Understanding Electricity and a Look into How it is Powering Our Everyday Essentials

Electricity plays a crucial role in simplifying our home life by powering various electrical appliances. Additionally, electricity powers many industries and factories, enabling the operation of large machines. It powers electric trains, electric vehicles, and so many more applications. It is so intertwined in our daily lives that we hardly think about it, yet it's become as essential as water or food.

Now, what is Electricity?

Electricity is simply the flow of electrical charge, which powers everything from our homes to tech. Electric charge is a basic property of subatomic particles that causes them to experience forces when in electric and magnetic fields. There are two main types of electric charge: positive and negative. Positive charges are associated with protons, which are found in the nucleus of an atom and negative charges are linked to electrons, which orbit around the atomic nucleus.

How do we measure it?

Understanding electricity involves knowing the units we use to measure it. There are four fundamental units.

Voltage is the amount of work required to transfer one electric charge from one location to another. The unit of voltage is Volts (V)

Current refers to the amount of charge that flows across the circuit in a single unit of time. The unit of current is the Ampere (A).

Resistance refers to the opposition offered by the current flow in the circuit. It is measured in terms of Ohms (Ω).

Power refers to the product of work done and the number of electrons traveling through a circuit in a single unit of time. The unit of power is Watts (W).

The relationship between these units is captured by Ohm's Law, which states: V = I × R, which means voltage equals current multiplied by resistance.

And, Electrical power is measured as P = V × I.

Whenever we discuss electricity, a common point of discussion is AC and DC current. AC is short for alternating current, it is the type of electrical current that powers our homes and appliances. In AC the direction of the flow of electrons switches back and forth at regular intervals or cycles. This makes it much easier to generate and transport AC over long distances. Plus, AC is super flexible because it can be easily converted to different voltages using transformers.

DC (Direct Current) on the other hand, as the same suggests is a unidirectional flow of an electric charge, meaning current flows in one direction only. Think of it like this, Picture AC as a two-lane road where cars can go in both directions, making it more efficient for larger amounts of traffic. While DC acts more like a one-way street where traffic only goes in one direction.

How do we produce Electricity?

Today when we think about the methods to produce electricity, we have a diverse range of sources – Some of the most used are Fossil Fuels, nuclear, hydropower, Renewables, and Biomass.

Source: Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2024); Smil (2017), Our World in Data

Fossil Fuel Generation: This includes coal, oil, and natural gas. Burning these fuels generates steam in a heat exchanger, and the steam powers a turbine that drives a generator. While effective, this method contributes to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Nuclear Energy: Nuclear energy is a form of energy released from the nucleus, the core of atoms, made up of protons and neutrons. This source of energy can be produced in two ways: fission – when nuclei of atoms split into several parts, or fusion – when nuclei fuse. Inside nuclear power plants, nuclear reactors and their equipment contain and control the chain reactions, most commonly fuelled by uranium-235, to produce heat through fission. The heat warms the reactor’s cooling agent, typically water, to produce steam. The steam is then channelled to spin turbines, activating an electric generator to produce electricity. Pressurized water reactors are the most used in the world.

 Source: IAEA 

3. Hydropower: or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated by turbines powered by the force of falling or fast-flowing water. To create hydroelectric power, water is collected at a higher elevation and directed down through large pipes or tunnels, called penstocks, to a lower elevation. The difference in height between the two levels is referred to as the head. As the water flows downward, it causes turbines to spin. These turbines drive generators, which convert the mechanical energy into electricity. Afterward, transformers are used to increase the voltage of the electricity, making it suitable for long-distance transmission. 

  Source: Energy Education  

4. Renewable Energy: This category is booming currently, the definition of renewable energy is energy from sources that are naturally replenishing but flow-limited; renewable resources are virtually inexhaustible, but they are limited by the availability of the resources. Some common examples include solar panels, which convert sunlight directly into electricity, wind turbines, which capture the power of the wind, and biomass, which turns organic materials like wood or agricultural waste into energy. These sources are cleaner and sustainable, making them crucial for the future.

Now, the energy generated from these sources reaches our homes or businesses via the PowerGrid, a large network of transmission and distribution systems. Electricity is usually transmitted at very high voltages over power lines that stretch across the landscape. The reason for this is that higher voltage allows for less current to be used for the same amount of power, which reduces energy loss (since resistance in the lines causes some of the electricity to turn into heat). When the electricity reaches local neighbourhoods, transformers step down the voltage to a safer, lower level for use in homes and businesses.

According to think tank Ember, in 2023, India generated 78% (1,536 TWh) of its electricity from fossil fuels, which is higher than the global average of 61% and the regional average of 68% in Asia. Coal had the largest share at 75% (1,480 TWh) – the second-highest share of coal generation in the G20 behind South Africa. Gas contributed 2.6% (51 TWh) while other fossil fuels contributed 0.2% (4.0 TWh). Clean generation (solar, wind, Hydro, etc) made up 22% of India’s electricity mix, compared to the global average of 39% and 32% in Asia.

Globally, the electricity demand is expected to keep rising, driven by the growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), expanding data centres for AI and cryptocurrency, and other factors.

Source:IEA 

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Global electricity demand is expected to rise at a faster rate over the next three years, growing by an average of 3.4% annually through 2026. Showing how Electricity is a remarkable and essential part of modern life.