  
  Solar power stations use energy from sunlight to generate electricity. There are to main types of solar power stations: solar thermal and photovoltaic.
  
  Solar thermal stations.
  
  
  Solar thermal stations can use sunlight in two ways:
  
  • With solar collectors that absorb sunlight in order to produce that.
  • With mirrors called heliostats that reflect and concentrate sunlight in one place.

Photovoltaic stations.
Small solar power installations can provide energy for homes and rural areas. Excess poer can be stored in batteries or accumulators and used at night.









6.4. Biomass power stations.

Biomass is any material that is produced by natural processes.
In a biomass power stations, the fuel used to produce energy comes from biomass. The steam produced from burning the biomass moves a turbine that is connected to a generator (alternator).








 6.5. Marine power stations.

There are three general types of marine power stations:

• Tidal power stations, which use the energy of tides.
• Wave power stations, which use the energy of tides.
• Ocean thermal conversion stations, which use the difference in water temperature between the surface of the ocean and deeper areas to produce energy.

 

 6.6. Geothermal power stations.

Geothermal energy can be used in two ways:

• It can be used directly to provide hot water for heating and industrial uses.
• It can be used indirectly to drive generators and produce electricity.