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Questions tagged [power-generation]

33 questions
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What's the smallest possible nuclear power generator?

Nuclear microreactors like Westinghouse's eVinci are small enough to fit on a flatbed semi-truck, and NuScale Power's small modular reactor (SMR) is relatively small, too; but are there smaller nuclear power generators? What limits the size of a…
Geremia
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Is thermal expansion of water a consideration in steam power plants? If so, how is it managed?

I understand in residential plumbing, that a thermal expansion tank is needed before the hot water tank. From my understanding this is to allow for the water in the hot water tank to expand, instead of creating large amounts of pressure, when the…
kpottebaum
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What is the price per MWh of photovoltaic energy production including battery storage?

The US Energy Information Agency reported (p.8) for 2023 that the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) per megawatthour was about \$43 for photovoltaic, \$56 for PV-battery hybrid, and \$137 for battery storage. (I obtained the dollar figures by…
mjc
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Is it absurd to think with current or near future technology the energy of a hurricane could be converted into usable power for a city?

I saw a video clip of an interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson saying, "I'm tired looking at countless thousands of cars exiting a city because a hurricane is coming. Where are the engineers and scientists saying you know instead of running away from…
Bob516
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Do utilities ever disconnect solar panels in cases of low demand?

This question asked something that was predicated on "solar roof installations [being] disconnected from [the] grid" for low demand. Do utilities ever disconnect solar installations for low demand? I would expect that when the brightest sun occurs,…
user1683793
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How much coal is needed to generate electricity for 1 person?

In one month a person uses $852$ kWh of electricity. Using a fossil-fueled vapor power plant, find how much coal is needed for one person. The assumptions are: Boiler efficiency of the Rankine cycle is $80$% Efficiency of the electrical generator is…
Eric Brown
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Is the electrical grid a centralized, decentralized, or distributed network? Which type is most efficient?

Is the electrical grid a centralized, decentralized, or distributed network? Each dot represents a generating station, consumer, or relay of electricity: Which type is the most efficient (has the least losses, electrical/heat dissipation)? System…
Geremia
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Electric motors and Internal Combustion Engines compared

I know that Internal Combustion engines are rated in terms of peak power developed, while electric motors are generally specified in terms of continuous power output. Is there a good way to determine the equivalent power output between the…
Slartibartfast
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Standards for the sign of the power factor; IEC and IEEE; is there an ANSI standard?

Working with some power factor measurement, this article (reference: https://www.se.com/ww/en/faqs/FA212521/) has this interesting bit: Issue: Understanding and interpreting the sign of a power factor (PF) value. Resolution A lagging power factor…
asylumax
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why can't you hybridise an internal combustion engine with a steam turbine

According to the internet, an internal combustion engine is powered by the pressure differential when the fuel expands into gas and has a maximum thermal efficiency of 50%. And a steam turbine is powered by the temperature differential when the fuel…
Lorry Laurence mcLarry
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Would it be possible to generate electricity from continental drift?

It definitely wouldn't be practical compared to other sources of energy, but given currently plausible technology, would it be theoretically possible to use the movement of tectonic plates (as in continental drift, not earthquakes) to generate…
A Curious Inquirer
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Nuclear, waste heat stirling applications

Could the waste heat normally expelled from nuclear plants run low temperature stirling engines or does it need a specific temperature threshold?
LazyReader
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Converting Potential Energy into a Long Rotation of heavy object

I have only a very basic understanding of gears and mechanics which is why I could really use your help. I want to know how I can use a weight of lets say max. 2 kg falling over 1 meter to spin something horizontally at a relatively slow speed for…
user54413
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How much energy is stored in a typical utility-scale thermal steam turbine power station?

I'm interested in finding out the order of magnitude of the thermal energy stored in steam in a utility scale power station (say, 300 MW - 3 GW). There are several ways of posing the problem, but I guess what I mean is: How many seconds/minutes…
Jason S
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Does an array of Peltier module need a diode between each module?

I have a bunch of Peltier module that I wish to connect in series/parallel and use them as a thermopile generator. However I was wondering if its necessary to attach a diode between each module to prevent one thermopile module from "powering" the…
Philip C
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