How electric current is generated. Where does electricity come from

Generating your own electricity is the best thing you can do in the fight for energy independence. You can use this electricity to open a gate or garage, turn on outdoor lighting, sell to the grid and reduce your costs, charge your car, or even completely disconnect from the public network. This article describes some great ideas on how to achieve this.

Steps

Part 1

solar energy

Learn about solar panels. Solar panels are a common solution with many benefits. They operate in many parts of the world and the modular option can be expanded to suit your needs. There are many well-researched products out there.

Panels should face south towards sunlight (north in the southern hemisphere, up near the equator). The tilt angle should be set depending on the latitude at which you are. You can use the panels in areas that are sunny most of the year, as well as in overcast conditions.
Fixed poles can be installed on a separate structure (which can accommodate batteries and charge controller) or on an existing roof. They are easy to install and maintain as long as they are located close to the ground and have no moving parts. Follower poles turn to follow the sun and are more efficient, but can cost more than just adding a couple more panels on fixed poles to make up the difference. These are clever mechanical contraptions that are easy to break and have moving parts that wear out over time.
Just because a solar panel claims 100 watts doesn't mean it can deliver it all the time. The power will be determined by how you install the panel, by the weather, or by the fact that it is winter and the sun does not rise high above the horizon.

Start small. Buy one or two solar panels to get started. They can be installed in stages, so you don't have to spend huge sums right from the start. Most roof systems are expandable - you should pay attention to this when purchasing. Buy a system that can grow with your needs.

Understand the maintenance of your system. Like everything else, if you don't take care of it, it will fall apart. Decide how long it should last. A small saving now can cost you a lot more in the future. Invest in taking care of your system and it will take care of you.
- Try to budget the costs associated with maintaining the system up and running over a long period of time. You should avoid situations that leave you penniless in the middle of a project.
Select system type. Decide whether you want a stand-alone power generation solution or a solution that can be connected to a distribution system. Stand-alone systems have no equal in autonomy, you know the source of every watt used. Grid-able systems give you stability and redundancy, as well as the ability to resell electricity to a supply company. If your system is connected to a public grid, and you monitor energy consumption as if you had an autonomous system, then you can even earn a little extra income.
- Contact your power supply company and ask about systems that can be connected to the public grid. They may be able to provide incentives and suggest who to hire to host your reliable source of electricity.

Part 2

Use of alternative systems

Learn about wind turbines. This is also a great solution for many areas. Sometimes it can even be more cost effective than solar power.
- You can use a homemade wind turbine made from an old car alternator using blueprints available online. Although this is not recommended for beginners, it is possible to achieve acceptable results. There are inexpensive ready-made solutions.
- Wind energy, however, has several disadvantages. You may have to mount the turbines too high for them to work effectively, and your neighbors will find them an unpleasant part of the landscape. The birds may not notice them at all…..until it is too late.
- Wind energy requires a more or less constant wind. Open, empty spaces work best because they have the least amount of wind obstruction. Wind energy is often effective when used as a supplement to solar and hydro power systems.
- Explore hydroelectric mini-generators. There are various kinds of technical solutions from a homemade propeller connected to a car generator to intricate engineering systems of increased reliability. If you have access to water, this can be an efficient and standalone solution.
  
  Try a combined system. You can always combine any of these systems to provide energy all year round and in sufficient quantities for your home.
  
  Consider a standalone generator. If there is no distribution network, or if you want a backup source in case of a power outage/disaster, a generator may come in handy. They can run on different types of fuel and are available in different sizes and capacities.
  - Many generators are very slow to respond to changes in load (plugging in powerful appliances causes the power to fluctuate).
    - Small, commonly available generators at hardware stores are designed for infrequent emergency use. If they are used as the main source of energy, they most often break.
  - Large household generators are expensive. They run on gasoline, diesel or LPG and are usually equipped with an automatic start system that starts them when the electricity supply from the distribution network fails. If you choose to install one, make sure you have a licensed electrician and building codes. If installed incorrectly, it can kill electricians who turn off the main power without knowing that there is also an emergency generator.
  - Generators for caravans, trailers or boats are small, quiet, designed for continuous use and much more affordable. They run on gasoline, diesel or LPG and can run several hours a day for several years.
- Avoid heat generators. Thermal power generators (TEGs) or combined generators that produce electricity from heat - usually steam - are old-fashioned and inefficient. Even though they have a lot of fans, you should refrain from using them.

