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This lesson covers how electricity is generated from different energy resources, and how it is distributed through the National Grid, as required by the Edexcel GCSE Physics specification (1PH0), Topic 3: Conservation of Energy. You need to understand the basic principles of generators, how different power stations work, and why transformers are used.
Most power stations — whether they use fossil fuels, nuclear fuel, or renewable sources — generate electricity using the same basic principle:
A generator converts kinetic energy into electrical energy by rotating a coil of wire (or a magnet) inside a magnetic field. This changing magnetic field induces (creates) a voltage across the coil.
You do not need to know the details of electromagnetic induction at this stage, but you should understand the basic idea:
The majority of electricity is still generated in power stations that burn fossil fuels. The energy transfer chain is:
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