Power Generation Plants

A Power Generation Plant is a facility designed to produce electric energy from another form of energy, such as:

Figure 1. Power Generation Plant to transmission line

• Heat (thermal) energy generated from:
  • fossil fuels;
    • coal
    • petroleum
    • natural gas
  • solar thermal energy
  • geothermal energy
  • nuclear energy
• Potential energy from falling water in a hydroelectric facility
• Wind energy
• Solar electric from solar (photovoltaic) cells
• Chemical energy from:
  • fuel cells
  • batteries
  
  There are many different types of electric power generating plants. The major types generating electric power today are shown below.

  Figure 2. Fossil fuel power plant Figure 3. Hydroelectric power plant Figure 4. Solar thermal power plant Figure 5. Nuclear power plant Figure 6. Geothermal power plant Figure 7. Wind power towers