Key learning points

1. Over half of the electricity in the UK is generated from the Sun, wind and falling water.
2. Many power stations in the UK burn natural gas and oil to heat water into steam.
3. The moving steam in power stations pushes turbines, which drive electric generators that produce electricity.
4. Natural gas and oil are fossil fuels used in power stations; coal is no longer used in UK power stations.
5. Natural gas, oil, waste and wood are fuels that produce greenhouse gases and pollutants when burned.

Keywords

• Electric generator - works like a motor in reverse, generating electricity when it is pushed round

• Fuel - a substance that is burned for heating

• Non-renewable resource - a resource that cannot be replenished

• Pollutant - a substance that causes damage to air, water or land and is likely to harm living organisms

• Greenhouse gases - gases in the atmosphere that keep it warmer than it would be without them

Common misconception