Module 8.

CONCEPTS ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY, ENERGY

CONSERVATION

ACQUIRE
Important fundamentals to be mastered when studying energy pertain to
the differences and inter-relationships:
1. Force
2. Work
3. Energy
4. Power

1. FORCE
- any interaction that, when unopposed, will change the motion of an
object.
- Gravity – most familiar force
- Other examples: anything that pushes, pulls could can an object to
change direction

Force (F) = mass (m) x acceleration (a)

- Newton – metric unit of force
- 1N = 1kg.m/ s2
- Isaac Newton

2. WORK
- Refers to application of force over a distance.
- Work (W) = force (F) x distance (d)
- Newton-meter – unit of work; simplified as Joule
- James Prescott Joule
- A joule of work is done when one newton of force is applied over 1
meter of distance.

3. ENERGY
- Commonly defined as the capacity to do work; anything and
everything that exists.

4. POWER
- The amount of energy transferred or converted per unit time.
- The unit of power is Watt
- 1W = 1J / 1s

POWER PLANT
Is an industrial facility that generates electricity from primary
energy. Most power plants use one or more generators that convert
mechanical energy into electrical energy in order to supply power to the
electrical grid for society’s electrical needs. The exception is solar power
plants, which use photovoltaic cells (instead of turbine) to generate
electricity.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF POWER PLANTS
1. Conventional Cycle Thermo-Electric Plants (coal, diesel oil and
natural gas)
• Energy is liberated by burning coal, natural gas or diesel oil. As they
burn, they are used to heat a tank of water.
• That water transforms into steam, which is used to drive a turbine.
• It is this movement which generates electricity, by means of an
alternator, which turns the mechanical energy into electrical energy.
• Finally, the steam passes through a condenser, turning back into
liquid water, and starting the cycle anew.

2. Combined – Cycle Thermo-Electric Plants (Coal, diesel oil and

natural gas)
• These plants work in a very similar way to conventional-cycle ones.
• They have a turbine which is driven by steam from heated water.
However, they also have another turbine driven by air drawn in from
outside and heated by the same fossil fuels.

The major advantages of combined – cycle over conventional cycle

plants is that:
1. They are more efficient;
2. More flexible (they can work at full capacity or at “half
throttle” as required)
3. More ecologically friendly (producing less emissions into the
atmosphere)

3. Coal-Fired Power Plant

• Produce electricity by burning coal in a

boiler to produce steam.
• The steam produced, under tremendous
pressure, flows into a turbine, which spins
a generator to create electricity.
• The steam is then cooled, condensed back
into water and returned to the boiler to
start the process over.

4. Nuclear Power Plant

• The heat released by nuclear fission in a
reactor is used to heat large quantities of
high –pressure water
• The resulting steam produces electricity
as it passes through a turbine connected
to a generator.
 • The fuel used tends to be uranium.

5. Wind Power Farm

• Wind drives the turbine to

generate electricity

6. Hydroelectric Power Plant

• These plants do not require heat, as
these are the evolved version of the
windmills of old days.
• They use a significant water drop to
move a hydraulic turbine.
• They are typically built in barrages
and reservoirs.

7. Solar Panel Farm

There are 2 types:
• Las Thermo-Solar installations –
use the heat from the sun to heat water
and use the steam to drive a turbine
• Photovoltaic Installations –
transforms solar energy directly into
electricity, using photovoltaic cells.

8. Geothermal power plants

• The system is water heated to

create steam which drives a
turbine but in this case, the
natural heat within the planet
through pipelines in the
subsoil is used.

9. Biomass Power Plants

• Heat is generated by burning
organic material, be it plant
matter or any kind of waste
(animal, industrial, agricultural
and urban waste products.)
10. Tidal Power Plants
• The movement of water caused by high and low tides drives a
turbine, which produces electricity by means of a generator.

11. Wave Power Plants

• Similar to tidal power plant but using the force of the waves instead
of tides.

ELECTRICITY GENERATION
Is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary
energy.
Where does electricity come from?

Electricity’s journey to your plug is very long, but it occurs at

astonishing speed. It is not magic; it is not science fiction. It is a step-by-
step process which explains many of the doubts that arise with regard to
the electricity sector. Below are the steps.

1. GENERATION
 Electricity is produced in plants capable of drawing electrical energy
from primary energy sources.
 These primary sources maybe renewable (wind, solar power, tidal
power, etc) or non-renewable (coal, natural gas, oil, etc).
 The companies which (fully or partly) own the various power plants
sell the energy generated to companies which supply it
commercially.

2. TRANSMISSION
 Once energy has been processed and turned into electricity, it is
sent through overhead or underground wires from plants to
substations.
 Transformers ensure sufficient electrical voltage.
 Substations tend to be above ground near to power plants, or on the
outskirts of cities, though if they are not too large, they may also be
within the actual city, inside a building

3. DISTRIBUTION
 From the substations, electricity is distributed to the homes in the
surrounding area.
 As a consumer, you cannot choose your electricity distributor; it is
determined by where you live.
 That company is responsible for ensuring electricity reaches your
home properly, and takes care of repairs when needed. It is also the
company which owns your electricity meter, and sends readings
from it to your commercial energy supplier.
4. COMMERCIALISATION
 What you certainly can choose is your commercial energy supplier.
 It is the supplier who sends you the bill: the supplier buys the
energy from the generation companies and sells it to you.

SUMMARY OF HOW ELECTRICITY IS GENERATED.

