Electricity generation - Wikipedia

Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For utilities in the electric power industry, it is the ... Electricitygeneration FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia Jumptonavigation Jumptosearch Processofgeneratingelectricalpower TurbogeneratorThisarticlemayrequirecleanuptomeetWikipedia'squalitystandards.Thespecificproblemis:sectionsandsubsectionsnotverywellorganized.Pleasehelpimprovethisarticleifyoucan.(November2021)(Learnhowandwhentoremovethistemplatemessage) Electricitygenerationistheprocessofgeneratingelectricpowerfromsourcesofprimaryenergy.Forutilitiesintheelectricpowerindustry,itisthestagepriortoitsdelivery(transmission,distribution,etc.)toendusersoritsstorage(using,forexample,thepumped-storagemethod). Electricityisnotfreelyavailableinnature,soitmustbe"produced"(thatis,transformingotherformsofenergytoelectricity).Productioniscarriedoutinpowerstations(alsocalled"powerplants").Electricityismostoftengeneratedatapowerplantbyelectromechanicalgenerators,primarilydrivenbyheatenginesfueledbycombustionornuclearfissionbutalsobyothermeanssuchasthekineticenergyofflowingwaterandwind.Otherenergysourcesincludesolarphotovoltaicsandgeothermalpower. Phasingoutcoal-firedpowerstationsandeventuallygas-firedpowerstations,[1]orcapturingtheirgreenhousegasemissions,isanimportantpartoftheenergytransformationrequiredtolimitclimatechange.Vastlymoresolarpower[2]andwindpower[3]isforecasttoberequired,withelectricitydemandincreasingstrongly[4]withfurtherelectrificationoftransport,homesandindustry.[5] Contents 1History 2Methodsofgeneration 2.1Generators 2.2Electrochemistry 2.3Photovoltaiceffect 3Economics 4Generatingequipment 4.1Turbines 5Production 5.1Historicalresultsofproductionofelectricity 5.2Productionbycountry 6Environmentalconcerns 7Centralisedgeneration 8Technologies 8.1Coal 8.2Naturalgas 8.3Nuclear 9Uses 10Seealso 11References History[edit] Pastcostsofproducingrenewableenergyhavedeclinedsignificantly,with62%oftotalrenewablepowergenerationaddedin2020havinglowercoststhanthecheapestnewfossilfueloption.[6]Levelizedcost:Withincreasinglywidespreadimplementationofrenewableenergysources,costsforrenewableshavedeclined,mostnotablyforenergygeneratedbysolarpanels.[7]Levelizedcostofenergy(LCOE)isameasureoftheaveragenetpresentcostofelectricitygenerationforageneratingplantoveritslifetime. DynamosandengineinstalledatEdisonGeneralElectricCompany,NewYork1895 Thefundamentalprinciplesofelectricitygenerationwerediscoveredinthe1820sandearly1830sbyBritishscientistMichaelFaraday.Hismethod,stillusedtoday,isforelectricitytobegeneratedbythemovementofaloopofwire,orFaradaydisc,betweenthepolesofamagnet.Centralpowerstationsbecameeconomicallypracticalwiththedevelopmentofalternatingcurrent(AC)powertransmission,usingpowertransformerstotransmitpowerathighvoltageandwithlowloss. Commercialelectricityproductionstartedwiththecouplingofthedynamotothehydraulicturbine.ThemechanicalproductionofelectricpowerbegantheSecondIndustrialRevolutionandmadepossibleseveralinventionsusingelectricity,withthemajorcontributorsbeingThomasAlvaEdisonandNikolaTesla.Previouslytheonlywaytoproduceelectricitywasbychemicalreactionsorusingbatterycells,andtheonlypracticaluseofelectricitywasforthetelegraph. Electricitygenerationatcentralpowerstationsstartedin1882,whenasteamenginedrivingadynamoatPearlStreetStationproducedaDCcurrentthatpoweredpubliclightingonPearlStreet,NewYork.Thenewtechnologywasquicklyadoptedbymanycitiesaroundtheworld,whichadaptedtheirgas-fueledstreetlightstoelectricpower.Soonafterelectriclightswouldbeusedinpublicbuildings,inbusinesses,andtopowerpublictransport,suchastramsandtrains. Thefirstpowerplantsusedwaterpowerorcoal.