Eli5: How do electrical generators work on an atomic level?

Question

As I understand it electricity is the flow of delocalised electrons, so where do they come from in the first place?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

The electrons are already there – held to the nearby atoms. In conductors, the outer electrons can pass effortlessly from one atom to the next. Electrical generators use magnetic fields to move these electrons in bulk one direction or another.