What we use on a daily basis and what we could not live with is electricity. We could not conceive of a world with the current rhythm of life without the use of electricity. However, many people do not know what is electricity nor how it is produced. Since it is of great importance for the development of human beings and technology, we are going to dedicate this article to tell what electricity is and all its characteristics.
If you want to know what electricity is, how important it is, how it is generated and how it is distributed, this is your post.
What is electricity
Before knowing what electricity is, we must know the definition of energy. We define energy as the ability of a body a substance to be able to carry out work. When we look at these technological and economic aspects of today, we must refer to energy as a kind of natural resource. Energies are manipulated and transformed, according to our convenience, to be able to carry out different types of work.
Electricity can be given different uses such as industrial and domestic. It must be borne in mind that energy as such is not created or destroyed, it is only transformed. The fact that there are different energy transformations does not mean that they can be reversible. In each transformation, the energy is degraded to such an extent that it is not possible to extract more work from this natural resource. Any transformation of a natural resource to be able to produce work it has a greater or lesser impact on the environment.
After all that has been summarized, we can define what electricity is. It is a form of energy that is based mainly on the fact that matter has both positive and negative electrical charges. When using several electrical charges that are at relative rest, electrostatic forces boast between them. When the tasks are in relative motion, a kind of electric current is established and magnetic fields are created. This is how electricity is created.
Basic parameters
The basic parameters are those that help define what electricity is. They are those that allow to quantify electricity as a form of energy. These basic parameters are as follows: the voltage or voltage, the electrical current or intensity, the electrical power and the electrical energy produced or consumed. Each type of basic parameter is measured in different units.
Voltage is measured in volts, electrical intensity is measured in amps, electrical power is measured in watts, and electrical energy consumed or produced is measured in watt hours. With all these basic units of measurements, the multiples that are the most used can be stopped. Among them we have the kilovolts, kilo amperes, kilowatts, gigawatts and gigawatt hours, among others.
As a basic characteristic of electricity, we can mention that it is clean energy at the place of consumption. That is to say, it is a type of energy that does not smell, cannot be detected by sight and cannot be appreciated by the ear. Electric energy can be easily obtained from different types of primary energies that are divided into renewable and non-renewable energies. For example, it can be produced as a result of the use of fossil fuels or through nuclear energy or renewable energies such as water, wind and sun.
Depending on the type of extraction or generation of electrical energy, there will be more or less consequence on the environment. Since electricity is used all over the world without exception, it must be taken into account that the method of generating electricity must be as respectful as possible with the environment. Electricity is produced from a process of transformation and transportation from the generation sites to the consumption centers. They are transported by underground power lines and cables.
More about electricity
Electricity, whether static or not, can give rise to different phenomena. For example, it can manifest itself in the form of electric arcs such as lightning. They can also be formed as mechanical, thermal, luminous phenomena and signal emission, among others. We can say that electricity is used to generate movement, heat or cold, light and to start various electronic devices. It is also used for telecommunications systems, information processing systems, etc.
We can see electricity almost everywhere on the planet. It is used in areas from industry, the tertiary sector, hospitals, means of transport, homes ... It can be said that electricity has not only been a technical process but that it has meant a social change of extraordinary implications throughout the planet. In fact, electricity is today considered a basic need to be able to carry out a large number of activities around the world. It is only necessary to analyze the consequences that it has when there is an interruption in the electrical power supply.
It is here where we realize the great dependence of our society on this type of energy. The factories could not continue their production processes. Telephones, computers, traffic lights, internet, refrigerators, medical equipment, drinking water pumps, gas boilers would not work either., etc. In other words, human life in society cannot be carried out today without electricity. Such is the importance of it that it has been spoken in numerous times of an electric apocalypse. This apocalypse is nothing more than the indefinite interruption of the electricity supply around the world.
There is also an aspect that worries society and that is that electrical energy cannot be stored economically in large quantities. This forces it to be generated at the same rate that it is consumed every moment. In other words, there needs to be continuity between energy production and consumption. This continuity is what is defined as an electric circuit and if the circulation of electric current is interrupted, it could also be interrupted.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about what electricity is and its importance for humans.