Steam-electric power plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A steam-electric power plant is a power plant in which the prime mover is steam. Water is heated, turns into steam and spins a turbine. After it passes through the turbine, the steam is cooled and condenses. Steam-electric plants are very similar to one another, only the heat source is different.
Almost all coal, nuclear, geothermal, solar thermal electric and many natural gas power plants are steam-electric. Natural gas is frequently combusted in gas turbines as well boilers, and it is possible to make coal and nuclear plants that are not steam electric, though all major plants are. Large solar power tower and solar parabolic trough type solar thermal electric plants are steam-electric, but solar dishes and solar ponds usually use a Stirling engine.
The vast majority of electricity is produced by steam-electric power plants. The only other types of plants that currently have a significant contribution are hydroelectric and gas turbine plants, which can burn natural gas or diesel. Photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and binary cycle geothermal plants are also non-steam electric, but currently do not produce much electricity.
