Free Expert Guides on Power Systems, Circuit Design & Electrical Troubleshooting

Solar power plants are systems that use solar energy to generate electricity. They can be classified into two main types: photovoltaic (PV) power plants and concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. Photovoltaic power plants convert sunlight directly into electricity using solar cells, while concentrated solar power plants use mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight and heat a fluid that drives a turbine or engine. In this article, we will explain the components, layout, and operation of both typ

There are three kinds of expenditures involved in generating electricity. These are fixed cost, semi-fixed cost, running or operating cost.Fixed Cost of ElectricityIn every manufacturing unit there is some hidden expenditure which fixed. This is same for manufacturing one unit or thousand units of the items. In electric generating station like manufacturing unit, there are some hidden costs which independent of the quantity of electricity produced. These fixed expenditures are mainly due to an a

Economics of Power GenerationIn all new engineering enterprises of this era, the question of cost is of utmost importance. It is the role played by an engineer to achieve the desired technical result, with minimum cost that distinguishes him from a non engineer who can also possibly attain the same result, but at what cost? In a power generation industry we are usually confronted with a situation where we have to make a choice between equipment of high cost with high efficiency and their low cos

The unit of electric power is watt, and hence unit of electrical energy is watt – second since energy is the product of power and time. The watt – seconds is referred as joules. One joule means the work required to be done for transferring one-ampere current in one second from one point to another point of potential difference one volt. So one-joule electrical energy equals to the product of one volt, one ampere and one second.Joule which equals to one watt – second is a very small unit of energ

When we generate electricity in steam power plant we have to burn fuel like coal, petroleum oil or flammable gases. The fuel can be considered as such a raw material for producing electricity in any kind of thermal power generating plants. So the quality of the fuel used in a thermal power generating plants plays a vital role in that sense. The calorific value of a fuel determines the quality of the fuel. We define the calorific value of a fuel as the amount of heat produced by complete combusti

What is Economic Dispatch?Economic dispatch (also known as economic load dispatch or merit order) is defined as an online process that allocates the generation among the available generators to fulfill the load demand that helps to minimize the total generation cost.The economic dispatch outlines efficient and dependable methods for operating generation facilities, considering operational constraints on production and transmission systems, to serve consumers.The economic dispatch determines the

In all power generating stations except solar power generating station employee alternator to generate electrical energy. An alternator is a rotating machine which can produce electricity only when it rotates. Hence there must be a prime mover which helps to turn the alternator. The primary arrangement of all power plants is to rotate the prime mover so that alternator can generate required electricity. In gas turbine power plant we use high pressure and temperature air instead of high pressure

The main components of a gas turbine power plant are the compressor, regenerator, combustion chamber, gas turbine, alternator, and starting motor.CompressorAir compressor used in a gas turbine power plant is mainly of the rotary type. The air filter is attached at the inlet of the compressor where air gets filtered from dust. The rotary blades attached to the shaft push the air between stationary blocks, and consequently, the pressure of the air is increased. High pressure air is available at th

A diesel power plant is a type of power plant that uses a diesel engine as the prime mover to drive an alternator and generate electricity. Diesel power plants are mainly used for small-scale power generation or as backup sources of electricity in remote areas or during emergencies. In this article, we will discuss the components, working principles, advantages, disadvantages, and applications of diesel power plants.What is a Diesel Power Plant?A diesel power plant is defined as a power plant th

We can generate electrical power by means of nuclear power. In nuclear power station, generates electrical power by nuclear reaction. Here, heavy radioactive elements such as Uranium (U235) or Thorium (Th232) are subjected to nuclear fission. This fission is done in a special apparatus called reactor.What is nuclear fission?In the fission process, the nuclei of heavy radioactive atoms are broken into two nearly equal parts. During this breaking of nuclei, a huge quantity of energy is released. T