Learn About Energy Energy-SMART! Home

Resources Used to Make Electricity

You probably know that most of the electricity you use is produced in a power plant and travels to your home and school through special wires. But do you know what energy sources are used to run power plants?

Energy resources can be divided into two categories: nonrenewable and renewable.

Nonrenewable Resources

A nonrenewable resource is a resource that can be used up. Fossil fuels, which include coal, oil, and natural gas, are nonrenewable because it took millions of years for them to form. Once we use up our fossil fuels, they will be gone for good.

Many power plants use fossil fuels. The fossil fuel is burned to produce heat, which is used to make steam. The steam is then used to turn the blades of a turbine.

Some power plants run on nuclear power, which is another nonrenewable resource.

Nuclear power plants rely on uranium, a type of metal that is mined from the ground and specially processed. Heat released from splitting uranium atoms is used to convert water into steam that turns turbines.

Renewable Resources

A renewable resource is fairly easy to replace. Renewable energy resources include wood, wind, sunshine, geothermal energy, biomass, and water stored behind dams in lakes and reservoirs. Electricity can be produced using several kinds of renewable resources.

Wind energy can produce electricity in regions where steady winds blow. Giant wind turbines capture the wind's energy and use it to power generators.

Biomass includes organic materials such as wood, agricultural crops or wastes, and municipal wastes.

Geothermal energy uses hot water or steam from deep beneath the earth's surface to produce electricity.

Hydroelectric power is generated using the energy created by falling water to spin the generator turbines of hydroelectric power plants and make electricity.

Solar energy can also be used to produce electricity. Solar cells change the radiant energy of the sun into electrical energy. Some calculators and portable radios are powered by solar cells. Solar panels, or modules, placed on a rooftop can supply electricity to the building below.