Electricity - Facts, Guides and News from around the World

Electricity is a basic part of nature and it is one of our most widely used forms of energy.

It is, quite simply, the flow of electrons. It is a secondary energy source that we use to power our homes, office buildings, schools, and factories. The electricity that we use everyday has been harnessed through a variety of different methods.

The first method for generating electricity was developed by English scientist Michael Faraday in 1831. His invention, called the dynamo, converted mechanical energy into electrical energy. This was the first time that electricity had been generated on a large scale.

In 1879, Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, which made electricity even more useful. Soon after, George Westinghouse developed a system for delivering electricity to homes and businesses. This system used alternating current (AC), which is the type of electricity that we use today.

Generating electricity requires a fuel, such as coal, natural gas, solar or nuclear power. These fuels are burned to heat water, which produces steam. The steam turns turbines, which spin generators to produce electricity.

Transmission lines then carry the electricity from the power plant to substations. From there, the electricity flows through transformers, which raise or lower the voltage, to distribution lines. Finally, the electricity reaches the customer through service drop wires.

Electricity is an important part of our lives and it is here to stay. With new technologies being developed all the time, the ways in which we generate and use electricity are constantly changing.