Part 3

Making the right choice

Go shopping. Many manufacturers offer different products and services in the clean electricity market, and some of their solutions suit you better than others.

Explore. If you are interested in a particular item, do a price comparison before talking to the supplier.

Ask a professional for advice. Find someone you trust to help you make your decision. There are suppliers who are interested in your project, and there are those who are not. Search the Internet for a community of home crafters or similar to get advice that comes from someone who is not going to sell you anything.

Find out about benefits. Be sure to inquire about local, state, and federal benefit programs when you make your purchases. There are many programs that can subsidize your installation costs or provide you with tax credits for switching to green electricity.

You need qualified help. Not every contractor or worker is qualified to install such systems. Work only with experienced suppliers and installers who are authorized to work on your equipment.

Part 4

Getting ready for the worst

Find out about insurance coverage for larger properties. Your current homeownership policy may not cover the destruction of your system in a disaster, which can be very disappointing.

Meet an alternative energy system maintenance specialist. If you have already undertaken this, do not hesitate to ask for help.

Plan for a backup power source. Natural sources that use autonomous energy systems are not always reliable. The sun does not always shine, just as the wind does not always blow, water does not always flow either.

Using a system connected to the distribution network is the most inexpensive solution for most people, especially for those who are already customers of the energy supply companies. They install one type of system (such as solar panels) and connect it to the distribution grid. When the supply of electricity is insufficient, the network covers the deficiency, and when there is an excess of electricity, the network buys the surplus. Large systems can constantly turn the electricity meter in the opposite direction.
If there is no distribution network nearby, it can be much more expensive to connect to one (or even connect an extension to the house) than to generate and store your own electricity.

Learn about electricity storage. A common solution for off-grid storage of electricity is deep charge lead-acid batteries. Each type of battery needs different charge cycles, so make sure your charge controller can handle your type of battery and is properly configured for this.

Part 5

Selection and use of batteries

Use batteries of the same type. Batteries should not be mixed with each other and usually new batteries do not work very well when mixed with older ones.

Calculate how many batteries you will need. Their capacity is calculated in ampere-hours. For a rough calculation of kilowatt-hours, multiply amp-hours by the number of volts (12 or 24 volts) and divide by 1000. To get ampere-hours from kilowatt-hours, simply multiply by 1000 and divide by 12. If your daily consumption is 1 kilowatt- per hour you will need about 83 amps of 12 volt storage capacity, but you will need 5 times the calculated amount (assuming you don't want to drain the batteries more than 20%) or about 400 amp hours to get the required power.

