Doesn’t it seem torturous and unacceptable to imagine a world without electricity? Our lives are so dependent on current electricity that even an hour of power outage feels like a nightmare. More than ever before, we rely on electricity from doing the smallest of chores like charging a phone to huge tasks like powering an industrial unit. Current electricity provides all the comforts of life and life without it would be completely different. Despite surviving without it for thousands of years, we have come to depend on it so much that we have built our lives around it.
Without electricity it is not just our televisions, freezer, etc getting affected, but we must also realise that the Internet or wifi in this modern world cannot function without getting affected. The disruption of one process due to the lack of electricity affects so many other processes simultaneously. For example, ATM’s cannot function without the internet.
Some people prefer not to be so dependent on electrical energy and opt for an off-grid lifestyle. This is because of the harmful effects of the variety of fuels that are used to generate electricity. Fossil fuels power plant cause pollution, require a large amount of water for cooling purposes and mar large tracts of land during the mining process. Nuclear power plants generate and accumulate an abundant amount of radioactive waste that currently lack repository.
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The electric power generation is typically a two-step process in which heat boils water; the energy from the steam is used to turn a turbine which in turn spins an electric generator which produces electricity. Now, let us discuss the generation of electricity from fossils fuels.
● Heat is generated when fossil fuels are burnt.
● The generated heat is used to convert the water in the boiler to steam.
● The generated high-pressure steam turns the turbine shaft. The turbine shaft, in turn, is connected to an electric generator which works on the principle of Faraday’s law.
● An electric generator converts the mechanical energy into an electrical energy. The output of an electric generator is current electricity which we tap and use to carry out our daily activities.
Nearly all the combustion byproducts have negative effects on human health and the environment. Fossil fuel power plant have the most widespread effect on the environment. Due to the combustion process, it produces airborne pollutants that spread over a large area. Nuclear plants have a great impact on the environment too. An accident at the nuclear power station can result in the release of large radioactive particles that are hazardous. Hydro, solar and wind power plants comparatively have smaller effects on the environment.
No doubt that electricity has become the basic need of life but we need to value it as a resource and use it judiciously. We take it for granted and use it without thinking twice. But with its effect on the environment and extinction of natural resources, it is time we gave it some thought!
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