We explain what electrical energy is and what it is for. Also, how it is produced, types of electrical energy and examples.
What is electrical energy?
Electrical energy or electricity is the energy that It originates from the difference in electric potential between two given points when they are brought into contact using an electrical transmitter.
This contact causes an electric current that consists of the transmission of negative charges (electrons) through a suitable material (such as metals) from the point of generation (and/or storage) to the point of consumption. Usually electrical energy is converted into other forms of energy: light, mechanical or thermal.
In everyday life, The electrical energy we consume comes from a power line or an electrical network which we access through plugs or outlets installed in our homes, such as those we activate when turning on a light switch. This network is fed by the companies that provide this service, which are usually in charge of the generation and distribution of electricity in cities, regions or entire countries.
Electricity exists in nature and It is an important part of numerous biological processes like many of those that occur in man's own body. The neurons in our brain and the nervous impulses in our spinal cord, for example, are electrical in nature, as is the small discharge that certain eels are capable of transmitting when they feel threatened. Another example of electricity in nature is storms that sometimes have electrical effects like lightning.
The field of physics responsible for the study of this type of energy is electrical physics or electricity and dates back to the 18th century, although there are traceable antecedents from ancient times.
See also: Electrical conductivity
Types of electrical energy
We can talk about different forms of electricity:
- Static It is the electricity produced by the friction of two bodies that can become electrically charged. For example: by rubbing a comb with a handkerchief, or by bringing an arm that has been rubbed close to the screen of an old television.
- Dynamic It is the electricity that is generated by the flow of electric current. For example: a plug in the wall.
- Electromagnetic It is the electricity generated by electromagnetic fields. For example: the electromagnet.
What is electrical energy used for?
Like all types of energy, electricity has the ability to transform into other forms of energy making it an extremely versatile resource. It can be fed with electrical energy to a machine that performs certain tasks, both mechanical and calculating, illuminating a room with a lamp, or heating it during the winter thanks to a resistor.
How is electrical energy produced?
There are various ways to generate electrical energy, a process that is normally carried out in a power plant, or in small quantities in specialized devices.
- Power plants They produce electricity from the rotation of turbines driven by heated water vapor, for example, by combustion of coal or hydrocarbons or by nuclear reactions.
- Renewable resources There are also power plants that take advantage of waterfalls (hydroelectric) or strong winds (wind) to mobilize their turbines and generate electricity. In addition, solar installations convert solar energy into electrical energy through a system of panels that receive radiation directly.
Once this electricity is produced, it is transmitted through power lines to the cities and facilities that require it or is stored in various types of circuits.
Examples of electrical energy
Some everyday examples of the use of electricity are:
- Urban lighting The incorporation of electric energy to cities represented a revolution, which replaced gas streetlights and allowed us to extend the useful hours of urban life by several more hours.
- The use of a television Electricity allowed the emergence of television as well as many household appliances powered by plugging into the electrical network: blenders, microwaves, toasters, refrigerators, etc.
- Medical defibrillators In emergency rooms, these devices are used, which have an electrical voltage and allow it to be discharged onto the body of patients in cardiac arrest, to reactivate their pulses.
- The lightning During a thunderstorm, the difference in electrical potential between the ground and the air is such that compensatory discharges, known as lightning, are generated. We can see them with the naked eye.