Select battery type. There are many types of batteries and it is very important to choose the most suitable one. Understanding what works for you and what doesn't is very important for supplying your home with electricity.
- The most common are acid batteries. They need to be serviced (the tops are removed to allow distilled water to be added) and from time to time they need a "compensatory" recharge to remove sulfur from the plates and keep the jars in more or less the same condition. With some high quality batteries, the 2.2 volt cells can be replaced independently of the others if they go bad. "Maintenance free" batteries lose fluid as they release gas and eventually dry out.
- Gel batteries are maintenance-free and do not forgive charging problems. A charger designed for acid batteries will evaporate the gel from the plates and gaps will form between the electrolyte and the plates. As soon as one bank has come into a state of overcharging (due to uneven wear), the entire battery becomes unusable. These batteries are fine as part of a small system, but not suitable for large systems.
- Absorbed electrolyte batteries are more expensive than any other type of battery and require no maintenance. They remain functional for a long time, provided that they are properly charged and not allowed to be discharged too much. Plus, they can't leak - even if you smash them with a sledgehammer (we're not really sure why you would even need that). When recharged, they also release gas.
- Car batteries are for cars. Automotive batteries are not suitable for applications requiring deep charge batteries.
- Boat batteries are a hybrid of a starter battery and a deep charge battery. As a compromise, they are good for boats, but not very good as a source of electricity for the home.
Adviсe
- In any place where the power systems are not connected directly to the porch, the cost of connecting a new building to the distribution grid can exceed the cost of installing its own power generation system.
- Deep charge batteries do not perform well if they are frequently discharged to more than 20% of their capacity. If this happens, their service life will be significantly reduced. If you discharge them lightly or heavily but infrequently most of the time, their life will be extended.
- There are many opportunities to finance the installation of the system, as well as tax/operational incentives for some power sources.
- It is possible to team up with neighbors in a remote area and jointly pay for the electricity generation system. Whatever the parties involved agree on, it can be a source of some complexity in the future. You may need to create a homeowners cooperative or similar organization.
- If this does not justify itself in rubles and kopecks, will it justify itself in:
  - Urgent need (lack of power supply systems)?
  - Inner peace?
  - Is the cable not running through your property?
  - As an occasion for boasting?
- There are many articles on the web with a lot of good information, but most of it is focused on selling equipment from a particular vendor.
- If you have access to running water, a micro-hydro plant might be a better fit than a combined solar and wind turbine solution.
- Assembling the elements of the system is not a difficult task, provided that you know how to handle electricity.
Warnings
- If you are unfamiliar with electrical theory and have no knowledge of safety, consider this a list of things you need to learn or pass on to someone else to do.
  - You can cause irreparable damage to property (burn the wiring, damage the roof, or burn the house to the ground)
  - You can cause bodily injury or even death (electric shock, fall from a roof, loose parts falling on people)
  - Batteries may explode if short-circuited or in an unventilated area.
  - Splashed battery acid can cause severe burns and blindness.
  - Even a direct current of this magnitude can stop your heart or cause serious burns if it passes through the jewelry you are wearing.
  - If an additional power source is connected through the fuse panel (inverter or generator), make sure that there is a very visible sign to warn the service personnel of the power supply company about this. Otherwise, they can turn off the main power supply and, believing that the circuit is de-energized, be electrocuted from the backup source.
  - That's interesting. Those innocent spinning wheels and red panels over there can kill you completely to death.
- Whatever you install, make sure your home insurance covers it. No need to hope for a chance.
- Check with local building codes and regulations (SNiP).
  - Some people actually find solar panels "not attractive".
  - Some people find wind turbines "noisy" AND "not attractive".
  - If you do not have rights to use water resources, an exception may be made for you in this case.
- There are "all-in-one" systems, but usually they are either small, or expensive, or both.

This is the ordered movement of certain charged particles. In order to competently use the full potential of electricity, it is necessary to clearly understand all the principles of the device and the operation of electric current. So, let's figure out what work and current power are.

Where does electricity come from?

Despite the apparent simplicity of the question, few are able to give an intelligible answer to it. Of course, nowadays, when technology is developing at an incredible speed, a person does not particularly think about such elementary things as the principle of operation of an electric current. Where does electricity come from? Surely many will answer "Well, from the socket, of course" or simply shrug their shoulders. Meanwhile, it is very important to understand how the current works. This should be known not only to scientists, but also to people who are in no way connected with the world of sciences, for their general versatile development. But to be able to correctly use the principle of current operation is not for everyone.

So, for starters, you should understand that electricity does not arise from nowhere: it is produced by special generators that are located at various power plants. Thanks to the work of rotating the blades of turbines, steam obtained as a result of heating water with coals or oil generates energy, which is subsequently converted into electricity with the help of a generator. The generator is very simple: in the center of the device is a huge and very strong magnet, which causes electric charges to move along copper wires.

How does electricity reach our homes?

After a certain amount of electric current has been obtained with the help of energy (thermal or nuclear), it can be supplied to people. Such a supply of electricity works as follows: in order for electricity to successfully reach all apartments and enterprises, it must be “pushed”. And for this you need to increase the force that will do it. It is called the voltage of the electric current. The principle of operation is as follows: the current passes through the transformer, which increases its voltage. Further, the electric current flows through cables installed deep underground or at a height (because the voltage sometimes reaches 10,000 volts, which is deadly for humans). When the current reaches its destination, it must again pass through the transformer, which will now reduce its voltage. It then passes through wires to installed shields in apartment buildings or other buildings.

The electricity carried through the wires can be used thanks to the system of sockets, connecting household appliances to them. Additional wires are carried in the walls, through which electric current flows, and thanks to it, the lighting and all the appliances in the house work.