[8]Todayavarietyofenergysourcesareused,suchascoal,nuclear,naturalgas,hydroelectric,wind,andoil,aswellassolarenergy,tidalpower,andgeothermalsources. Inthe1880sthepopularityofelectricitygrewmassivelywiththeintroductionoftheIncandescentlightbulb.Althoughthereare22recognisedinventorsofthelightbulbpriortoJosephSwanandThomasEdison,EdisonandSwan'sinventionbecamebyfarthemostsuccessfulandpopularofall.Duringtheearlyyearsofthe19thcentury,massivejumpsinelectricalsciencesweremade.Andbythelater19thcenturytheadvancementofelectricaltechnologyandengineeringledtoelectricitybeingpartofeverydaylife.Withtheintroductionofmanyelectricalinventionsandtheirimplementationintoeverydaylife,thedemandforelectricitywithinhomesgrewdramatically.Withthisincreaseindemand,thepotentialforProfitwasseenbymanyentrepreneurswhobeganinvestingintoelectricalsystemstoeventuallycreatethefirstelectricitypublicutilities.Thisprocessinhistoryisoftendescribedaselectrification.[9] Theearliestdistributionofelectricitycamefromcompaniesoperatingindependentlyofoneanother.Aconsumerwouldpurchaseelectricityfromaproducer,andtheproducerwoulddistributeitthroughtheirownpowergrid.Astechnologyimprovedsodidtheproductivityandefficiencyofitsgeneration.Inventionssuchasthesteamturbinehadamassiveimpactontheefficiencyofelectricalgenerationbutalsotheeconomicsofgenerationaswell.ThisconversionofheatenergyintomechanicalworkwassimilartothatofSteamengines,howeveratasignificantlylargerscaleandfarmoreproductively.Theimprovementsoftheselarge-scalegenerationplantswerecriticaltotheprocessofcentralisedgenerationastheywouldbecomevitaltotheentirepowersystemthatwenowusetoday. Throughoutthemiddleofthe20thcenturymanyutilitiesbeganmergingtheirdistributionnetworksduetoeconomicandefficiencybenefits.Alongwiththeinventionoflong-distancepowertransmission,thecoordinationofpowerplantsbegantoform.Thissystemwasthensecuredbyregionalsystemoperatorstoensurestabilityandreliability.TheelectrificationofhomesbeganinNorthernEuropeandintheNorthernAmericainthe1920sinlargecitiesandurbanareas.Itwasn'tuntilthe1930sthatruralareassawthelarge-scaleestablishmentofelectrification.[10] Methodsofgeneration[edit] 2019worldelectricitygenerationbysource(totalgenerationwas27PWh)[11][12]   Coal(37%)  Naturalgas(24%)  Hydro(16%)  Nuclear(10%)  Wind(5%)  Solar(3%)  Other(5%) Severalfundamentalmethodsexisttoconvertotherformsofenergyintoelectricalenergy.Utility-scalegenerationisachievedbyrotatingelectricgeneratorsorbyphotovoltaicsystems.Asmallproportionofelectricpowerdistributedbyutilitiesisprovidedbybatteries.Otherformsofelectricitygenerationusedinnicheapplicationsincludethetriboelectriceffect,thepiezoelectriceffect,thethermoelectriceffect,andbetavoltaics. Generators[edit] Mainarticle:Electricgenerator Windturbinesusuallyprovideelectricalgenerationinconjunctionwithothermethodsofproducingpower. Electricgeneratorstransformkineticenergyintoelectricity.ThisisthemostusedformforgeneratingelectricityandisbasedonFaraday'slaw.Itcanbeseenexperimentallybyrotatingamagnetwithinclosedloopsofconductingmaterial(e.g.copperwire).Almostallcommercialelectricalgenerationisdoneusingelectromagneticinduction,inwhichmechanicalenergyforcesageneratortorotate. Electrochemistry[edit] Largedams,suchasHooverDamintheUnitedStates,canprovidelargeamountsofhydroelectricpower.Ithasaninstalledcapacityof2.07GW. Electrochemistryisthedirecttransformationofchemicalenergyintoelectricity,asinabattery.Electrochemicalelectricitygenerationisimportantinportableandmobileapplications.Currently,mostelectrochemicalpowercomesfrombatteries.