What is energy?
Energy is the ability to do work, and work is the movement of an object by force. You do work when you write down the answers to your math homework or kick a soccer ball. An engine does work when it moves a motorcycle or another type of vehicle. Even the cells within your body do work when they divide. Not to be confused with your halfway finished math homework! The amount of work done within a given time period is referred to as power and is measured in either horsepower (the movement of 550 pounds one foot in one second equals one horsepower), or in watts (746 watts equal one horsepower). Incidentally, electric output is often measured in kilowatts (thousands) or megawatts (millions). That’s a lot of energy!

Where does energy come from?
Energy comes from two categories of sources, primary and secondary. Primary sources of energy such as solar radiation, tidal energy from the earth-moon-sun system, and nuclear and thermal energy from the earth all require no conversion process in order to be used. Secondary sources of energy such as fossil fuels, wind, water, and hydrogen all require other forms of energy in order to convert them for use as fuel. Electricity, currently a charged topic, has its beginnings in both of these two categories of energy sources.

How is electricity made?
In order to make electricity heat must be produced. Heat can be produced by burning fossil fuels (oil, coal, or natural gas) or trash (bioconversion). Heat can also be produced by splitting apart atoms of uranium over and over (nuclear fission) or by gathering the sun’s energy in collectors (solar energy). Typically, most power plants use fossil fuels or nuclear energy to make heat. The heat is used to boil huge amounts of water into steam. The steam is "pressurized" like the steam that escapes out of the little hole in a tea kettle when the water boils. Pressure from the steam pushes against and turns the blades of a giant turbine. In hydroelectric plants, the force of rushing water is used instead of steam to spin the turbine blades. The spinning blades also turn a shaft, large metal rod, which is connected to a generator. The generator changes the energy of the turning shaft into electrical energy. Inside the generator is a huge magnet that turns inside a ring of coiled copper wire. The spinning magnet causes the electrons (Negatively charged subatomic particles that normally orbit the nucleus of atom.) in the wire to flow through it; creating electricity. Now that’s a real live wire!

How does it get to your house?
Once electricity is produced at a power plant it must be sent by wire every inch of the way from the generator to the place where it will be used. Electricity travels through a complex transmission and distribution system at the speed of light, often over hundreds of miles. Along the way, a number of automatic operations are performed by power grids that monitor and adjust the electrical flow so that it reaches businesses, industries, homes, and other users at the appropriate power levels for their particular electrical demands. Power is literally at your fingertips because by simply flipping a switch at home you complete the connection that puts the electricity instantly to work!