What is current work?

The energy that an electric current carries in itself is converted over time into light or heat. For example, when we turn on a lamp, the electrical form of energy is converted into light.

Speaking in an accessible language, the work of the current is the action that electricity itself produced. Moreover, it can be very easily calculated by the formula. Based on the law of conservation of energy, we can conclude that electrical energy has not disappeared, it has completely or partially changed into another form, while giving off a certain amount of heat. This heat is the work of the current when it passes through the conductor and heats it (heat exchange occurs). This is how the Joule-Lenz formula looks like: A \u003d Q \u003d U * I * t (work is equal to the amount of heat or the product of the current power and the time during which it flowed through the conductor).

What does direct current mean?

Electric current is of two types: alternating and direct. They differ in that the latter does not change its direction, it has two clamps (positive "+" and negative "-") and always starts its movement from "+". And alternating current has two terminals - phase and zero. It is because of the presence of one phase at the end of the conductor that it is also called single-phase.

The principles of the device of single-phase alternating and direct electric current are completely different: unlike direct, the alternating current changes both its direction (forming a flow both from the phase towards zero, and from zero towards the phase), and its magnitude. So, for example, alternating current periodically changes the value of its charge. It turns out that at a frequency of 50 Hz (50 oscillations per second), the electrons change the direction of their movement exactly 100 times.

Where is direct current used?

Direct electric current has some features. Due to the fact that it flows strictly in one direction, it is more difficult to transform it. The following elements can be considered as sources of direct current:

batteries (both alkaline and acid);
conventional batteries used in small appliances;
as well as various devices such as converters.

DC operation

What are its main characteristics? These are work and current power, and both of these concepts are very closely related to each other. Power means the speed of work per unit time (per 1 s). According to the Joule-Lenz law, we find that the work of a direct electric current is equal to the product of the strength of the current itself, the voltage and the time during which the work of the electric field was completed to transfer charges along the conductor.

This is how the formula for finding the work of the current, taking into account Ohm's law of resistance in conductors, looks like: A \u003d I 2 * R * t (work is equal to the square of the current strength multiplied by the value of the resistance of the conductor and once again multiplied by the value of the time for which the work was done).

Today there is not a single field of technology where electricity would not be used in one form or another. Meanwhile, the type of current that feeds them is connected with the requirements for electrical apparatus. And although alternating current is now very widespread throughout the world, there are nevertheless areas where you simply cannot do without direct current.

The first sources of usable direct current were galvanic cells, which in principle gave chemically precisely, which is a stream of electrons moving in one constant direction. Hence the name "constant current".

Today, direct current is obtained not only from batteries and accumulators, but also by rectifying alternating current. Just about where and why direct current is used in our century, and will be discussed in this article.

Let's start with the traction motors of electric vehicles. Metros, trolleybuses, motor ships and electric trains are traditionally driven by DC motors. initially differed from AC motors in that they could smoothly change the speed while maintaining high torque.

The alternating voltage is rectified at the traction substation, after which it is fed to the contact network - this is how direct current is obtained for public electric transport. On motor ships, electricity to power the engines can be obtained from DC diesel generators.

Electric vehicles also use DC motors that are powered by a battery, and here again we get the advantage of a rapidly developing drive torque, and we have another important plus - the possibility of regenerative braking. At the moment of braking, the motor turns into a DC generator and charges.

Powerful cranes in metallurgical plants, where huge and monstrous masses of molten metal must be smoothly wielded, use DC motors, again because of their excellent controllability. The same advantage applies to the use of DC motors in walking excavators.

Brushless DC motors are capable of developing huge rotational speeds, measured in tens and hundreds of thousands of revolutions per minute. So, high-speed DC motors of small sizes are installed on hard drives, quadrocopters, vacuum cleaners, etc. They are also indispensable as stepper drives for controlling various chassis.

By itself, the passage of electrons and ions in the same direction at direct current makes direct current fundamentally indispensable.

The decomposition reaction in the electrolyte, under the influence of direct current in it, allows certain elements to be deposited on the electrodes. This is how aluminum, magnesium, copper, manganese and other metals are obtained, as well as gases: hydrogen, fluorine, etc., and many other substances. Thanks to electrolysis, that is, in fact, direct current, there are entire branches of metallurgy and the chemical industry.

