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Nuclear power plants have been build in several sizes. The nuclear reactor to generate electricity was EBR-1, the Experimental Breeder Reactor number 1 in Idaho. On December 20th 1952 it generated enough electricity to power four light bulbs!
On June 27 1954 the Obninisk Nuclear Power Station in the USSR became the first nuclear reactor to provide electricity to an electricity grid. It was a 5MW (electric) reactor.
In general the larger a reactor the cheaper the electricity it produces, although larger reactors are arguably less safe than smaller ones. The largest nuclear power plant in the world currently is the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant. It has seven reactors in the gigawatt range, KK-1 to KK-5, which are boiling water reactors with an rated output of 1.067GW(e) each, and KK-6 and KK-7, advanced boiling water reactors each with rated outputs of 1.315GW(e). However these reactors and their associated fuel fabrication facilities have been plagued with problems including management malfeasance, falsification of data and earthquakes. All reactors are currently offline for inspection.
a reactor is the cheaper it can produce electricity though, and recent designs have be in the multi-gigawatt range.
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How is electricity produced at a power station?
In a coal-fired power station, a boiler burns coal to produce steam. The steam makes a turbine spin. The turbine drives an electricity generator. The electricity from the generator is converted to a higher voltage by a transformer. This higher voltage is to enable transmission over long power lines without losing too much energy. When it comes to reach our homes, it is then converted back into lower voltage by other transformers. Nuclear power stations are similar - instead of a coal-fired boiler, a nuclear reactor creates the steam. Wind turbines use the blades to turn the generator.
How does electricity go from the power plant to your home?
The power plant generates electric power that is connected to a grid network of wires usually on overhead pylons that connect up all the generators in that grid system. Many countries have one grid connecting up the whole country. The good thing about the grid is that all the generators contribute power and all the users draw power out, and if one generator has a fault and drops out the users should not notice it.
What is load shadding?
Load Shedding is the action taken to reduce the load on something. It mainly refers to the electricity supply in order to avoid too much load on a generating plant.
How can I get more power from my generator?
The best way to solve your problem would be to discuss options with your electricity supplier. They may be able to solve your problem sufficiently without very much hassle.
How much electricity was used in 2008?
193210020 megawats
