Episode 2 — The National Electricity Supply System

How is Electricity Generated?

Learners will be able to:

• Describe the sequence of processes inside a coal-fired power station that generate electricity (pulverising coal, burning it in a furnace, boiling water to steam, turning a turbine, driving a generator) • Explain how a generator produces electrical energy using a spinning magnet inside wire coils • Distinguish between the role of a power station (generation) and a substation (distribution) in the national electricity grid • Describe how electricity is distributed from substations to consumers such as homes, schools, hospitals and factories • Explain the dangers and consequences of stealing underground electricity cables