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Power Plants and Types of Power Plant | Electrical4u

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Power Plants and Types of Power Plant | Electrical4u

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In 2011, the world consumed about 4 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity.

The vast majority of those electrons were produced at large electric power plants located in remote locales.

Sandwiched between two steep cliffs on the Yangtze River in central China, the Three Gorges Dam is hands down the largest of the world's large electric power generating facilities.

The Three Gorges Dam has a generating capacity of 22,500 megawatts (MW) compared to 14,000 MW for the Itapúa Dam that straddles the borders of Brazil and Paraguay.

In 2010, global hydroelectric capacity represented about 850 gigawatts, or about one-fifth of the world's total electricity capacity. Not surprisingly, mega-scale dams dominate the list of the world's largest power plants. Here are a few examples:

The Tucurui Dam in the heart of Brazil's Amazon forest is the fourth largest power plant in the world. The installed capacity of the 25-unit plant is 8,370 MW.

In the United States, the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River in the state of Washington is the sixth largest electric power plant in the world (and the largest in the US) with a generating capacity of about 6,800 MW.

Other than a dozen or so super-sized hydropower facilities, fossil fuels are the fuel of choice for large scale electric power plants.

The Taichung power plant in Taiwan is the largest coal-fired power station, at 5,780 MW.

The Surgut-2 Power Station in Russia is the world's largest natural gas power station at 5,600 MW and the 19th largest plant in the world.

In Japan, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant is the world's largest nuclear power plant at 8,212 MW. It is also the fifth largest power plant in the world.

Some other fun factoids about the world's largest power plants:

The largest oil shale-fired power plant is the 1,615 MW Eesti power plant in Estonia.

The largest biofuel power plant is the Tilbury-B plant in the United Kingdom, which has a nameplate capacity of 750 MW.

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World's 39 Largest Electric Power Plants

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In 2011, the world consumed about 4 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity. The vast majority of those electrons were produced at large electric power plants located in remote locales. Sandwiched between two steep cliffs on the Yangtze River in central China, the Three Gorges Dam is hands down the largest of the [...]

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How thermal power stations work.

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How Thermal Power Station Works, by OcS (www.octavesim.com)

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Simply put, a solar panel works by allowing photons, or particles of light, to knock electrons free from atoms, generating a flow of electricity. Solar panels actually comprise many, smaller units called photovoltaic cells.  (photovoltaic means they convert sunlight into electricity.) Many cells linked together make up a solar panel.

For more info, go to https://www.livescience.com/41995-how-do-solar-panels-work.html

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Read the discussion.  What do yu think?
Can you do the Maths ?

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Earlier this month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to offer his help to rebuild Puerto Rico's power grid, damaged by Hurricane Maria. True to his word, the company provided a solar panel and battery storage array to Hospital del Niño, a children's hospital in San Juan.

While solar panel tech has gotten cheaper and more efficient at a prodigious rate, if you're not familiar with how it actually works, I don't blame you. Luckily, Digg made a quick solar panel explainer video with help from former Level Solar engineer Matt Burnrand. If you're curious about the tech providing power to the children's hospital after hurricane Maria damaged its power grid, check it out.

You can check if your current residence is a prime candidate for renewable energy using, what else, Google. Its Project Sunroof site can estimate how much energy (and cash) you'd save over time based on your address.

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Earlier this month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to offer his help to rebuild Puerto Rico's power grid, damaged by Hurricane Maria. True to his word, the company provided a solar panel and battery storage array to Hospital del Niño, a children's hospital in San Juan.

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List of power stations in Argentina - Wikipedia

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This page shows a list of power stations in Argentina .

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/quiz/q72740263

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3D animation + 3D renderings + design - Washington DC

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Wind Farm (GN) - 3D infographic animation - 3D animation + 3D renderings + design - Washington DC

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Project Type 3D infographic animation Industry Energy Language Spanish Services provided Copywriting Design 3D modeling 3D animation Motion graphics Post-production Audio production Click here to see more Engineering + Infrastructure + Construction work. PROJECT SUMMARY 1. Video screenshots Click on thumbnails to view images

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What are the different types of power plants?

