what is electricity

Electricity is a set of natural phenomena that depend on the existence of an electric current. We have all felt electricity and its effects, such as lightning, static electricity, electric current, etc. Every month when it comes to paying electricity bills, we only think about the amount of electricity consumed regardless of how electricity is generated. We do not look for information about the history of electricity, how electricity is produced and what electricity is at all. In 1850, Faraday said of the importance of electricity: “One day you will pay taxes on it what we are witnessing today. Our lives are all dependent on electricity, and it is impossible to imagine a world without it. Through the efforts of the likes of Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Alexander Graham Bell, and از electricity, mental curiosity became an essential tool for modern human life. This post will introduce you to the history of electricity, its production methods, and the technologies that evolved under its influence.

History of electricity and history of electricity invention

Until 1600 AD, electricity was one of the things that occupied the human mind. William Gilbert was able to do the necessary research on electricity and magnetism. After him, people like Stephen Gray and Robert Boyle followed in his footsteps. Research and development continued until the late 19th century when the most incredible advances in electrical engineering and electricity became the impetus for the Second Industrial Revolution.

Perhaps the most critical invention of electricity is light bulbs. A vision that has affected our lives to this day. In January 1880, Edison applied to the U.S. Patent Office for a patent for an “electric light bulb” but was denied. The organization’s experts believed that the design and construction of the Edison lamp were based on the studies of William Sayer. On February 13, 1880, Edison discovered a physical phenomenon that still bears his name today. In other words, to answer the question of who was the inventor of electricity, everyone named Edison as the answer. The thermal fiber was carbonized to win, but after a fruitless legal dispute, the two sides agreed to establish Addiswan in Britain. The company became part of General Electric in 1892.

Electricity generation methods

All over the world, the availability of electricity is one of the most important issues for the development of industries and even the daily lives of people. Each type of electricity generation has its own strengths and weaknesses. For many years, the electricity used in the world is generated through 3 main ways. Fossil fuel, hydropower and nuclear power plants.

Fossil fuel power plants to generate electricity

 

These plants use fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas to generate steam to power turbines. Generating electricity in these power plants is a time consuming process. One of the disadvantages of this method is the production of large amounts of carbon dioxide, which causes changes in the Earth’s climate. They also cause acid rain by producing sulfur oxides. The nutrients in the soil are lost due to acid rain, and the soil loses the nutrients needed by the trees due to acid pollution, the order of nature will be disturbed, and the death of trees and plants will occur. In addition, acid rain destroys the stone surfaces of buildings, bridges, dams, etc. and destroys them.

Fossil fuel power plants require a lot of fuel and a lot of money is spent on transferring these fuels to power plants. The price of fossil fuels increases when there is a shortage and leads to unstable production costs.

Hydropower plants

 

Hydropower plants use water stored behind dams. This water flows on the turbines and generates electricity by moving them. This water then returns to the back of the dam and this process is repeated.

The biggest advantage of using power plants is the lack of need to use fuels and thus eliminate the costs associated with fuel supply. In fact, the cost of electricity generated by a hydropower plant is almost immune to changes in the prices of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal. Also, the average life of hydropower plants is longer than other power plants, so that the life of some of these power plants that are currently in use dates back to more than 50 years ago. The cost of operating these power plants while operating automatically is low.

Nuclear power plants and nuclear power generation

 

Nuclear power plants use the heat generated by nuclear fusion to produce the steam needed to propel turbines. These power plants can operate without interruption for months and generate the electricity needed by humans.

Nuclear fuel can be used in reactors for many years. Fuels that remain during the processes are stored and returned to the production cycle. When returned to this cycle, changes are made to produce new fuel or to clean it thoroughly.

The most important advantage of these power plants is the lack of greenhouse gas emissions, but the use of nuclear fuels to generate electricity is much less compared to fossil fuels. Because fossil fuel resources are limited and running low, using renewable energy or nuclear fuel is a much better choice.

Generating electricity with renewable energy

 

Renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, sea waves and توانند can produce the electricity we need without producing any dangerous products. The cost of electricity generated by renewable energy is higher than other methods. This method requires government support and government subsidies to compete with electricity generated by fossil fuel power plants or hydropower plants to reduce production costs.

