1. 3.11 Electrical energy production
5 November 2010
How is electrical
energy created in
a typical power
station?

2. Aims
• Show how to use block and Sankey diagrams
in relation to electricity generation
• Show how relevant criteria can be used to
compare different ways of generating
electricity
• Consider advantages and disadvantages of
main station types – and how diverse energy
sources improve security of supply

3. Wasted thermal and
sound energy
Electrical energy used
for radio, lights,
recharging battery etc
Tracking transformations
• We use energy block diagrams to
understand how energy is transformed
Chemical energy from
burning fuel
Kinetic energy used to
move the lorry

4. Activity A: Draw a block diagram to show the
energy transformations for someone using a hair
drier

5. Activity A: Draw a block diagram to show the
energy transformations for someone using a hair
drier
Electrical energy from
mains
Heat from heater
Kinetic energy from fan
Sound of fan

6. Useful versus wasteful
• It is sometimes good to know
exactly how much energy is
being used
• We use a sankey diagram to
show this
• The width of the arrows shows
the amount of energy

8. Read and discuss Textbook Section G
• Answer questions 1-4