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What are the different types of power plants?

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we have

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3D animation + 3D renderings + design - Washington DC

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Project Type

e-Learning 3D animations

Industry

Energy

Services provided

to see more Engineering + Infrastructure + Construction work.

PROJECT SUMMARY

1. Video screenshots - Nuclear power plant

Click on thumbnails to view images

2. Video screenshots - Fossil-fuel power plant

3. About the project

Our partner Avanzo develops e-learning solutions for various organizations in Europe. Avanzo asked Beatmap to create two 3D animations to help explain how a nuclear power plant and a fossil-fuel power plant generates heat to create electricity. The animations were added in addition to other materials to an e-learning course about energy generation.

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3D animations: Nuclear and fossil-fuel power plants - 3D animation + 3D renderings + design - Washington DC

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Project Type e-Learning 3D animations Industry Energy Services provided Concept 3D modeling 3D animation Post-Production Click here to see more Engineering + Infrastructure + Construction work. PROJECT SUMMARY 1. Video screenshots - Nuclear power plant Click on thumbnails to view images 2. Video screenshots -...

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3D animation + 3D renderings + design - Washington DC

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Project Type

Infographic animation

Industry

Energy

Language

Spanish

Services provided

to see more Engineering + Infrastructure + Construction work.

PROJECT SUMMARY

1. Video screenshots

Click on thumbnails to view images

2. About the project

Beatmap was contacted by GDF Suez to develop an animation to visually explain the process of power generation for one of their new new power plants.

This type of projects fits right into our core competencies and experience in the energy industry. Our familiarity with this type of projects allows us to deliver a high-quality video in a quick amount of time.

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Power Plant (BR) - animated infographic - 3D animation + 3D renderings + design - Washington DC

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Project Type Infographic animation Industry Energy Language Spanish Services provided Copywriting Design Animation Audio production Click here to see more Engineering + Infrastructure + Construction work. PROJECT SUMMARY 1. Video screenshots Click on thumbnails to view images 2. About the project Beatmap was contacted by...

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Pumped-storage plant / Pumped-storage hydroelectricity (3D animation)

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Generators are the devices that transfer kinetic energy into electrical energy.
Turning generators directly
Generators can be turned directly, for example, by:

wind turbines

hydroelectric turbines

wave and tidal turbines

When electricity is generated using wave, wind, tidal or hydroelectric power (HEP) there are two steps:

1. The turbine turns a generator.

2. Electricity is produced.

Turning generators indirectly
Generators can be turned indirectly using fossil or nuclear fuels. The heat from the fuel boils water to make steam, which expands and pushes against the blades of a turbine. The spinning turbine then turns the generator.

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The electricity grid is a complex system in which power supply and demand must be equal at any given moment. Constant adjustments to the supply are needed for predictable changes in demand, such as the daily patterns of human activity, as well as unexpected changes from equipment overloads and storms. Energy storage plays an important role in this balancing act and helps to create a more flexible and reliable grid system.

For example, when there is more supply than demand, such as during the night when low-cost power plants continue to operate, the excess electricity generation can be used to power storage devices. When demand is greater than supply, storage facilities can discharge their stored energy to the grid.

Pumping water back behind hydroelectric dams has been used for decades as a form of storage that absorbs excess capacity from the grid and returns capacity to the grid later when it is needed. In the future, as more storage technology options emerge and the United States transitions to a cleaner energy economy, energy storage is poised to play an even greater role.

The benefits of energy storage

Because some renewable energy technologies - such as wind and solar - have variable outputs, storage technologies have great potential for smoothing out the electricity supply from these sources and ensuring that the supply of generation matches the demand.

Energy storage is also valued for its rapid response - most storage technologies can begin discharging power to the grid very quickly, while fossil fuel sources tend to take longer to ramp up. This rapid response is important for ensuring stability of the grid when unexpected increases in demand occur.

