1. Electric Power Plants
Alberto Giménez Bejarano and
María Megías Teijón 3ºA
[2011/2012]

2. Index
Types of conventional power plants:
-Fossil fuels power plant
-Hydroelectric power plant.
Types of non-conventional power plants:
-Solar Power Plant -Geothermal Power Plant.
-Wind Power Plant. -Biomass Power Plant.
-Photovoltaic Power Plant. -Ocean Power Plant.
Enviromental impact.
Waste treatment.
Do you think a wind turbine can produce fresh water?

3. Definition of Electric Power
Plants
Electric power plants are facilities where primary
or secondary energy is transformed into
electricity. Once electricity is generated, it must
be transported to towns, cities, or industrials
parks.

4. Conventional power plants:
Nuclear
This type of plant includes a
nuclear fission reactor that
produces the pressurised
steam needed to move the
turbine rotor.
It can contaminate due to the
radiation that it produces, it's
pollutants cannot be
recicled, it is non-renewable
although it has great
capacity and high
performance, but radioactive
waste is very dangerous

5. Functioning of a nuclear power
plant

6. Conventional power plants:
Fossil Fuels
This type of power plant
produces most of the
electricity that we use. At
this type of power plants,
water is heated in a boiler by
the heat generated from the
combustion of a fossil fuel,
usually natural gas or coal.
The steam that is generated
moves the turbine conected
to the generator.

7. Functioning of a Fossil Fuel
power plant

8. Conventional power plants:
Hydroelectricity.
This type of power plant uses the
potencial energy provided by
the height of the stored water
in a dam, converting it into
kinetic energy. This energy
moves the blades of the
turbine. Depending on the
destination of the water,
hydraulic power plants are
divided into two types: Gravity
or Pump.

9. Gravity driven

10. Pump driven

11. Non-conventional power plants:
Wind
These power plants use the
kinetic energy of the wind to
move the blades of a rotor at
the top of a tower; this is
referred to as the wind
turbine.
Wind farms are a clean form of
generating electricity.
However, they can only be
installed in places with
appropiated wind conditions.

12. Non-conventional power plants:
Solar
These plants use the
energy from the sun.
There are two main
types of installations:
Photo-thermal and
Photovoltaic power
plants.

13. Photovoltaic Power Plants

14. Photo-thermal Power Plants

15. Non-conventional power plants:
Geothermal
These plants use the heat
found at deep levels in the
earth. This heat may reach
the surface in the form of
steam, gases or hot water.
Geothermal energy may be
used directly-hot water and
heating-and indirectly-the
heat generates steam, which
produces electricity.

16. Non-conventional power plants:
Biomass
Biomass consists of all organic
compounds that are
produced through natural
processes.
It is subjected to different
physical and chemical
processes ir order to
produce fuels such as
charcoal, alcohol or biogas.
This type of fuel is burnt at
these power plants to
produce electricity.

17. Non-conventional power plants:
Ocean
This power plants use the
energy from the seas and
the oceans. The concept is
to use three types of energy
from the sea: tidal, waves
and ocean's thermal
gradient.
This power plants are still in
the experimental phase and
their level of production is
still very slow.

18. Waves power plant

19. Tidal power plant

20. Enviromental Impacts
The next slide shows a table that reflects the enviromental
impacts of the types of power plants shown above

21. Types of power Enviromental Type of energy Advantages Disadvantages and risks
plants Impact consumed
Fossil fuel Gas pollution, Non-renewable Great capacity, Respiratory diseases,
warm water high negative impact on
release performance ecosystems
Hydroelectric Change in Renewable Great capacity, Disaster if a dam breaks
enviroment high
performance
Wind power Visual and Renewable Clean, possible Low performance,
sound impact domestic accidents
production
Solar Affects Renewable Clean, possible Low performance, high
ecosystems for own use costs
Biomass Beneficial Renewable Reduces Excessive exploitation
dependence
Ocean Power Enviormental Renewable Reduces High costs, low
Changes dependence performance

22. Waste Treatment
To reduce the waste produced by electric power plants, as well
as their effects, several measures can be taken:
Energy savings-Essential to reduce consuption in all forma of
energy, without affecting our quality of life. Examples: using
public transport or bikes, changing our habits,...
Efficiency-Energy efficiency policies increase efficiency of
everyday appliances and devices. Examples: low fuel
comsuption cars, electric cars,...
Energy diversification-Use of renewable sources of energy is
fundamental, using them to produce more than conventional
enrgies do.

23. Do you think wind turbines can produce
fresh water?
Yes, the French company Eole
has discovered that their
new turbine can produce 64
liters of water per day and
this is a very good advence
in this type of energy,
because there are many
places where there are not
enough water but too much
wind.

24. THE END