by Shawn Vilmaire

Created on: August 25, 2007

There is a big difference between generating power and generating electricity.
Power is the ability to do work while electricity is the process of Ions attempting to return to a state of balance. This definition of electricity isn't very useful if you don't know what an Ion is so, an Ion is an atom that has an imbalance of protons and electrons. Positive Ions are missing an electron and Negative ions have an extra electron. As you may or may not be aware particles with the same charge (positive or negative)will repel each other and particles with a different charge will attract each other. Electrical current is a large number of electrons going from one place to another such as from a negative ion source to a positive ion source. In other words the attraction of the different polarities will pull the extra ions in the negative ion material through the wire towards the positive ion material in order to reach the state of balance.

Many people see no distinction between Power and electricity and will consider the generation of power to be the same thing as the generation of electricity. Electricity is a form of power but it requires power to generate electricity.

Hydro power can be used to generate power but Hydro power is not a method of generating electricity. This is one of the earliest forms of generating power we have all seen water wheels that grind wheat and do not generate electricity because in and of itself hydro power does not generate electricity but generates power

Burning coal is an effective means of generating power but is not a method of generating electricity. We have all seen charcoal briquettes burned to generate the power to cook our meals when we barbecue, Burning coal releases power in the form of heat and does not in and of itself generate electricity.

Burning oil is an effective means of generating power but is not a method of generating electricity. As with coal we have all seen oil lamps and know that the burning of oil does not in and of itself generate electricity but instead releases power in the form of heat.

Burning natural gas is an effective means of generating power but is not a method of generating electricity. I think you can see where I am going.

Nuclear reactions is one of the most efficient means of generating power but is not a method of generating electricity. If you look up at the sun we can all feel its power and we also know that the nuclear reactions in and of themselves do not generate electricity. Hiroshima and Nagasaki

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