1. Fuel (coal, oil natural gas or nuclear) is burned in a large boiler.
2. Boiler and its walls are made up of tubes that carries water.
3. Water, the fuel gives off its chemical heat energy to the tube metal
of the boiler. The heat travels by conduction through the walls and
is absorbed by the water.
4. The water temperature increases until it is finally transformed into
Steam which is under considerable pressure and very high
temperature is piped to a Turbine.
5. Turbine where mechanical energy is produced. The steam strikes
the blades of the turbine and spins them revolving the turbine shaft.
The spinning shaft is connected to the rotor.
6. The rotor, a large electromagnet. A wire coiled called Stator
surrounds the rotor.
7. As the rotor revolves within the stator, a flow of electrons, or
Electricity is produced.
8. The electricity is then collected at a predetermined voltage and
frequency and distributed by an elaborate transmission and
distribution system.
9. After the steam passes through the turbine, it is led into a steam
condenser.
10. The hot steam is condensed back into water and returned to
the boiler to begin the cycle again.

Components of an Electric Power System

1. POWER STATION
• Consists of a prime mover, such as turbine driven by water or
steam, or combustion gases that operate a system of electric
motors and generators.
 • Most of the world’s electric power is generated by in steam plants
driven by coal, oil, nuclear energy, or gas.
• A smaller percentage of the world’s electric power is generated by
hydroelectric (waterpower), diesel, and internal – combustion plants.

1. A. BOILER UNIT
• Heats water into super – heated steam at very high pressures.
• Sources of heat from combustion reaction (varies):
 fossil fuel plants (source of fuels such as coal, oil, or natural gas)
 Biomass or waste plant parts
 Incinerators
 Fission chain reaction of splitting nuclei (nuclear power plants)
* All of these sources results in varying amounts of air pollution, as well as
carbon dioxide

1. B. TURBINE GENERATOR
• Blades are spin by the super-heated steam, which in turn is used by
the generator to turn a coil of wires within a circular arrangements
of magnets. The rotating coil of wire in the magnets results in the
generation of electricity.

1. C. COOLING WATER
• After the steam travels through the turbine, it must be cooled and
condensed back into liquid water to start the cycle again.
• Cooling water can be obtained from a nearby river or lake. The
water is returned to the body of water 10 – 20 degrees higher in
temperature than the intake water.
• Alternate method is to use a very tall cooling tower, where the
evaporation of water falling through the tower provides the cooling
effect.
2. TRANSFORMERS
• Modern electric power systems use transformers to convert
electricity into different voltages. With transformers, each stage of
the system can be operated at an appropriate voltage.

3. TRANSMISSION LINES
• The lines of high - voltage transmission systems are usually
composed of wires of copper, aluminium, or copper-clad or
aluminium clad steel, which are suspended from tall latticework
towers of steel by strings of porcelain insulators.
• By the use of clad steel wires and high towers, the distance between
towers can be increased, and the cost of the transmission line thus
reduced.
• In modern installations with essentially straight paths, high-voltage
lines may be built with as few as six towers to the kilometer.
• In some areas high-voltage lines are suspended from tall wooden
poles spaced more closely together.
• For lower voltage distribution lines, wooden poles are generally used
rather than steel towers.
• In cities and other areas where open lines create a safety hazard or
are considered unattractive, insulated underground cables are used
for distribution.
• Some of these cables have a hollow core through which oil
circulates under low pressure. The oil provides temporary protection
from water damage to the enclosed wires should the cable develop
a leak. Pipe-type cables in which three cables are enclosed in a pipe
filled with oil under high pressure (14 kg per sq cm/200 psi) are
frequently used. These cables are used for transmission of current
at voltages as high as 345,000 V (or 345 kV).

4. SUPPLEMENTARY EQUIPMENT
• Any electric-distribution system involves a large amount of
supplementary equipment to protect the generators, transformers,
and the transmission lines themselves.
• The system often includes devices designed to regulate the voltage
or other characteristics of power delivered to consumers.
• To protect all elements of a power system from short circuits and
overloads, and for normal switching operations, circuit breakers
are employed.

* Circuit Breakers
• Large switches that are activated automatically in the event of a
short circuit or other condition that produces a sudden rise of
current.
 • Because a current forms across the terminals of the circuit
breaker at the moment when the current is interrupted, some
large breakers (such as those used to protect a generator or a
section of primary transmission line) are immersed in a liquid
that is a poor conductor of electricity, such as oil, to quench the
current.
• Most used by residences.

• Large air-type circuit breakers (as well as in oil breakers) - magnetic

fields are used to break up the current
• Small air-circuit breakers - used for protection in shops, factories, and
in modern home installations.

*Fuse
• In residential electric wiring, fuses were once commonly
employed for the same purpose. (Circuit breaker).
• Consists of a piece of alloy with a low melting point, inserted in
the circuit, which melts, breaking the circuit if the current rises
above a certain value.

SELF – REFLECT

In not less than 5 sentences, write down the things that you have learned
from this module.
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ASSESSMENT
Name:__________________ Course/Year & Section: _________Date:________
Score:_______
Write in capital letters your answers on the space before each number.

1. The fuel of a nuclear power plant.

A. Uranium B. Lithium C. Radon D. Helium

2. These plants do not require heat, as these are the evolved version of
the windmills of old days.
A. Hydroelectric Power Plant B. Nuclear Power Plant C. Wind Energy
D. Solar Panel Plants

3. Large switches that are activated automatically in the event of a short

circuit or other condition that produces a sudden rise of current.
A. Fuse B. Circuit Breaker C. Transmission Lines D.
Power Station

4. Refers to application of force over distance

A. Force B. Power C. Work D. Energy

5. The movement of water caused by high and low tides drives a turbine,
which produces electricity by means of a generator.
A. Solar B. Wind C. Nuclear D. Tidal