Electroplating is unthinkable without direct current. Metals are deposited on the surface of products of various shapes, in particular, chromium and nickel plating is carried out, printing plates and metal monuments are created. What can we say about the use of galvanization in medicine for the treatment of diseases.

Welding on direct current is much more efficient than on alternating current, the seam is much better than when welding the same product with the same electrode, but with alternating current. All modern ones give out a constant voltage to the electrode.

The powerful arc lamps found in the movie projectors of numerous professional film studios produce an even light without a humming arc just because the arc is powered by direct current. LEDs, in principle, are powered by direct current, which is why most of today's spotlights are powered by direct current, although obtained by converting alternating mains current or from batteries (which is sometimes very convenient).

Although the internal combustion engine of a car is powered by gasoline, it starts from a battery. And there is direct current. The starter is powered by a battery with a voltage of 12 volts, and at the moment of start it takes a current of tens of amperes from it.

After starting, the battery in the car is charged by the generator, which produces a three-phase alternating current, which is immediately rectified and supplied to the battery terminals. You can't charge a battery with alternating current.

What about backup power supplies? Even if a huge power plant has stopped due to an accident, then auxiliary batteries will help to start the turbogenerators. And the simplest home uninterruptible power supplies for computers will also not do without batteries that provide direct current, from which alternating current is obtained by converting it in an inverter. And signal lamps and - almost everywhere are powered by batteries, that is, direct current came in handy here too.

A submarine - and that one uses direct current on board to power an electric motor that rotates a propeller. The rotation of the turbogenerator on the most modern nuclear-powered ships, although achieved by nuclear reactions, is supplied to the engine in the form of the same direct current. The same applies to diesel-electric submarines.

And of course, not only electric mine locomotives, loaders or electric cars use direct current from batteries. All electronic gadgets that we carry with us contain lithium batteries that provide constant voltage and are charged with constant current from chargers. And if you remember radio communications, television, radio and television broadcasting, the Internet, etc. In fact, it turns out that a good part of all devices are powered directly or indirectly by direct current from batteries.

To solve the problem of the limited fossil fuels, researchers around the world are working to create and put into operation alternative energy sources. And we are talking not only about the well-known windmills and solar panels. Gas and oil can be replaced by energy from algae, volcanoes and human steps. Recycle has selected ten of the most exciting and clean energy sources of the future.

Joules from turnstiles

Thousands of people every day pass through the turnstiles at the entrance to railway stations. At once in several research centers of the world, the idea appeared to use the flow of people as an innovative energy generator. The Japanese company East Japan Railway Company decided to equip each turnstile at railway stations with generators. The installation works at a train station in Tokyo's Shibuya district: piezoelectric elements are embedded in the floor under the turnstiles, which generate electricity from the pressure and vibration they receive when people step on them.

Another "energy turnstile" technology is already in use in China and the Netherlands. In these countries, engineers decided to use not the effect of pressing the piezoelectric elements, but the pushing effect of the turnstile handles or turnstile doors. The concept of the Dutch company Boon Edam involves replacing standard doors at the entrance to shopping centers (which usually work on a photocell system and start spinning themselves) with doors that the visitor must push and thus generate electricity.

In the Dutch center Natuurcafe La Port, such doors-generators have already appeared. Each of them produces about 4,600 kilowatt-hours of energy per year, which at first glance may seem insignificant, but it is a good example of an alternative technology for generating electricity.

Algae heat houses

Algae began to be considered as an alternative energy source relatively recently, but the technology, according to experts, is very promising. Suffice it to say that from 1 hectare of water surface area occupied by algae, 150 thousand cubic meters of biogas can be obtained per year. This is approximately equal to the volume of gas that a small well produces, and enough for the life of a small village.

Green algae are easy to maintain, grow quickly and come in a variety of species that use the energy of sunlight to carry out photosynthesis. All biomass, be it sugars or fats, can be converted into biofuels, most commonly bioethanol and biodiesel. Algae is an ideal eco-fuel because it grows in the aquatic environment and does not require land resources, is highly productive and does not harm the environment.

