Kind: captions
Language: en
energy comes in many different forms it
can be stored in the chemical bonds that
hold molecules together carried in the
motion of a spinning wheel or held in a
boulder sitting on a cliff but energy
isn't a fixed thing in fact we convert
it from one form to another all the
time people discovered energy conversion
thousands of years years ago while they
couldn't have possibly known what they
were doing when early humans burned wood
to stay warm and keep Predators away
they were actually converting the
chemical energy stored in the wood into
the heat and light of fire and wood was
just the beginning chemical energy is
also stored in coal oil natural gas and
radioactive materials and these fuels
have been critical to the development of
modern human societies fuels are used to
generate three main forms of energy
energy thermal energy to heat our homes
mechanical energy to transport people
and things and electrical energy to
power just about every other technology
we use from computers to vacuums to air
conditioners the basic process and
technology for producing most of our
electricity is the same whether it's
generated by a coal burning power plant
a nuclear plant or a renewable resource
in nearly all cases one form of energy
is converted into motion or kinetic
energy by means of the spinning blades
of a turbine the turbine's rotation is
then used to turn the working parts of
an electrical generator this motion
causes electrons to be pushed through
the wires inside the generator
converting kinetic energy into
electrical energy the electricity that
is carried through power lines to our
homes and schools the only real
difference between one type of power
plant and another is the energy source
or fuel that's used to turn the
generator now as some of the traditional
energy sources are becoming harder to
find and come with a high environmental
cost scientists and Engineers are
looking for more innovative ways to
produce the electricity we rely
on