Our entire society today is based on the production of energy. Therefore its production is of paramount importance. Today it is made by the burning of fossil fuels, nuclear fission, and with water and wind energy, primarily.
To generate electricity, in many cases we use energy to drive turbines which have magnets in them. As the magnets spin, they can induce current in a surrounding wire. These are a few ways that we make electricity:
Burning fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and petrol. They can be burned to boil water in large furnaces or along heating pipes, and the heated water vapor can be used to drive large turbines. The products of burning are generally very hazardous to the environment. These fuels are also not renewable because they took millions of years to be created in the first place, so we shouldn’t be depending on them for much longer - or they will run out.
By moving water: Dams have long been used to funnel water down tubes with turbines, which can be used to create electricity. Dams are also useful because they can control the movement of water and restrict bodies of water to where we want them. On the other hand, this may cause local ecosystem damage and environmental hazards.
About 90% of all the world’s renewable electricity is made in this way.
Wind energy. Wind generators use propeller wings that spin in the wind to turn a generator which induces electric current in electrical lines. Wind turbines are very environmentally sound and are becoming more and more economical each day.
Nuclear fission. Nuclear fission can be accomplished in large nuclear power plants in order to generate large amounts of heat energy. This process uses unstable matter such as a certain uranium isotope to create a nuclear reaction and boil water to turn turbines.
Solar energy. The energy of the sun’s rays can also be used to make electricity, without turning a turbine. Photons transfer their energy directly to electrons in solar panels to start the electrical circuit.