TABLE OF CONTENTS The electric power industry is comprised of many functions. From the generation of electricity flows the transmission and hence the distribution of power to homes, businesses, and other end users. It is, therefore, important to begin at the beginning generation particularly because this process happens to be one of the most capital-intensive functions of electric power producers.
To understand the generation of power, it is important to look at the process, the measurement, and the resources required. In general terms, generation has a two-fold meaning. First, it may be defined as the process of producing electric energy by transforming other forms of energy. Second, generation can also refer to the amount of electric energy produced for end-user consumption. Expressed in kilowatt-hours (kWh), or the electric energy produced in 1 hour (hr) by 1 kilowatt (kW) of electric capacity, generation is the amount individual consumers see on their electric bills.
Electricity may be defined as a class of physical phenomena that results from the existence of charge and from the interaction of charges. When a charge is stationary, it produces forces on objects in regions where it is present, and when it is in motion, the charge produces magnetic effects. Electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) are caused by the relative position and movement of positively and negatively charged particles of matter. Particles associated with electrical effects are classed as neutral, positive, or negative. However, electricity...