Energy storage also becomes more important the farther you are from the electrical grid. For example, when you turn on the lights in your home, the power comes from the grid; but when you turn on a flashlight while camping, you must rely on the stored energy in the batteries. Similarly, homes that are farther away from the transmission grid are more vulnerable to disruption than homes in large metropolitan areas. Islands and microgrids that are disconnected from the larger electrical grid system depend on energy storage to ensure power stability, just like you depend on the batteries in your flashlight while camping.

Current U.S. energy storage capacity

The U.S. has about 23 gigawatts (GW) of storage capacity, approximately equal to the capacity of 38 typical coal plants [ 1].

Pumped hydroelectric storage accounts for about 96 percent of this total storage capacity [ 2], most of which was built in the 1960s and 1970s to accompany the new fleet of nuclear power plants. Because nuclear power plants are not designed to ramp up or down, their generation is constant at all times of the day. When demand for electricity is low at night, pumped hydro facilities store the energy from nuclear plants for later use during peak demand. These pumped hydro plants have proven valuable for quickly adjusting to small changes in demand or supply.

Emerging storage facilities will allow us to store energy generated from wind and solar resources on shorter time frames to smooth variability, and on longer cycles to replace ever more fossil fuel. By charging storage facilities with energy generated from renewable sources, we can reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and our dependence on fossil fuels.

While the U.S. electric grid does not necessarily need more storage now, storage capacity will become more important as wind, solar, and other variable renewable energy resources expand in the power mix. Studies have shown that the existing grid can accommodate a sizeable increase in variable generation [ 3], but there are many exciting technologies in development that could help us store energy in the future and support an even greater amount of renewable energy on the grid.

Energy storage technologies

Different energy storage technologies contribute to electricity stability by working at various stages of the grid, from generation to consumer end-use.
Thermal Storage
Thermal storage is used for electricity generation by using power from the sun, even when the sun is not shining. Concentrating solar plants can capture heat from the sun and store the energy in water, molten salts, or other fluids. This stored energy is later used to generate electricity, enabling the use of solar energy even after sunset.

Plants like these are currently operating or proposed in California, Arizona, and Nevada [ 4]. For example, the proposed Rice Solar Energy Project in Blythe, California will use a molten salt storage system with a concentrating solar tower to provide power for approximately 68,000 homes each year [ 5].

Thermal storage technologies also exist for end-use energy storage. One method is freezing water at night using off-peak electricity, then releasing the stored cold energy from the ice to help with air conditioning during the day [ 6].

For example, Ice Energy's Ice Bear system creates a block of ice at night, and then uses the ice during the day to condense the air conditioning system's refrigerant [ 7]. In this way, the Ice Bear system shifts the building's electricity consumption from the daytime peak to off-peak times when the electricity is less expensive. Additionally, the Bonneville Power Administration is conducting a pilot program on storing excess wind generation in residential water heaters [ 8].
Compressed Air
Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) also works as a generation storage technology by using the elastic potential energy of compressed air to improve the efficiencies of conventional gas turbines.

CAES systems compress air using electricity during off-peak times, and then store the air in underground caverns. During times of peak demand, the air is drawn from storage and fired with natural gas in a combustion turbine to generate electricity [ 9]. This method uses only a third of the natural gas used in conventional methods [ 10]. Because CAES plants require some sort of underground reservoir, they are limited by their locations. Two commercial CAES plants currently operate in Huntorf, Germany and MacIntosh, Alabama, though plants have been proposed in other parts of the United States.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen can be used as a zero-carbon fuel for generation. Excess electricity can be used to create hydrogen, which can be stored and used later in fuel cells, engines, or gas turbines to generate electricity without producing harmful emissions [ 11]. NREL has studied the potential for creating hydrogen from wind power and storing it in the wind turbine towers for electricity generation when the wind isn't blowing [ 12].
Pumped Hydroelectric Storage
Pumped hydroelectric storage offers a way to store energy at the grid's transmission stage, by storing excess generation for later use.

