Thermal Power Station

A thermal power station is a facility that converts heat energy from a fuel source, such as coal, natural gas or nuclear fuel, into electricity. In most designs water is heated and pressurized in a boiler to produce high pressure steam, which rotates a turbine that is mechanically connected to an electric generator. Thermal power stations account for roughly seventy percent of the world's electricity supply and provide the reliable, continuous baseload power that helps maintain grid stability. Efficiency varies by design and vintage, from about twenty to thirty five percent for a simple cycle gas turbine up to around forty six percent for modern coal plants, though burning fossil fuels also releases greenhouse gases and pollutants such as sulfur and nitrogen oxides.