According to economists, by 2018 the global turnover from the processing of biomass of marine microalgae can reach about $ 100 billion. There are already implemented projects on "algae" fuel - for example, a 15-apartment building in Hamburg, Germany. The facades of the house are covered with 129 algae tanks, which serve as the only source of energy for heating and air conditioning of the building, called the Bio Intelligent Quotient (BIQ) House.

Speed bumps light up the streets

The concept of generating electricity using the so-called "speed bumps" began to be implemented first in the UK, then in Bahrain, and soon the technology will reach Russia.It all started with the fact that the British inventor Peter Hughes created the "Generating Road Ramp" (Electro-Kinetic Road Ramp) for highways. The ramp consists of two metal plates that rise slightly above the road. An electric generator is laid under the plates, which generates current whenever the car passes through the ramp.

Depending on the weight of the car, the ramp can generate from 5 to 50 kilowatts during the time the car passes the ramp. Such ramps as batteries are able to supply electricity to traffic lights and illuminated road signs. In the UK, the technology is already working in several cities. The method began to spread to other countries - for example, to small Bahrain.

The most surprising thing is that something similar can be seen in Russia. Albert Brand, a student from Tyumen, proposed the same street lighting solution at the VUZPromExpo forum. According to the developer's estimates, from 1,000 to 1,500 cars pass by speed bumps in his city every day. For one “collision” of a car on a “speed bump” equipped with an electric generator, about 20 watts of electricity will be generated that does not harm the environment.

More than just football

Developed by a group of Harvard alumni who founded Uncharted Play, a Soccket ball can generate electricity in half an hour of football, enough to power an LED lamp for several hours. Soccket is called an environmentally friendly alternative to unsafe energy sources, which are often used by residents of underdeveloped countries.

The principle of energy storage in a Soccket is quite simple: the kinetic energy generated from hitting the ball is transferred to a tiny pendulum-like mechanism that drives a generator. The generator produces electricity, which is stored in the battery. The stored energy can be used to power any small electrical appliance, such as a table lamp with an LED.

The output power of the Soccket is six watts. The energy-generating ball has already won worldwide recognition, winning numerous awards, being highly acclaimed by the Clinton Global Initiative, and receiving accolades at the renowned TED conference.

The hidden energy of volcanoes

One of the main developments in the development of volcanic energy belongs to American researchers from the initiating companies AltaRock Energy and Davenport Newberry Holdings. The test subject was a dormant volcano in Oregon. Salt water is pumped deep into the rocks, the temperature of which is very high due to the decay of the radioactive elements present in the planet's crust and the Earth's hottest mantle. When heated, water turns into steam, which is fed into a turbine that generates electricity.

At the moment, there are only two small operating power plants of this type - in France and in Germany. If the American technology works, the US Geological Survey estimates that geothermal energy has the potential to provide 50% of the electricity needed by the country (today its contribution is only 0.3%).

Another way to use volcanoes to generate energy was proposed in 2009 by Icelandic researchers. Near the volcanic depths, they discovered an underground reservoir of water with an abnormally high temperature. Super-hot water is somewhere on the border between liquid and gas and exists only at a certain temperature and pressure.

Scientists could generate something similar in the laboratory, but it turned out that such water is also found in nature - in the bowels of the earth. It is believed that ten times more energy can be extracted from "critical temperature" water than from water brought to a boil in the classical way.

Energy from human heat

The principle of thermoelectric generators operating on temperature difference has been known for a long time. But only a few years ago, technology began to allow the use of the heat of the human body as an energy source. A team of researchers from the Korea Leading Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed a generator embedded in a flexible glass plate.

T Which gadget will allow fitness bracelets to be recharged from the heat of a human hand - for example, while running, when the body is very hot and contrasts with the ambient temperature. A Korean generator measuring 10 by 10 centimeters can produce about 40 milliwatts of energy at a skin temperature of 31 degrees Celsius.

A similar technology was taken as a basis by the young Ann Makosinski, who invented a flashlight that is charged by the temperature difference between the air and the human body. The effect is explained by the use of four Peltier elements: their feature is the ability to generate electricity when heated on one side and cooled on the other side.

