Fossil fuel power station
A facility that generates electricity by burning coal, oil, or natural gas to produce heat and drive turbines or engines.
Rankine cycle: A thermodynamic cycle in which a working fluid is heated, expanded through a turbine, and condensed for reuse. Steam stations use this cycle to convert boiler heat into turbine work.
Boiler: A vessel or system that transfers heat to water or another fluid to produce steam. Coal- and oil-fired stations use boilers to turn combustion heat into steam.
Electricity generation: The production of electrical energy from other forms of energy. A fossil-fuel station is one technology for supplying electricity at grid scale.
Carbon dioxide: A colorless gas produced by respiration, combustion, and other processes, and a major greenhouse gas. Fuel combustion releases carbon dioxide, a principal driver of the station’s climate impact.
Nuclear power plant: A facility that generates electricity using heat released by nuclear fission. It supplies dispatchable electricity without burning fossil fuels or emitting carbon dioxide during operation.
Brayton cycle: A thermodynamic cycle in which a gas is compressed, heated, and expanded to produce work. Gas turbines follow this cycle, often supplying power directly or within combined-cycle stations.
Combustion: A chemical reaction in which a fuel reacts with an oxidizer, releasing heat and often light. Burning fossil fuels supplies the heat that drives the station’s power cycle.
Peaking power plant: A power plant operated mainly during periods of high electricity demand. Some gas-fired stations start quickly to cover short-lived peaks in demand.
Air pollution: The presence of harmful substances in the atmosphere at concentrations that affect health or ecosystems. Combustion can emit pollutants that degrade air quality around and beyond the station.
Hydroelectricity: Electricity generated from the energy of flowing or falling water. It generates electricity without combustion, using a renewable water resource instead of fuel.