[13]Primarycells,suchasthecommonzinc–carbonbatteries,actaspowersourcesdirectly,butsecondarycells(i.e.rechargeablebatteries)areusedforstoragesystemsratherthanprimarygenerationsystems.Openelectrochemicalsystems,knownasfuelcells,canbeusedtoextractpowereitherfromnaturalfuelsorfromsynthesizedfuels.Osmoticpowerisapossibilityatplaceswheresaltandfreshwatermerge. Photovoltaiceffect[edit] Thephotovoltaiceffectisthetransformationoflightintoelectricalenergy,asinsolarcells.PhotovoltaicpanelsconvertsunlightdirectlytoDCelectricity.PowerinverterscanthenconvertthattoACelectricityifneeded.Althoughsunlightisfreeandabundant,solarpowerelectricityisstillusuallymoreexpensivetoproducethanlarge-scalemechanicallygeneratedpowerduetothecostofthepanels.Low-efficiencysiliconsolarcellshavebeendecreasingincostandmultijunctioncellswithcloseto30%conversionefficiencyarenowcommerciallyavailable.Over40%efficiencyhasbeendemonstratedinexperimentalsystems.[14]Untilrecently,photovoltaicsweremostcommonlyusedinremotesiteswherethereisnoaccesstoacommercialpowergrid,orasasupplementalelectricitysourceforindividualhomesandbusinesses.Recentadvancesinmanufacturingefficiencyandphotovoltaictechnology,combinedwithsubsidiesdrivenbyenvironmentalconcerns,havedramaticallyacceleratedthedeploymentofsolarpanels.Installedcapacityisgrowingby40%peryear[citationneeded]ledbyincreasesinGermany,Japan,UnitedStates,China,andIndia. Economics[edit] Seealso:CostofelectricitybysourceandElectricitypricing Theselectionofelectricityproductionmodesandtheireconomicviabilityvariesinaccordancewithdemandandregion.Theeconomicsvaryconsiderablyaroundtheworld,resultinginwidespreadresidentialsellingprices,e.g.thepriceinIcelandis5.54centsperkWhwhileinsomeislandnationsitis40centsperkWh.[citationneeded]Hydroelectricplants,nuclearpowerplants,thermalpowerplantsandrenewablesourceshavetheirownprosandcons,andselectionisbaseduponthelocalpowerrequirementandthefluctuationsindemand.Allpowergridshavevaryingloadsonthembutthedailyminimum[citationneeded]isthebaseload,oftensuppliedbyplantswhichruncontinuously.Nuclear,coal,oil,gasandsomehydroplantscansupplybaseload.Ifwellconstructioncostsfornaturalgasarebelow$10perMWh,generatingelectricityfromnaturalgasischeaperthangeneratingpowerbyburningcoal.[15] Thermalenergy[clarificationneeded]maybeeconomicalinareasofhighindustrialdensity,asthehighdemandcannotbemetbylocalrenewablesources.Theeffectoflocalizedpollutionisalsominimizedasindustriesareusuallylocatedawayfromresidentialareas.Theseplantscanalsowithstandvariationinloadandconsumptionbyaddingmoreunits[clarificationneeded]ortemporarilydecreasingtheproductionofsomeunits. Nuclearpowerplantscanproduceahugeamountofpowerfromasingleunit.However,nucleardisastershaveraisedconcernsoverthesafetyofnuclearpower,andthecapitalcostofnuclearplantsisveryhigh. Hydroelectricpowerplantsarelocatedinareaswherethepotentialenergyfromfallingwatercanbeharnessedformovingturbinesandthegenerationofpower.Itmaynotbeaneconomicallyviablesinglesourceofproductionwheretheabilitytostoretheflowofwaterislimitedandtheloadvariestoomuchduringtheannualproductioncycle. Duetoadvancementsintechnology,andwithmassproduction,renewablesourcesotherthanhydroelectricity(solarpower,windenergy)experienceddecreasesincostofproduction,andtheenergyisnowinmanycasesasexpensiveorlessexpensivethanfossilfuels.[16]Manygovernmentsaroundtheworldprovidesubsidiestooffsetthehighercostofanynewpowerproduction,andtomaketheinstallationofrenewableenergysystemseconomicallyfeasible. Generatingequipment[edit] Mainarticle:Electricgenerator Alargegeneratorwiththerotorremoved Electricgeneratorswereknowninsimpleformsfromthediscoveryofelectromagneticinductioninthe1830s.Ingeneral,someformofprimemoversuchasanengineortheturbinesdescribedabove,drivesarotatingmagneticfieldpaststationarycoilsofwiretherebyturningmechanicalenergyintoelectricity.