As a result, Ann's flashlight produces a fairly bright light, but does not require rechargeable batteries. For its operation, only a temperature difference of only five degrees between the degree of heating of the human palm and the temperature in the room is necessary.

Steps on "smart" paving slabs

At any point of one of the busy streets, there are up to 50,000 steps per day. The idea of using foot traffic to usefully convert steps into energy was realized in a product developed by Lawrence Kemball-Cook, director of Pavegen Systems Ltd. in the UK. An engineer has created paving slabs that generate electricity from the kinetic energy of walking pedestrians.

The device in the innovative tile is made from a flexible, waterproof material that flexes about five millimeters when pressed. This, in turn, creates energy, which the mechanism converts into electricity. The accumulated watts are either stored in a lithium polymer battery or directly used to illuminate bus stops, shop windows and signage.

The Pavegen tile itself is considered completely environmentally friendly: its body is made of special grade stainless steel and low carbon recycled polymer. The top surface is made from recycled tires, thanks to which the tiles are durable and highly resistant to abrasion.

During the Summer Olympics in London in 2012, tiles were installed on many tourist streets. In two weeks, 20 million joules of energy were obtained. This was more than enough for street lighting in the British capital.

Bicycle charging smartphones

To recharge the player, phone or tablet, it is not necessary to have an outlet at hand. Sometimes just turning the pedals is enough. Thus, the American company Cycle Atom has released a device that allows you to charge an external battery while cycling and subsequently recharge mobile devices.

The product, called the Siva Cycle Atom, is a lightweight lithium battery bike generator designed to power almost any mobile device with a USB port. This mini generator can be installed on most common bike frames in minutes. The battery itself can be easily removed for subsequent recharging of gadgets. The user goes in for sports and pedals - and after a couple of hours his smartphone is already charged by 100 cents.

Nokia, in turn, also introduced to the general public a gadget that attaches to a bicycle and allows you to translate pedaling into a way to obtain environmentally friendly energy. The Nokia Bicycle Charger Kit has a dynamo, a small electrical generator that uses power from the wheels of a bicycle to charge the phone through the standard 2mm plug found on most Nokia phones.

The Benefits of Wastewater

Any large city daily dumps a huge amount of wastewater into open water, polluting the ecosystem. It would seem that water poisoned by sewage can no longer be useful to anyone, but this is not so - scientists have discovered a way to create fuel cells based on it.

One of the pioneers of the idea was Pennsylvania State University professor Bruce Logan. The general concept is very difficult for a non-specialist to understand and is built on two pillars - the use of bacterial fuel cells and the installation of the so-called reverse electrodialysis. Bacteria oxidize organic matter in wastewater and produce electrons in the process, creating an electrical current.

Almost any type of organic waste material can be used to generate electricity - not only sewage, but also animal waste, as well as by-products from the wine, brewing, and dairy industries. As for reverse electrodialysis, electric generators work here, separated by membranes into cells and extracting energy from the difference in salinity of two mixing liquid streams.

"Paper" energy

Japanese electronics manufacturer Sony has developed and unveiled a bio-generator capable of generating electricity from finely cut paper at the Tokyo Green Food Show. The essence of the process is as follows: corrugated cardboard is needed to isolate cellulose (this is a long chain of glucose sugar found in green plants).

The chain is broken with the help of enzymes, and the resulting glucose is processed by another group of enzymes, with the help of which hydrogen ions and free electrons are released. The electrons are sent through an external circuit to generate electricity. It is estimated that such an installation during the processing of one sheet of paper measuring 210 by 297 mm can generate about 18 watts per hour (about the same amount of energy is generated by 6 AA batteries).

The method is environmentally friendly: an important advantage of such a “battery” is the absence of metals and harmful chemical compounds. Although at the moment the technology is still far from commercialization: electricity is generated quite a bit - it is only enough to power small portable gadgets.

Ten times a day, turning on and off the light and using household appliances, we do not even think about where the electricity comes from and what its nature is. It is clear, of course, that according to power lines ( power line) it comes from the nearest power plant, but this is a very limited idea of \u200b\u200bthe world around us. But if electricity generation around the world stops for at least a couple of days, the death toll will be measured in hundreds of millions.

How is current generated?

