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How is Electricity Made? Electricity is produced in JEA's generating stations by burning fossil fuels. Fossil fuels were formed hundreds of millions of years ago and are made up of decomposed plant and animal matter. The three major forms of fossil fuel are coal, oil and natural gas. JEA also uses petroleum coke and diesel fuels.
These fuels are burned at a very high temperature in a large boiler. The walls of the boiler are made up of tubes that carry water. As the fuels burn, the water temperature increases until it turns into steam. The steam, under considerable pressure and at a very high temperature, is piped to a steam turbine.
The steam turbine turns under the pressure of the steam. The turbine is connected directly to a large electromagnet in the generator. The rotating turbine causes the electromagnet to revolve. The magnet causes electrons to move, making electricity or an electric current.
Did you know JEA also uses solar power and biomass to produce electricity? Click here to learn more about our green programs.
How does Electricity Get to My House? Once the electricity is produced, it is sent through high voltage transmission lines to substations.
At substations, the voltage of the electric power is lowered. Voltage is the force that pushes electricity along wires. Then, the power is sent to your neighborhood through distribution lines located underground or on poles.
What Then? Electricity enters your home through a meter. It then goes to the circuit panel in your house. Ask an adult to show you the panel. In the panel, the electricity is divided into circuits. Each circuit forms a loop, carrying electricity to outlets and returning to the panel. For instance, a circuit might include everything in the kitchen. Another might have a couple of bedrooms.
The circuit panel uses a circuit breaker for each circuit. This will shut off the flow of electricity when too much electricity is being used.
Electric Safety and Conservation Tips
- Water is a good conductor. Your body is 70 percent water. This means you are a good conductor of electricity. So never touch an electric appliance (hair dryer, TV, radio) or plug in anything that uses electricity if you are standing in water or if your hands are wet.
- Avoid electrical cords that are broken or frayed.
- Never put a metal object into an appliance or plug
- Pull by the plug, not by the cord, when you unplug something.
- Use a fire extinguisher made for electrical fires, not water.
- Keep kites away from power lines.
- Keep away from downed power lines; they can kill you. Ask an adult to call JEA or call the police.
- Never play new transformers or substations. Don't climb electric poles.
Conserve
- Don't stand in front of the refrigerator with the door open for long periods of time.
- Close windows and doors to keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
- Turn off the TV when no one is watching it.
- Turn off the lights when you leave the room.
Electric Experiments
Electricity can be very dangerous and if you misuse it, you can get hurt or die, so make sure an adult is helping you with these experiments.
Static Electricity:
- Blow up a balloon and knot it.
- Rub the balloon against your shirt.
- Hold the balloon close to your hair or against a wall. What happens?
Make a Circuit:
You'll need: a flashlight battery, a flashlight bulb, a piece of fine wire or tin foil and some tape.
- Strip the wire on both ends; ask an adult to help you.
- Hold or tape one end of the wire or tin foil against the flat (negative) end of the battery.
- Hold the bottom of the bulb against the bump (positive end) on the other end of the battery.
- Touch the other end of the wire or tin foil to the metal part of the bulb, just below the glass. The bulb will light up.
- If you remove the bulb or one end of the wire from the battery, the light will turn off. You will be breaking the circuit, the flow of electricity.
Take it a step further:
All things can be divided into conductors and insulators. Conductors are materials that allow electricity to flow easily through them. Insulators are materials through which electricity does not flow easily.
Collect items that you think would make good conductors. Cut the wire that connects to the positive end of the battery to the bulb in the middle. Insert the items one a time that you have collected by connecting the wire attached to the battery at one end and the wire that attaches to the bulb at the other of the item. Substitute your items one at a time. Did they work?
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