[17]TheonlycommercialscaleelectricityproductionthatdoesnotemployageneratorissolarPV. Turbines[edit] LargedamssuchasThreeGorgesDaminChinacanprovidelargeamountsofhydroelectricpower;ithasa22.5GWcapability. AlmostallcommercialelectricalpoweronEarthisgeneratedwithaturbine,drivenbywind,water,steamorburninggas.Theturbinedrivesagenerator,thustransformingitsmechanicalenergyintoelectricalenergybyelectromagneticinduction.Therearemanydifferentmethodsofdevelopingmechanicalenergy,includingheatengines,hydro,windandtidalpower.Mostelectricgenerationisdrivenbyheatengines.Thecombustionoffossilfuelssuppliesmostoftheenergytotheseengines,withasignificantfractionfromnuclearfissionandsomefromrenewablesources.Themodernsteamturbine(inventedbySirCharlesParsonsin1884)currentlygeneratesabout80%oftheelectricpowerintheworldusingavarietyofheatsources.Turbinetypesinclude: Steam Waterisboiledbycoalburnedinathermalpowerplant.About41%ofallelectricityisgeneratedthisway.[18] Nuclearfissionheatcreatedinanuclearreactorcreatessteam.Lessthan15%ofelectricityisgeneratedthisway. Renewableenergy.Thesteamisgeneratedbybiomass,solarthermalenergy,orgeothermalpower. Naturalgas:turbinesaredrivendirectlybygasesproducedbycombustion.Combinedcyclearedrivenbybothsteamandnaturalgas.Theygeneratepowerbyburningnaturalgasinagasturbineanduseresidualheattogeneratesteam.Atleast20%oftheworld'selectricityisgeneratedbynaturalgas. WaterEnergyiscapturedbyawaterturbinefromthemovementofwater-fromfallingwater,theriseandfalloftidesoroceanthermalcurrents(seeoceanthermalenergyconversion).Currently,hydroelectricplantsprovideapproximately16%oftheworld'selectricity. Thewindmillwasaveryearlywindturbine.In2018around5%oftheworld'selectricitywasproducedfromwind. Althoughturbinesaremostcommonincommercialpowergeneration,smallergeneratorscanbepoweredbygasolineordieselengines.Thesemayusedforbackupgenerationorasaprimesourceofpowerwithinisolatedvillages. Production[edit] Thissectionneedstobeupdated.Pleasehelpupdatethisarticletoreflectrecenteventsornewlyavailableinformation.(March2015) Totalworldwidegrossproductionofelectricityin2016was25082TWh.Sourcesofelectricitywerecoalandpeat38.3%,naturalgas23.1%,hydroelectric16.6%,nuclearpower10.4%,oil3.7%,solar/wind/geothermal/tidal/other5.6%,biomassandwaste2.3%.[19] In2021,Windandsolargeneratedelectricityreached10%ofgloballyproducedelectricity.Cleansources(Solarandwindandother)generated38%oftheworld'selectricity.[20] Energyflowofpowerplant Historicalresultsofproductionofelectricity[edit] [21] Productionbycountry[edit] Mainarticle:Listofcountriesbyelectricityproduction Seealso:Electricenergyconsumption TheUnitedStateshaslongbeenthelargestproducerandconsumerofelectricity,withaglobalsharein2005ofatleast25%,followedbyChina,Japan,Russia,andIndia.In2011,ChinaovertooktheUnitedStatestobecomethelargestproducerofelectricity. Environmentalconcerns[edit] Mainarticle:Environmentalimpactofelectricitygeneration Seealso:GlobalwarmingandCoalphaseout Variationsbetweencountriesgeneratingelectricalpoweraffectconcernsabouttheenvironment.InFranceonly10%ofelectricityisgeneratedfromfossilfuels,theUSishigherat70%andChinaisat80%.[22]Thecleanlinessofelectricitydependsonitssource.Mostscientistsagreethatemissionsofpollutantsandgreenhousegasesfromfossilfuel-basedelectricitygenerationaccountforasignificantportionofworldgreenhousegasemissions.[23] IntheUnitedStates,fossilfuelcombustionforelectricpowergenerationisresponsiblefor65%ofallemissionsofsulfurdioxide,themaincomponentofacidrain.[24]ElectricitygenerationisthefourthhighestcombinedsourceofNOx,carbonmonoxide,andparticulatematterintheUS.[25] AccordingtotheInternationalEnergyAgency(IEA),low-carbonelectricitygenerationneedstoaccountfor85%ofglobalelectricaloutputby2040inordertowardofftheworsteffectsofclimatechange.