Electricity

Mr. Quigley
 Introduction

• Most services in a house rely on

electricity
• Electricity is a very powerful force
• Care must always be taken around
electricity

• What are some precautions to take

when using electricity?
 Ways of Generating
Electricity

• Fuel Burning
• Wind Farms
• Hydro
Electricity
• Pumped
Storage
Fuel Burning Power Stations
• One of the oldest
methods used
• Burn raw materials (Coal,
Peat, Oil, Gas)
• Heat is harnessed &
converted into electricity
(Thermoelectricity)
• Heat is used to transfer
water into steam,
pressurized steam goes
through turbine- makes it
spin, creating into
electricity
 • Ireland is very windy-
Great place for wind
electricity
• Use the prevailing
winds to turn propeller
which turn an
electromagnetic
generator.
• The generator then
changes wind energy
into electrical energy
Wind Farms
Windfarms

• Turbines only work at

low speeds
• All turbines in a farm
are connected to a
collector station.
• It’s a renewable source
of energy
• However, they can be
noisy, disruptive &
unsightly
Hydro Electricity
• Rely on water
• Used for centuries gone
by in mills.
• Trap large bodies of
water behind a man-
made dam
• Water flows through
turbines which convert
waters energy into
electrical energy
• Ardnacrusha in Co. Clare
is largest in Ireland
Pumped Storage

• Similar to hydro electric

• Water is pumped to a high point at night
o Electricity is most abundant at night

• Released from this reservoir during the day

to produce power
• Water passes through turbines to generate
electricity
• Turlock Hill, Co. Dublin
National Grid-
Power Station
to Dwelling
Terminology
• Electrical Current- the flow of electrons which orbit atoms. Leave the atom and begin to
flow i.e make an electrical current.
• Measured in ampere (A) or amp.

• Voltage- the force of the current in a circuit. This is the force of the current

• Resistance- obstructs the force (v). Measured in ohms. Varies between materials.

• Wattage- rate of conversion of electricity. Equal to 1 amp per second through a material
of 1 ohms.

• kWh= Kilo Watt Hours- A measure of electrical energy equivalent to a power

consumption of one thousand watts for one hour
Formulae

• Watts (W) = Voltage (V) x Current (Amps)

• kWh = Appliance Rating (kW) x Time (Hours)