Final answer:
To generate electricity, a turbine is attached to the shaft of a generator, which converts various forms of mechanical energy (like kinetic energy from wind or steam from burning fossil fuels) into electrical energy.
Step-by-step explanation:
To generate electricity at an electric company, a turbine is attached to the shaft of a generator. This process is crucial to our electricity generation. Almost all methods, from fossil fuels to nuclear fission, use a turbine to convert various forms of mechanical energy into electrical energy. In the context of wind energy, the kinetic energy of wind is harnessed to rotate the turbine blades connected to the shaft, which in turn rotates the coil within the generator.
In the case of thermal power plants, steam produced by burning coal or other fuels moves over the turbine blades and turns the shaft. This shaft, connected to the generator, becomes the source of rotational energy that converts kinetic energy to electricity. Whether the source of energy is hydropower, steam, or wind, the fundamental principle involves the motion between magnets and coils of wire within the generator, similar to the operation of an electric motor in reverse