Coal Power: From Burning Coal to Electricity

0:00How does a power station make electricity from coal? Let us find out.

0:05Coal is a black rock that is dug from the ground. It burns well.

0:11At the power station, the coal is fed into a furnace and burned.

0:16Above the fire is a tank of water. The heat boils the water into steam.

0:21A pipe carries the hot steam to a turbine. The rushing steam pushes on its blades and spins it.

0:29The turbine turns a generator. Inside, a coil spinning near magnets makes electricity.

0:35Power lines carry the electricity to homes and schools.

0:42The used steam is cooled back into water, and that water goes round to the boiler again.

0:48Burning coal also makes smoke and carbon dioxide, which go up the chimney into the air.

0:55Coal power can run day and night, in any weather, as long as there is coal to burn.

1:01But the carbon dioxide warms the planet, the smoke pollutes the air, and coal is not renewable. One day it will run out.

1:10Burning coal boils water, the steam spins a turbine and a generator, and that makes electricity.