[26]LikeotherorganizationsincludingtheEnergyImpactCenter(EIC)[27]andtheUnitedNationsEconomicCommissionforEurope(UNECE),[28]theIEAhascalledfortheexpansionofnuclearandrenewableenergytomeetthatobjective.[29]Some,likeEICfounderBretKugelmass,believethatnuclearpoweristheprimarymethodfordecarbonizingelectricitygenerationbecauseitcanalsopowerdirectaircapturethatremovesexistingcarbonemissionsfromtheatmosphere.[30]Nuclearpowerplantscanalsocreatedistrictheatinganddesalinationprojects,limitingcarbonemissionsandtheneedforexpandedelectricaloutput.[31] Afundamentalissueregardingcentralisedgenerationandthecurrentelectricalgenerationmethodsinusetodayisthesignificantnegativeenvironmentaleffectsthatmanyofthegenerationprocesseshave.Processessuchascoalandgasnotonlyreleasecarbondioxideastheycombust,buttheirextractionfromthegroundalsoimpactstheenvironment.Openpitcoalminesuselargeareasoflandtoextractcoalandlimitthepotentialforproductivelanduseaftertheexcavation.Naturalgasextractionreleaseslargeamountsofmethaneintotheatmospherewhenextractedfromthegroundgreatlyincreaseglobalgreenhousegases.Althoughnuclearpowerplantstonotreleasecarbondioxidethroughelectricitygeneration,therearesignificantrisksassociatedwithnuclearwasteandsafetyconcernsassociatedwiththeuseofnuclearsources.Thisfearofnuclearpowerstemsfromlarge-scalenuclearcatastrophessuchastheChernobylDisasterandtheFukushimaDaiichinucleardisaster.Bothtragediesledtosignificantcasualtiesandtheradioactivecontaminationoflargeareas.[32] Mainarticle:Life-cyclegreenhouse-gasemissionsofenergysources Lifecyclegreenhousegasemissionsbyelectricitysource[33] Technology Description 50thpercentile(gCO2/kWhe) Hydroelectric reservoir 4 Wind onshore 12 Nuclear variousgenerationIIreactortypes 16 Biomass various 18 Solarthermal parabolictrough 22 Geothermal hotdryrock 45 SolarPV Polycrystallinesilicon 46 Naturalgas variouscombinedcycleturbineswithoutscrubbing 469 Coal variousgeneratortypeswithoutscrubbing 1001 Centralisedgeneration[edit] Centralisedgenerationrefersthecommonprocessofelectricitygenerationthroughlarge-scalecentralisedfacilities,throughtransmissionlinestoconsumer.Thesefacilitiesareusuallylocatedfarawayfromconsumersanddistributetheelectricitythroughhighvoltagetransmissionlinestoasubstation,whereitisthendistributedtoconsumers;thebasicconceptbeingthatincrediblylargestationscreateelectricityforalargenumberofpeople.Thevastmajorityofelectricityusediscreatedfromcentralisedgeneration.Mostcentralisedpowergenerationcomesfromlargepowerplantsrunbyfossilfuelssuchascoalornaturalgas,thoughnuclearorlargehydroelectricityplantsarealsocommonlyused.[34]Many[who?]disagreewiththeprocessesofcentralisedgeneration[citationneeded]asitoftenreliesonelectricalgenerationthroughprocessesofthecombustionoffossilfuels,whicharebadfortheenvironment.Howeverunsustainablethecurrentsystemis,itisbyfarthemostwidelyused,reliableandefficientsystemthatiscurrentlyinuse. Centralisedgenerationisfundamentallytheoppositeofdistributedgeneration.Distributedgenerationisthesmall-scalegenerationofelectricitytosmallergroupsofconsumers.Thiscanalsoincludeindependentlyproducingelectricitybyeithersolarorwindpower.Inrecentyearsdistributedgenerationashasseenasparkinpopularityduetoitspropensitytouserenewableenergygenerationmethodssuchaswindandsolar. Technologies[edit] Centralisedenergysourcesarelargethermalpowerstationsthatproducehugeamountsofelectricitytoalargenumberofconsumers.Thisisthetraditionalwayofproducingenergy.Almostallpowerplantsusedincentralisedgenerationarethermalpowerplantsmeaningthattheyuseafueltoheatsteamtoproduceapressurisedgaswhichinturnspinsaturbineandgenerateselectricity.Thisprocessreliesonseveralformsoftechnologytoproducewidespreadelectricity,thesebeingnaturalcoal,gasandnuclearformsofthermalgeneration. Coal[edit] Coalpowerstationsproducesteambyburningcoaldugupfromtheearth.Thissteam,underintenselyhigh-pressureforcesintoaturbine.Theseturbinesareconnectedtogeneratorsthatspinathighspeedscreatingelectricity.Followingthegeneration,thesteamiscooledbackintowatertobeheatedonceagaintoproduceelectricity.Asinglecoalpowerplantcanproduceelectricityfor70000homes,however,canuseupto14000tonnesofcoaladaytoheatitsboiler.