A power station is a place where electricity is produced on a large scale for distribution. It is also called a power plant, or power house.
The electricity generated here, mostly in several thousand watts, is transmitted to power grids through power lines. It is from these grids that people get electricity for homes, schools, businesses etc.
A majority of the power stations in the world burn fossil fuels to generate electricity. This includes coal, oil, and natural gas. They are called thermal power stations.
There are also plants that use nuclear power instead. It is said that over 11 per cent of the world’s power is produced by nuclear power stations.
But these days, there is an increasing use of renewable resources like solar, wind, wave and hydroelectric powers for electricity generation.
At the centre of almost all power plants there are AC generators, or alternators. The machines convert mechanical power to electrical power.
In 1882, Edison established the Pearl Street Station, a power plant that provided electric lighting in Manhattan. The station ran until destroyed by fire in 1890.
