How Electricity Is Made
Have you ever wondered where electricity comes from? You might be surprised to learn that it comes from magnets!
In the early 1800s, Michael Faraday discovered “electromagnetic induction” – the scientific way of saying that if he moved a magnet through a loop of wire, the wire would become electrified.
In 1882, Thomas Edison opened the first full-scale power plant in New York City. Edison’s electric generator was a bigger version of Faraday’s basic experiment – a big magnet rotates around a wire to produce an electric current.
Today’s power plants are bigger and controlled by computers, but the basic process is still the same as it was nearly 120 years ago.
Here’s how power plants make electricity:
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Coal is dug up |
The trains and |
The coal is |
Inside the |
The spinning turbine rotates a big magnet around a length of wire, creating a magnetic field that electrifies the wire. The electric current flows through the wire and is pushed out through high-voltage transformers.
Learn how electricity gets to your home
More ways to make electricity:
Instead of using coal, some power plants use other ways to make electricity:
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Some power |
A nuclear |
A wind farm |
A hydro power |
Want to learn more?
If you’d like to learn more about the electrical power system, visit this Web page:
What Is Electricity? By the U.S. Energy Information Administration
Links for teachers and parents:
How Stuff Works: Electricity and How Stuff Works: Power Grids
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