Energy And Power

ENERGY and POWER

Which energy matters most? Welcome to the world of energy and power. MY world. I'm Tina Turbine. Turbines like me make electricity for you. Think of all the things you need electricity for. Without electricity you couldn't charge your phone... Argh! Now what do I do? Electricity chases away the dark... In fact, electricity is used for all kinds of things... To make electricity, turbines like me need energy from other places. As we receive the energy, we spin faster and faster, and turn the spinning into electricity. Electricity, and the energy to heat homes and power vehicles, can come from LOTS of sources. But which one matters most?

The Sun Heat and light Look, no one likes a show-off... so I'll just say that I heat the WHOLE WORLD every day. You must have noticed that I keep people warm and help them to see -part of each day, anyway. My energy also lets plants grow. Animals and people can eat the plants. And humans also burn plants, such as wood, for heat and light. 'Fossil fuels' are the remains of plants or animals that used my energy to grow millions of years ago. Heat and light goes from the Sun to Earth Warm, bright side Cool, dark side So, I heat the world, feed the world and fuel the world. I think it's pretty clear which kind of energy matters most- don't you?

Coal Burning power The Sun is always trying to be the centre of attention. To be honest, if you use electricity at all, you should probably thank ME for all my sacrifices. Let me explain... 1 I'm dug out I'm a rock that has to be dug out of the ground. Sometimes I'm buried as much as a kilometre underground. 2 Next I'm crushed I did tell you I make sacrifices! 3 Then I'm burned This heats water, which makes steam to turn a turbine. About a third of all the world's electricity is made by burning me- which means I matter a LOT.

Gas Energy from flames I'd been resting underground for MILLIONS of years- then someone sucked me up to the surface! I didn't mind, actually: it was getting a bit boring down there. Next, I whooshed along pipelines that took me all over the place. I went to a power station's turbine room- where they set me alight. I visited people's houses. They set me alight there, too. I get pumped into boilers to heat up water. I even got turned into fertiliser to help crops grow. Instead of setting me alight, they buried me. It's all very exciting- I just wish people didn't keep burning me as soon as I arrive! Anyway, all those jobs are important to a LOT of people, so surely I matter?

Oil Transport power Which matters most? Well, I can tell you that the world would get almost nowhere without ME. I'm a liquid that lives underground until people drill me out. Just look around you for a day and count up all the oil-powered transportation... These cause lots of pollution, though. And these are even worse. As well as for transport, exploding oil is also sometimes used to heat buildings and produce electricity. (And did you know that most plastics are made using oil?) Imagine what would happen without me. No one could travel at all! Unless they wanted to walk... or skateboard... or scooter... or cycle. This is much nicer. Cheap, too. Lovely fresh air. And healthy. OK, maybe you COULD get around without me. I still matter, though! Don't I?