From the physics course we know that:

All matter is made up of atoms, the smallest particles.
Electrons revolve in an orbit around the nucleus of an atom, they have a negative charge.
The nucleus contains positively charged protons.
Normally, this system is in a state of equilibrium.

But if at least one atom loses only one electron:

Its charge becomes positive.
A positively charged atom will begin to attract an electron towards itself, due to the difference in charges.
To get the missing electron for yourself, it will have to be "plucked" from someone's orbit.
As a result, one more atom will become positively charged and everything will be repeated, starting from the first point.
Such cyclicity will lead to the formation of an electrical circuit and the linear distribution of current.

So from the point of view of nuclear physics, everything is extremely simple, the atom is trying to get what it lacks the most, and thus starts the reaction .

The "golden age" of electricity

Man adapted the laws of the universe to his needs relatively recently. And it happened about two centuries ago, when an inventor named Volt developed the first battery capable of maintaining a charge of sufficient power for a long time.

Attempts to use the current for their own benefit have an ancient history. Archaeological excavations have shown that even in Roman sanctuaries, and then in the first Christian churches, there were handicraft "batteries" made of copper, which gave minimal voltage. Such a system was connected to the altar or its enclosure, and as soon as the believer touched the structure, he immediately received “ divine spark". Rather, this is the invention of one craftsman than widespread practice, but the fact is curious, in any case.

The twentieth century has become power boom:

Not only new types of generators and batteries appeared, but also unique concepts for the production of this very energy were developed.
For several decades, electrical appliances have tightly entered the life of every person on the planet.
There are no countries left, except for the least developed ones, where power plants and held power lines.
All further progress was based on the possibilities of electricity and the devices that work from it.
The era of computerization has made a person addicted to current, in the truest sense of the word.

How to get electricity?

To imagine a person as a drug addict who regularly needs a “life-giving dose of electricity” is a little naive, but try to completely de-energize your home and live in peace for at least a day. Despair can make you remember the original ways of extracting current. In practice, this is of little use to anyone, but maybe a couple of Volts will save a life or help impress a child:

Dead battery phone can be rubbed on clothes, jeans or a woolen sweater will do. Static electricity won't last long, but it's at least something.
If there is nearby sea water, you can pour it into two jars or glasses, connect them with a copper wire, after wrapping both ends of it with foil. Of course, for all this, in addition to salt water, you will also need containers, copper and foil. Not the best option for extreme situations.
Much more realistic iron nail and a small brass instrument. Two pieces of metal should be used as the anode and cathode - a nail in the nearest tree, copper in the ground. Pull any thread between them, a simple design will give about one Volt.
If use precious metals- gold and silver, it will be possible to achieve greater tension.

How to save electricity?

There can be various reasons for saving electricity - a desire to save the environment, an attempt to reduce monthly bills, or something else. But the methods are always about the same:

It is not always necessary to severely limit yourself in something in order to reduce costs. There is another good tip - unplug all appliances while you are not using them.

The refrigerator, of course, does not count. Even being in "standby" mode, the equipment consumes a certain amount of electricity. But if you think even for a second, you can come to the conclusion that you don’t need almost all the devices for most of the day. And all this time they keep burning your electricity .

Modern technologies are also aimed at reducing the overall level of electricity consumption. What are at least worth energy saving light bulbs, which can reduce the cost of lighting a room, five times as much. The advice to live by "sundial" may seem wild and absurd, but it has long been proven that artificial lighting increases the risk of depression.

How is electricity generated?

Going into the scientific details:

The current appears due to the loss of an electron by an atom.
A positively charged atom attracts negatively charged particles to itself.
Another atom loses its electrons from orbit and history repeats itself.
This explains the directed movement of the current and the presence of a propagation vector.

But in general electricity is generated by power plants. They either burn fuel, or use the energy of splitting atoms, or maybe even use natural elements. We are talking about solar panels, windmills and power plants.

The resulting mechanical or thermal energy, due to the generator, is converted into a current. It accumulates in batteries and enters every house through power lines.

Today, it is not necessary to know where electricity comes from in order to enjoy all the benefits that it provides. People have long moved away from the original essence of things and slowly begin to forget about it.

Video: where does electricity come from?

This video will clearly show the path of electricity from the power plant to us, where it comes from and how it enters our house: