2. Home Fossil Fuel Nuclear Power Background Nuclear Wind Hydroelectric Types of Electricity Generation Solar

3. Home Turbine Water Steam Magnet Metal Wire E E E E E Generator E E 1. Burn fossil fuel to make heat 2. Use heat to boil water and make steam 3. Use steam to spin an enormous turbine 4. The turbine spins huge magnets in the generator, making electricity How a fossil fuel power plant works Home Fossil Fuel

4. Home A coal fired power plant

5. Home Another coal power plant

6. Home Coal pile next to plant

7. Home Turbine Magnet Metal Wire E E E E E Generator E E 1. Use water to spin an enormous turbine 2. The turbine spins huge magnets in the generator, making electricity How a hydroelectric power plant works Water trapped by dam Home

9. The inside of a hydroelectric plant

10. Home Magnet Metal Wire E E E E E Generator E E Home 1. Use wind to spin an enormous turbine 2. The turbine spins huge magnets in the generator, making electricity How a wind power plant works

11. Home Some windmills

12. Home To understand how a nuclear power plant works, you need to remember a little bit about how atoms are put together… P NP N N P E E E P NP N N P E E E P NP N N P E E E

13. Home First some background: everything is made of atoms – including this pencil No. 2 Wood magnified 10 times

14. Home The wood is made of cells Cells magnified 1000 times

15. Home Cells have parts inside them, like DNA DNA magnified 10,000,000 times

16. Home DNA and everything else are made of atoms O H Atoms C C H C C magnified 50,000,000 times

17. Home Atoms are made of a few parts: protons, electrons, and neutrons O H C C H C C P NP N N P E E E

18. Home The protons and neutrons are stuck together in the center of the atom; this center is called the nucleus. PNPNNP The basic parts of an atom EPN Neutron (0) Proton (+) Electron (-) There is a lot of space between electrons and the nucleus. The electrons spin around the outside of the nucleus. Key EEE

19. Home PNPPNNNNNPPP If you break an atom’s nucleus apart, it gives off some heat energy

20. Home P P P N N N N N N P P P If you break an atom’s nucleus apart, it gives off some heat energy N Neutron “bullet”

21. Home NNNN P P N N N P P N P P N N N NN P P P P N N N P P P NP P N N N P P P P P P N N N P P P N N P P P P NP PN N N P N N When you break apart a large atom like uranium, 3 neutrons get separated

22. Home N P P N P P N N N NN P P P N P P N P N N N P P P P P P N N N P P P N N P P P P PNNN These neutrons that get knocked off can bump into other atoms and break them apart too… N P P N P P N N N NN P P P N P P N P N N N P P P P P P N N N P P P N N P P P P PN N N N P P N P P N N N NN P P P N P P N P N N N P P P P P P N N N P P P N N P P P P PNNN N P P N P P N N N NN P P P N P P N P N N N P P P P P P N N N P P P N N P P P P PNN N

23. Home This is called a nuclear chain reaction

24. Home Multiplying by 3 speeds up quickly RoundNuclear Explosions N P P N P P N N N NN P P P N P P N P N N N P P P P P P N N N P P P N N P P P P PNNN

25. Home Turbine Water Steam Magnet Metal Wire E E E E E Generator E E 1. Split uranium atoms to make heat 2. Use heat to boil water and make steam 3. Use steam to spin an enormous turbine 4. The turbine spins huge magnets in the generator, making electricity How a nuclear power plant works Home Uranium

26. Home

27. How solar power works Sun Rays of sunlight When light hits the photovoltaic cell, electrons are knocked loose from the atoms inside it, creating electricity. Solar panel (made out of photovoltaic cells) E E E

28. Home Some solar panels