[35] Thefundamentalissuesregardingtheuseofcoalinelectricitygenerationistowiththegreenhousegasesreleasedbytheburningofcoal,andthelimitedamountofcoalonearth,leadingmanytoagreethatisaveryunsustainablewayofproducingelectricity.[36] Naturalgas[edit] Naturalgasisignitedtocreatepressurisedgaswhichisusedtospinturbinestogenerateelectricity.Naturalgasplantsuseagasturbinewherenaturalgasisaddedalongwithoxygenwhichinturncombustsandexpandsthroughtheturbinetoforceageneratortospin. Naturalgaspowerplantsaremoreefficientthancoalpowergeneration,theyhowevercontributetoclimatechangebutnotashighlyascoalgeneration.Notonlydotheyproducecarbondioxidefromtheignitionofnaturalgas,butalsotheextractionofgaswhenminedreleasesasignificantamountofmethaneintotheatmosphere.[37] Nuclear[edit] Nuclearpowerplantscreateelectricitythroughtheprocessofnuclearfission.Currently,nuclearpowerproduces11%ofallelectricityintheworld.Mostnuclearreactorsuseuraniumasasourceoffuel.Inaprocesscallednuclearfission,energy,intheformofheat,isreleasedwhennuclearatomsaresplit.Electricityiscreatedthroughtheuseofanuclearreactorwhereheatproducedbynuclearfissionisusedtoproducesteamwhichinturnspinsturbinesandpowersthegenerators.Althoughthereareseveraltypesofnuclearreactors,allfundamentallyusethisprocess.[38] Althoughnuclearenergyproducesverylittleemissions,severalaccidentsthroughouthistoryhaveledmanytospeculatethesafetyandriskassociatedwiththeseplants.AccidentssuchastheChernobyldisasterandtheFukushimanucleardisasterhaveledmanytodisagreewiththepracticeofnuclearenergygeneration.[39] Uses[edit] Althoughthereisvariationintheamountofelectricityneededatalltimes,thebaseloadistheminimumamountofenergyrequiredatonetime,thisisthemajorityofallenergy[citationneeded]andmustbecreatedbylargepowerstationsthathavetheabilitytorunallday,everyday.Onlynuclear,coal,oil,gasandsomehydroplantscanreliablysupplythebaseload.Manygreenermethodsrelyheavilyonvariablessuchasthesunandwindandthustheiroutputvariestoomuchtosupportthebaseload. Highlyindustrialareastendtobepoweredalmostentirelybythermalenergyplantssuchascoalorgas-poweredplants,astheirhugepoweroutputisnecessarytopowerindustryintheregion.Thelocalisedeffectofpollutionisalsominimalasindustrialregionsareusuallyfarfromsuburbanareas.Theplantscanalsocopewithlargevariationinpoweroutputbyadjustingtheproductionoftheturbines. Largethermalpowerplantsproducethevastmajorityofelectricityforresidentialareas,althoughtherehasbeenanincreaseinrenewablesourcesofenergy,itstillonlymakesuparound8%ofallelectricityconsumed.However,theserenewablesourcesofelectricity,aidinfluctuationsofelectricitydemandastheyareofteneasytoadjusttheoutputrequiredtomeettheneedsofthegrid.[citationneeded]Throughtransmissionlinethemajorityofelectricityisdistributedtoresidentialareas. Seealso[edit] Energyportal Renewableenergyportal Engineeringportal Cogeneration:theuseofaheatengineorpowerstationtogenerateelectricityandusefulheatatthesametime. Costofelectricitybysource Dieselgenerator Electricgenerator Engine-generator Electricpowertransmission Worldenergyconsumption:thetotalenergyusedbyallofhumancivilization. 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