Electricity is a secondary energy source

Electricity is the flow of electrical power or charge. Electricity is both a basic part of nature and
one of the most widely used forms of energy.
(The flow of electrical power or charge is electricity. Electricity is a fundamental component of
the natural world and one of the most extensively utilized types of energy.)
The electricity that we use is a secondary energy source because it is produced by converting
primary sources of energy such as coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, solar energy, and wind
energy, into electrical power. Electricity is also referred to as an energy carrier, which means it
can be converted to other forms of energy such as mechanical energy or heat. Primary energy
sources are renewable or non-renewable energy, but the electricity we use is neither renewable
nor non-renewable.
(Electricity is a secondary energy source since it is generated by transforming primary energy
sources such as coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, solar energy, and wind energy into
electricity. Electricity is also known as an energy carrier, meaning that it can be turned into other
forms of energy, such as mechanical energy or heat. Renewable or nonrenewable energy
sources are primary energy sources, however the electricity we use is neither renewable nor
nonrenewable.)
Despite its great importance in daily life, few people probably stop to think about what life would
be like without electricity. Like air and water, people tend to take electricity for granted.
However, people use electricity to do many jobs every day—from lighting, heating, and cooling
homes to powering televisions and computers.
(Few people probably consider what life would be like without electricity, despite its immense
importance in everyday life. Like air and water, electricity is often taken for granted. However,
electricity is used for a variety of daily tasks, including lighting, heating and cooling homes, and
powering televisions and computers.)
Before electricity became widely available, about 100 years ago, candles, whale oil lamps, and
kerosene lamps provided light; iceboxes kept food cold; and wood-burning or coal-burning
stoves provided heat.
(Around 100 years ago, before electricity was widely accessible, light was provided by candles,
whale oil lamps, and kerosene lamps; food was kept cold by iceboxes; and heat was produced
by wood or coal stoves.)
Scientists and inventors have worked to decipher the principles of electricity since the 1600s.
Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Nikola Tesla made notable contributions to our
understanding and use of electricity.
(Since the 1600s, researchers have attempted to understand the fundamentals of electricity. We
may thank Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and Benjamin Franklin for making significant
advances in our knowledge and application of electricity.)
Benjamin Franklin demonstrated that lightning is electricity. Thomas Edison invented the first
long-lasting incandescent light bulb.
(Franklin established the electrical nature of lightning. The first long-lasting incandescent light
bulb was created by Thomas Edison.)
Before 1879, direct current (DC) electricity was used in arc lights for outdoor lighting. In the late
1800s, Nikola Tesla pioneered the generation, transmission, and use of alternating current (AC)
electricity, which reduced the cost of transmitting electricity over long distances. Tesla's
inventions brought electricity into homes to power indoor lighting and into factories to power
industrial machines.
(Before 1879, arc lamps for outdoor lighting were powered by direct current (DC) electricity.
Alternating current (AC) energy was invented by Nikola Tesla in the late 1800s, and it has since
become more affordable to carry electricity across vast distances. Tesla's innovations made it
possible to power industrial machinery and interior illumination in homes and industries.)
The energy itself is held in the movement and configuration of electric charge. The flow of
electric charge (usually electrons) is electric current. Charge can build up on a capacitor and
store electrical energy. This energy is physically carried in the electric fields and magnetic fields
associated with how charges are arranged and moving, but can easily be turned into most
energy services.
(The movement and arrangement of electric charge contain the energy itself. Electric current is
the movement of an electric charge, often an electron. A capacitor may accumulate charge and
store electrical energy. Despite being physically conveyed in the electric and magnetic fields
created by the arrangement and motion of charges, this energy is easily converted into the
majority of energy services.)
Electrical conduction is the physical phenomenon that allows electricity to be transported easily.
Wires, materials made out of conductors (usually metals), are capable of transporting this
energy hundreds of kilometres. This system of transporting electrical energy is called the
electrical grid.
(The physical phenomena that makes it possible for electricity to be easily transmitted is
electrical conduction. This energy can travel hundreds of kilometers in wires, materials made of
conductors (often metals). The electrical grid is the name of this system for moving electrical
energy.)
Electrical energy is not a primary energy source, but rather an energy currency (read more in
the article electricity as an energy currency). Primary energy (like wind or natural gas) goes into
an electric generator to make electricity for easy use and transport. The energy that is
transported and used by so much of the modern high energy society must come, fundamentally,
from some primary fuel or primary flow.
