Editing Electricity generation (section)

== Technologies==
Centralised energy sources are large [[Power station|power plants]] that produce huge amounts of electricity to a large number of consumers. Most power plants used in centralised generation are [[Thermal power station|thermal power plants]] meaning that they use a fuel to heat steam to produce a pressurised gas which in turn spins a turbine and generates electricity. This is the traditional way of producing energy. This process relies on several forms of technology to produce widespread electricity, these being natural coal, gas and nuclear forms of thermal generation. More recently solar and wind have become large scale.

=== Solar ===
{{Excerpt|Solar farm}}

=== Hydroelectricity ===
{{main|hydroelectricity}}
[[File:ThreeGorgesDam-China2009.jpg|thumb|The [[Three Gorges Dam]] in [[Central China]] is the [[List of largest power stations in the world#Top 20 largest power producing facilities|world's largest]] power-producing facility of any kind.]]
Hydroelectricity is electricity generated from [[hydropower]] (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's [[electricity]], almost 4,210 [[TWh]] in 2023, which is more than all other [[Renewable energy|renewable sources]] combined and also more than [[nuclear power]]. Hydropower can provide large amounts of [[Low-carbon power|low-carbon electricity]] on demand, making it a key element for creating secure and clean electricity supply systems. A hydroelectric power station that has a dam and [[reservoir]] is a flexible source, since the amount of electricity produced can be increased or decreased in seconds or minutes in response to varying electricity demand.

=== Wind ===
{{Excerpt|Wind farm}}

=== Coal===
{{Excerpt|Coal-fired power station}}

=== Natural gas===
Natural gas is ignited to create pressurised gas which is used to spin turbines to generate electricity. Natural gas plants use a [[gas turbine]] where natural gas is added along with oxygen which in turn combusts and expands through the turbine to force a generator to spin. 

[[Gas-fired power plant|Natural gas power plants]] are more efficient than coal power generation, they however contribute to climate change, but not as highly as coal generation. Not only do they produce carbon dioxide from the ignition of natural gas, the extraction of gas when mined releases a significant amount of [[methane]] into the atmosphere.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Natural_gas_power_plant|title=Natural gas power plant |website=Energy Education|language=en|access-date=2019-06-08 |archive-date=2019-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608042814/https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Natural_gas_power_plant|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Nuclear===
[[Nuclear power plant]]s create electricity through steam turbines where the heat input is from the process of [[nuclear fission]]. Currently, nuclear power produces 11% of all electricity in the world. Most nuclear reactors use [[uranium]] as a source of fuel. In a process called [[nuclear fission]], energy, in the form of heat, is released when nuclear atoms are split. Electricity is created through the use of a nuclear reactor where heat produced by nuclear fission is used to produce steam which in turn spins turbines and powers the generators. Although there are several types of nuclear reactors, all fundamentally use this process.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Nuclear_power|title=Nuclear power |website=Energy Education|language=en|access-date=2019-06-08 |archive-date=2019-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608042827/https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Nuclear_power|url-status=live}}</ref>

Normal emissions due to nuclear power plants are primarily waste heat and radioactive spent fuel. In a reactor accident, significant amounts of radioisotopes can be released to the environment, posing a long term hazard to life. This hazard has been a continuing concern of environmentalists.  Accidents such as the [[Three Mile Island accident]], [[Chernobyl disaster]] and the [[Fukushima nuclear disaster]] illustrate this problem.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=nuclear_environment|title=Nuclear Power and the Environment – Energy Explained |website=Energy Information Administration |access-date=2019-06-08 |archive-date=2019-05-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527024111/https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=nuclear_environment|url-status=live}}</ref>