Electricity is so easy to use and is often taken for granted. The flip of a switch or a push of a button provides us with as much power as we need and for as long as we need it. Thomas Edison, with the invention of the light bulb, changed the world when he demonstrated how electricity could be used. We depend on electricity to be there for us when we need it. Refrigerators, washers and dryers, televisions, and even our computers need electricity to function. Hospitals, businesses and industries require power to continue to operate.

In a power plant, electricity is produced by generators, which are driven by turbines. Turbines may be powered by water, as in a hydroelectric plant, by wind, or by steam, as in a nuclear or fossil fuel plant. PEI Power Corporation uses natural and landfill (methane) gases to produce steam in a boiler and drive its turbine.

Boiler
The boiler in a power plant has two basic functions: to burn fuel to produce heat and to use the heat to turn water into steam. Fuel enters the boiler's furnace and is ignited, producing heat. Inside the walls of the boiler are long, vertical tubes that contain water. As the temperature inside the boiler increases, the water begins to boil, forming tiny steam bubbles. The steam rises to the top of the boiler to a steam collection drum. From there, the steam travels through pipes to the turbine.

Turbine
The turbine transforms the thermal energy in the steam into mechanical energy. It provides the mechanical motion necessary for the generator to do its job. A turbine is constructed of a long shaft to which a series of blades are attached. This is called the rotor. As steam enters the turbine, it is directed through the sets of blades. The force of the steam against the blades causes the rotor to spin. It is similar to blowing on a pinwheel, but much faster. Steam turbines spin at 3,600 revolutions per minute (60 cycles per second or 60 Hz).

Generator
The generator is directly connected to the turbine, so when the turbine spins, the generator also spins. It transforms the mechanical energy (provided by the spinning turbine) into electrical energy. Electricity is produced by rotating a conductor through a magnetic field or by rotating a magnetic field around the conductor. Each time the conductor travels, or cuts, through the magnetic field, a voltage is created (induced). After leaving the generator, the electricity travels to the plant's substation where transformers are located. The transformer increases the voltage of the electricity so it can travel through the distribution lines efficiently. Then, in local areas, the electricity travels to another substation where transformers reduce the voltage again for consumer use. All this happens at the speed of light.

All the distribution lines throughout the country are interconnected. This enables the utility companies to form "power pools" so that electricity can be distributed where it is needed, which means a power plant may, or may not, be supplying power to a local area. The electricity you're using right now may have originated hundreds of miles away. Energy demands for the future are expected to increase as the population and industry increases. We, as consumers, can ensure our energy future by using electricity wisely.