Many renewable energies cannot generate electricity continuously. For example, electricity generated by wind turbines depends on wind power. If the wind is too weak or too strong, no electricity is generated. Electricity generation by solar panels also depends on solar radiation. Cloudy weather or sunny weather affects production. This means that renewable energy must be supported by other production methods. In fact, these methods require each other. Sometimes even using fossil fuels despite producing greenhouse gases can be a good help.

The newest and most interesting methods of generating electricity

 

 

Generating electricity with waste

In this method, dry waste is converted into compacted masses and some is heated. This produces composite gases such as propane. Wet waste is also fermented to produce ethanol gas. Ethanol and hybrid gases are then combined to produce the fuel needed by the generator. The waste used in these bases to generate electricity is only 1/30 of the generated waste.

Generate electricity with football

Imagine being able to use the electricity generated in a football game to turn on the light in your room. A Harvard undergraduate student was looking for a way to use the world’s most popular game, football. He wanted to improve the lives of the people of developing countries. With half an hour of playing football, it can keep an LED light on for 3 hours.

Generate electricity with a bicycle

A professional cyclist can generate up to 400 watts of electricity with one hour of cycling. This method also gives you a good feeling. In addition to maintaining your health by cycling, you can also see the result by generating electricity. A hotel in Denmark gives a free food voucher to every party that pedals for 15 minutes to generate electricity.

Power generation with bumps

In the south-west of England, bumps have been installed that generate electricity when a car passes over them. The electricity generated in this way is used for traffic lights and urban infrastructure.

Generating electricity with human urine

Generating electricity from urine is a little strange but true. An African student has developed a device that can remove hydrogen from human urine. This device can generate 6 hours of electricity per liter of urine. This method is suitable for generating electricity in case of emergency or power outage. Of course, the prototype of this device had some problems. Among other things, the cells of this device need electricity to start working. Another problem is the main fuel of this device. Hydrogen is a volatile gas and this is an important issue with this method.

Technologies that were transformed by the existence of electricity

In the last 100 years, the technologies that use electricity have reached different worlds from the world of light. Electrical inventions are still being developed in the fields of pharmaceuticals, transportation, communications, industry, home appliances, art, and more. Today’s inventors are looking for more attractive uses for electricity that will benefit future generations.

 

Transportation

Electric trains used in Europe and Japan run at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour. Technologies in this field have always been advanced to make travel easier and faster. France uses the world’s fastest train, the TGV, which can travel at 515 kilometers per hour. These trains run on overhead wires. In recent years, China has invested in maglev trains that travel through magnetic fields generated by electricity.

Electronic vehicles

In 1896, in the first motor vehicle race, 2 of the 7 participating cars were electric cars. But in 1924 the production of electric vehicles was stopped until in 1960 research in this field was resumed. Production of electric vehicles began in the United States in the early 1980s. These cars had problems. The main problem was the limited distance these cars could travel because their batteries needed to be charged. The cost of replacing old batteries with new ones was also relatively high. In the early 1990s, General Motors announced that it had built an electric car that no longer had these problems. These electric vehicles are automatically charged by the generator in which they are installed. These cars have less noise pollution and do not cause air pollution.

Computers

Today, computer devices are used in many industries, offices and homes. Until the 1970s, computers were less commonly used. Today, very small computers are used in household appliances such as washing machines, sound systems, vacuum cleaners and microwave ovens.

Our homes will become smart homes in the future. These homes quickly transmit electrical, video, telephone, and سی signals via cables. Computers allow us to remotely control many devices. For example, we can turn on or off heating and cooling appliances or kitchen gas without being at home. When we enter a room, its light and temperature are automatically adjusted according to a pre-given schedule. All these improvements will be possible with electricity.

the health

Lasers are used in many surgeries today. Many eye surgeries are performed using lasers. With the help of lasers, points can be operated on that are not accessible using a surgical razor. Computers are used to diagnose diseases and provide information and reports quickly to physicians and researchers.