(Electrical energy is an energy currency rather than a primary energy source (read more in the
article electricity as an energy currency). An electric generator uses primary energy (such as
wind or natural gas) to produce electricity that is simple to use and transfer. A primary fuel or
primary flow must, in essence, be the source of the energy that is carried and utilised by such a
large portion of the contemporary high energy society.)
Electrical energy is very convenient, and as a result more and more of the energy used by a
high energy society is in the form of electricity.
(Because electrical energy is so practical, a high energy society uses it for a growing portion of
its energy needs.)
A power plant is an industrial facility that generates electricity from primary energy. Most power
plants use one or more generators that convert mechanical energy into electrical energy[1] in
order to supply power to the electrical grid for society's electrical needs. The exception is solar
power plants, which use photovoltaic cells (instead of a turbine) to generate this electricity.
(A power plant is a type of industrial building used to produce electricity using raw materials. To
deliver energy to the electrical grid and meet society's electrical needs, the majority of power
plants employ one or more generators that transform mechanical energy into electrical energy.
Solar power plants are an exception, as they produce this electricity without the usage of a
turbine by using photovoltaic cells.)
The type of primary fuel or primary energy flow that provides a power plant its primary energy
varies. The most common fuels are coal, natural gas, and uranium (nuclear power). A
substantially used primary energy flow for electricity generation is hydroelectricity (water). Other
flows that are used to generate electricity include wind, solar, geothermal and tidal.
(A power plant's primary energy can come from a variety of primary fuel types or basic energy
flows. The most widely used fuels are uranium, natural gas, and coal (nuclear power).
Hydroelectricity is a widely utilized primary energy source for the production of electricity
(water). Wind, solar, geothermal, and tidal energy are other sources of electricity.)
Different countries get their electricity from different types of power plants. For example, in
Canada, most electricity generation comes from hydroelectric power plants which accounts for
about 60% of the total electricity generated in Canada. Please see the data visualization below
to explore how countries around the world get their electricity.
(Different kinds of power plants supply electricity to various nations. For instance, 60% of all
electricity produced in Canada comes from hydroelectric power plants, which produce the
majority of the country's electricity. To learn more about how different nations throughout the
world obtain their electricity, please examine the data visualization below.)
All power plants have a physical footprint (the location of the power plant). Some power plants
are located inside, on, or next to an existing building, so the footprint is fairly small. Most large
power plants require land clearing to build the power plant. Some power plants may also require
access roads, railroads, and pipelines for fuel delivery, electricity transmission lines, and cooling
water supplies. Power plants that burn solid fuels may have areas to store the combustion ash.
(Every power plant has a visible footprint (the location of the power plant). Some power plants
have a relatively modest footprint because they are situated inside, on, or next to an existing
structure. The majority of large power plants need land cleared in order to be built. For fuel
supply, electrical transmission lines, and supplies of cooling water, certain power plants may
also need access roads, railroads, and pipelines. There may be spaces in power stations that
burn solid fuels to store the combustion ash.)
Many power plants are large structures that alter the visual landscape. In general, the larger the
structure, the more likely it is that the power plant will affect the visual landscape.
(Many power plants are substantial buildings that change the surrounding environment. In
general, the likelihood that the power plant will have an impact on the surrounding scenery
increases with the size of the construction.)
Manufacturing comprises more than half of the Philippines's industrial sector and accounts for
almost a quarter of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). From an annual growth rate of
5.4% in 2012, the manufacturing sector grew by 10.5% in 2013 and 8.1% in 2014.
(More than half of the Philippines' industrial sector is made up of the manufacturing industry,
which also contributes over a quarter of the nation's GDP (GDP). The manufacturing sector
expanded by 10.5% in 2013 and 8.1% in 2014, from an annual growth rate of 5.4% in 2012.)
Manufacturing industries have higher employment, income and output multipliers relative to the
agriculture and services sectors. Manufacturing also promotes stronger inter-industry and inter-
sectorial linkages, firm productivity, technological development and innovation. As such, the
growth of the manufacturing industry improves the upgrading and diversification in the
agricultural sector, as well as drives demand for higher value-added services. Taking all these
into consideration, the Philippines is accelerating the manufacturing sector's competitiveness
towards the achievement of sustainable and inclusive development in the country.
(The manufacturing sector has greater employment, income, and output multipliers than
agriculture and services. Additionally, manufacturing fosters deeper inter-industry and inter-
sector ties, firm productivity, technological advancement, and innovation. Consequently, the
expansion of the manufacturing sector enhances the upgrading and diversification of the
agriculture sector and increases the need for services with more added value. Taking all of
these factors into account, the Philippines is boosting the competitiveness of the manufacturing
sector to achieve sustainable and inclusive development in the country.)