Sources of Electricity

There are various means of generating electricity. These various ways are known as the sources of electricity.

i. Hydro-power

This is the use of water to generate electricity. Examples are Akosombo dam and Bui dam. The generators are turned by the falling water.

ii. Wind mills

This is the use of wind to generate electricity. The generators are turned by the wind. This is normally done in windy areas. It is also known as wind power.

iii. Solar energy

This is normally done in sunny areas. It is known as solar power. This is when electricity is generated by using photovoltaic cells. This generates electricity directly from the sun.

iv. Fuel cells

This is when fuel such as natural gas or ammonia is used to generate electricity. They contain two electrodes thus anode (-) and cathode (+) to which oxidants such as air is supplied.

v. Chemical (acids and other electrolytes)

vi. Voltaic cells

This is the generation of electricity from voltaic cells. They involve dry cells (dry cell) example is the torch light cell, Leclanche cell and wet cell (secondary cell) example is the car battery.