Eli5 : After seing the meme of a guy going back in time and unable to answer to the question “how is this so-called electricity made?”, I’m actually really asking myself the question.
In: Engineering
The most common way is mechanically. A generator spins coils of wire inside of magnets which generates an electrical current. We use generators in nuclear power plants, coal power plants, wind turbines, etc. Wherever you have something spinning there’s a generator attached that generates power. Another way is photovoltaically. Solar panels are made of a special material that generates power by exciting electrons which jump between energy states which generates electricity. Electricity can also be made chemically. A substance that wants to get rid of electrons is paired with a substance that wants electrons. This is commonly known as a battery. When the two substances are connected via say a wire, the electrons flow which produces electricity. The short answer is there are a number of ways to do it and it can become very complicated trying to explain it all but I think those are the basics.
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