Many hydroelectric power plants include two reservoirs at different elevations. These plants store energy by pumping water into the upper reservoir when supply exceeds demand. When demand exceeds supply, the water is released into the lower reservoir by running downhill through turbines to generate electricity.

With more than 22 GW of installed capacity in the United States, pumped hydro storage is the largest storage system operating today [ 13]. However, the long permitting process and high cost of pumped storage makes further projects unlikely.
Flywheels
Flywheels can provide a variety of benefits to the grid at either the transmission or distribution level, by storing electricity in the form of a spinning mass.

The device is shaped liked a cylinder and contains a large rotor inside a vacuum. When the flywheel draws power from the grid, the rotor accelerates to very high speeds, storing the electricity as rotational energy. To discharge the stored energy, the rotor switches to generation mode, slows down, and runs on inertial energy, thus returning electricity to the grid [ 14].

Flywheels typically have long lifetimes and require little maintenance. The devices also have high efficiencies and rapid response times. Because they can be placed almost anywhere, flywheels can be located close to the consumers and store electricity for distribution.

While a single flywheel device has a typical capacity on the order of kilowatts, many flywheels can be connected in a "flywheel farm" to create a storage facility on the order of megawatts [ 15]. Beacon Power's Stephentown Flywheel Energy Storage Plant in New York is the largest flywheel facility in the United States, with an operating capacity of 20 MW [ 16].
Batteries
Batteries, like those in a flashlight or cell phone, can also be used to store energy on a large scale.

Like flywheels, batteries can be located anywhere so they are often seen as storage for distribution, when a battery facility is located near consumers to provide power stability; or end-use, like batteries in electric vehicles.

There are many different types of batteries that have large-scale energy storage potential, including sodium-sulfur, metal air, lithium ion, and lead-acid batteries. There are several battery installations at wind farms; including the Notrees Wind Storage Demonstration Project in Texas, which uses a 36 MW battery facility to help ensure stability of the power supply even when the wind isn't blowing [ 17].

Advancements in battery technologies have been made largely due to the expanding electric vehicle (EV) industry. As more developments are made with EVs, battery cost should continue to decline [ 18]. Electric vehicles could also have an impact on energy storage through vehicle-to-grid technologies, in which their batteries can be connected to the grid and discharge power for others to use.

The future of energy storage

As new energy storage technologies are researched and tested, some barriers are likely to slow the commercialization of these technologies.

Energy storage is expensive, especially without policies that place a monetary value on the unique benefits of storage. Plus there is no current need for additional storage capacity to maintain electricity grid reliability. Without an operational need, it is difficult for storage to be cost-effective in the present [ 19]. Furthermore, storage lacks a robust track record of large commercial-scale projects (with the exception of pumped hydro), making it difficult to deploy new projects.

Despite these potential barriers, certain programs and policies can help drive the development and deployment of storage technologies. The Department of Energy's Energy Storage Program researches different storage technologies and works closely with industry on pilot storage programs [ 20].

The deployment of storage technologies can also be advanced through renewable electricity standards (RES). Some states recognize storage technologies as acceptable renewable generation in their RES, and other states award Renewable Energy Credits (REC) to energy generation from storage devices that were charged by renewables [ 21].

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the agency that regulates the electricity grid, has created a pricing structure that pays storage technologies and other fast-ramping resources a higher price for their services. This pricing structure, called Pay-for-Performance, recognizes the value of rapid response in providing stability to the grid. Pay-for-Performance has the potential to make storage technologies more cost-effective on a commercial-scale. An investment tax credit (ITC) would also help accelerate the deployment of storage technologies.

With the support of government and industry, energy storage technologies can continue to develop and expand, aid in the increasing deployment of variable renewable energy sources, and help store an ever-growing amount of clean, renewable energy in the future.
References:
[1] Assumes typical coal plant capacity of 600 MW.

[2] Electricity Advisory Committee. 2011. Energy storage activities in the United States electricity grid. Online at http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/oeprod/DocumentsandMedia/FINAL_DOE_Report-Storage_Activities_5-1-11.pdf.

