Understanding the Nuanced Power of Electricity

One of the previous Chief Ministers of Karnataka, I remember Mr. J. H. Patel, once saying in a public speech that, earlier, the country's economy was determined by the amount of steel production, though now by the generation of the quantum of electrical power. It struck me, and I thought we could not imagine a day without electrical power. It is a part of our life without which we cannot survive (almost). When the flight lands at night, the beautiful view of a city with tinkering, dazzling light always reminds us how the world is embracing electrical power.

Then, what is electricity? Is it just a flow of electrons in a wire? I remember one of the preachers of Hindu philosophy saying we should not always try to find the root of the cause. We should not try to look for the origin of God. He also commented that uncovering the inception of God is just touching the live wire of electricity to feel it.

It is incredible to know that it is a physical phenomenon found by Scientist Faraday that, when we obstruct magnetic force, it induces the flow of electrons in a conductor, which turns to electricity which drives the human species throughout the day and night.

The Cardinal rule of electromagnetism predicts how a magnetic field interacts with an electric circuit. This interaction will generate an electromotive force is the basis of Faraday's law. This phenomenon is known as electromagnetic Induction. It is the vital operating principle of transformers, inductors, and many electrical motors, generators, and solenoids.

Faraday's law states that changing magnetic fluxes through coiled wires generates electricity (currents and voltages). In other words, the induced electricity is proportional to the change in magnetic flux. Faraday is known as the father of electricity. In 1821 he produced mechanical motion using a permanent magnet and an electric current- an ancestor of electricity. Ten years later, he converted magnetic force into electrical force, thus inventing the world's first electrical generator.

In a turbine generator, a moving fluid—water, steam, combustion gasses, or air—pushes a series of blades mounted on a rotor shaft. The blades rotate due to the flow of force. Consequently, the generator converts the rotor's mechanical (kinetic) energy to electrical energy.

All the electricity or power generation methods intrude the road to turn the rotor of the gigantic turbine consisting of blades. A turbine generator set converts mechanical energy to electrical energy to produce electricity. A stator has the facility to have magnetic force through a magnet. When the rotor of the turbine rotates, it cuts the magnetic forces of the stator, which induces the electricity in the copper wire surrounded by the stator.

The turbine is rotated by a water force called hydroelectricity power or steam produced by coal or nuclear fission. Nowadays, technocrats and scientists are concentrating their energy on power generation by renewable energy like wind and solar power.

It is a breathtaking view when we drive to see long blades rotating on the top of the hills. In turn, by a wind force, these giant rotating blades rotate the turbine blades, which induces the electricity in the stator's wires.

Nuclear fission is a process of generating power using atomic power. The bombardment by electrons on the nucleus of the Uranium 235 isotope cause the split, also called fission, which provokes enormous energy in the form of heat that heats the boiler to generate steam which drives the turbine and generates electricity. Atomic power stations like IGCAR or BARC use nuclear fission to generate electricity.

Electricity is also generated by biomass and geothermal.

Biomass is burned in a boiler to produce high-pressure steam. This steam flows over a series of turbine blades, causing them to rotate. The rotation of the turbine drives a generator, producing electricity.

Organic waste material, such as animal dung or human sewage, is collected in oxygen-free tanks called digesters. Here, the material is decomposed by anaerobic bacteria that produce methane and other by-products to form renewable natural gas, which can then be purified and used to drive turbine blades to generate electricity.

Gasification and pyrolysis can also convert biomass to a gaseous or liquid fuel. Gasification is a process that exposes solid biomass material to high temperatures with minimal oxygen present to produce synthesis gas-a mixture that consists primarily of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The gas generated could be burned in a conventional boiler to produce steam and, in turn, electricity.

Pyrolysis uses a similar process to gasification but under different operating conditions. In this scenario, biomass is heated at a lower temperature range but without oxygen to produce a crude bio-oil. The bio-oil is utilized in furnaces, turbines, and engines for electricity production.

Geothermal energy is the heat produced deep in the earth's core. The thermal energy in the earth's crust originates from the planet's formation, and the radioactive decay of materials is currently uncertain but possibly equal proportions. Geothermal power plants use steam to produce electricity. The steam comes from reservoirs of hot water found a few miles or more below the earth's surface. The steam rotates a turbine that activates a generator, which produces electricity.

A battery converts chemical energy to electrical energy. A battery is a device that stores chemical energy and converts it to electrical energy. The chemical reactions in a battery involve the flow of electrons from one material (electrode) to another through an external circuit. The flow of electrons provides an electric current that can be used to do work.

A chemical reaction between the metals and the electrolyte frees more electrons in one metal than in the other. The metal that frees more electrons develops a positive charge and described the f the other metal develops a negative charge.

Benjamin Franklin first used the term 'Battery" in 1749 when he was doing experiments with electricity. Italian physicist Alessandro Volta built and described the first electrochemical battery in 1800.

When we do our day-to-day activities, we tend to enjoy the fruits, without remembering the great inventions made by Scientists earlier to make our life comfortable. Can we imagine a day without power? It is just living in a dark. We are unable to get our mobile charged, incapable to run the fridge, fan, washing machine, or electric stove, even we cannot get water in our bathroom and toilets, and also cannot see TV, Laptop, or day and night cricket matches. The great invention of Faraday of emf leads to many inventions like the Electrical bulb to light our houses, buildings, and the entire world. Like this, we can also observe a lot of other inventions to make our life easy.

A long ago when I started a career, there were a lot of power cuts due to which our daily activities get hampered. I remember, when I visited Hyderabad on my trip, my brother jokingly always tell me, here people talk about when the power will come not about when the power goes off which was very common during that period.

In recent years Government understood the importance of electrical power to mankind and we can now see fewer power cuts, and importance is given to generating more electricity.

It is also heartening to know that renewable energy is essential to drive the turbines to give power; also, technologies are applied to reduce transmission loss.

I also understood the significance of power when I visited power-related research Institutions such as

*Central Power Research Institute,?

*Power Research Stations of state power corporations,

*Laboratories of Power Grid Corporations

*Research Laboratories related to electrical engineering at the Indian Institute of Sciences, IIT

Here, I understood these centers are concentrating to get better quality power, reducing transmission loss, and increasing the power generation process's efficiency by periodic testing of oils for various properties.