Nuclear power appears to be a powerful way to make steam that spins a turbine. Same with geothermal, wind, & hydro. Maybe not solar? Isn’t energy lost in the multiple energy conversions (heat, water state, kinetic)? Is it theoretically possible to have a power source that more directly moves electrons through a circuit? If solar is the only one that can, it’s limited in efficiency and where it can be used. What about power generation undersea or on Ganymede or something?
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A big part of it is that the main way we know how to generate electricity is by varying a magnetic field when it is near a wire. This can be done by moving a magnet forward and backward through a coil or rotating the magnet with a coil around it and a few other ways. Rotating is much easier to do than alternating linear motion.
So generating electricity relies on finding a way to rotate the magnet at specific speeds to generate power at the correct frequency you want. The easiest and most efficient way to do that is usually to use a turbine to spin said generator.
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