[3] Denholm, P. et al. 2010. The role of energy storage with renewable electricity generation. National Renewable Electricity Laboratory. Online at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy10osti/47187.pdf.

[4] Union of Concerned Scientists. 2013. Ramping up renewables: Energy you can count on. Online at http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/clean_energy/Ramping-Up-Renewables-Energy-You-Can-Count-On.pdf.

[5] SolarReserve. "Rice." Online at http://www.solarreserve.com/what-we-do/csp-projects/rice-army-airfield/.

[6] Denholm, P. et al. 2010. The role of energy storage with renewable electricity generation. National Renewable Electricity Laboratory. Online at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy10osti/47187.pdf.

[7] Ice Energy. "Ice Bear Energy Storage System." Online at http://www.ice-energy.com/ice-bear-energy-storage-system.

[8] Union of Concerned Scientists. 2013. Ramping up renewables: Energy you can count on. Online at http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/clean_energy/Ramping-Up-Renewables-Energy-You-Can-Count-On.pdf.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Electricity Storage Association. 2013. Online at: http://www.electricitystorage.org/

[11] Union of Concerned Scientists. 2013. Ramping up renewables: Energy you can count on. Online at http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/clean_energy/Ramping-Up-Renewables-Energy-You-Can-Count-On.pdf.

[12] Kottenstette, R., and J. Cottrell. 2003. Hydrogen storage in wind turbine towers. NREL/TP-500-34656. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Online at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy03osti/34656.pdf.

[13] Union of Concerned Scientists. 2013. Ramping up renewables: Energy you can count on. Online at http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/clean_energy/Ramping-Up-Renewables-Energy-You-Can-Count-On.pdf.

[14] Beacon Power. 2013. Online at: http://www.beaconpower.com/

[15] Electricity Storage Association. 2013. Online at: http://www.electricitystorage.org/

[16] Beacon Power. 2013. Online at: http://www.beaconpower.com/

[17] Gyuk, Imre. 2013. Smoothing renewable wind energy in Texas. Department of Energy. Online at: http://energy.gov/articles/smoothing-renewable-wind-energy-texas

[18] Electric Power Research Institute. 2010. Electric energy storage technology options: a primer on applications, costs & benefits. Online at: http://energystorage.org/resources/electricity-energy-storage-technology-options-primer-applications-costs-and-benefits-0

[19] Denholm, P. et al. 2010. The role of energy storage with renewable electricity generation. National Renewable Electricity Laboratory. Online at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy10osti/47187.pdf.

[20] http://energy.gov/oe/technology-development/energy-storage

[21] DSIRE: Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency. 2013. Online at: http://www.dsireusa.org/

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The electricity grid is a complex system in which power supply and demand must be equal at any given moment. Constant adjustments to the supply are needed for predictable changes in demand, such as the daily patterns of human activity, as well as unexpected changes from equipment overloads and storms. Energy storage plays an important role in this balancing act and helps to create a more flexible and reliable grid system.

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This type of geothermal power plant was named dry steam since water water that is extracted from the underground reservoirs has to be in its gaseous form (water-vapor).Geothermal steam of at least 150°C (300°F) is extracted from the reservoirs through the production wells (as we would do with all geothermal power plant types), but is then sent directly to the turbine. Geothermal reservoirs that can be exploited by geothermal dry steam power plants are rare.

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This type of geothermal power plant was named dry steam since water water that is extracted from the underground reservoirs has to be in its gaseous form (water-vapor).Geothermal steam of at least 150°C (300°F) is extracted from the reservoirs through the production wells (as we would do with all geothermal power plant types), but is then sent directly to the turbine. Geothermal reservoirs that can be exploited by geothermal dry steam power plants are rare.

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BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Nuclear power stations

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A secondary school revision resource for OCR Gateway GCSE Additional Science about radiation and fission including nuclear power stations, nuclear fission, cold fusion