How Do Fossil Fuels Get Converted into Electricity?
The first step is that the fossil fuel must make its way from its source to the plant. Some plants are purposefully built next to a source of fossil fuel, but many plants need to have their fuel delivered. The fossil fuels can be delivered by truck, rail, or boat. Often delivery involves a combination of the three. Delivery methods for oil are generally the same as coal, with the exception that it can be transported by pipeline. Once at the plant, the fossil fuel is burned to generate heat. This heat is used to heat water and create steam. The steam then rises through a turbine which transfers the thermal energy of the steam to mechanical energy. These turbine generators is attached to a generator, and the spinning of the turbine leads to the generation of electricity in the generator. Waste Products of Fossil Fuel Power Plants This is a streamlined description of how fossil fuel is turned into electricity. There is much more to how coal fired power plants work, however. For starters,
