2. Energy Conversion and Power Transmission

In order to intelligently examine claims that electrical power from renewable resources can provide the planet’s energy needs once fossil fuels run out, or become too dangerous to burn, we first need to know how it is generated and distributed. A good understanding of the science behind electrical power generation and transmission can be acquired, without undue ‘pain’, by relating electrical interactions to gravitational effects, with which we are all fairly familiar. Energy, work, and power, which can explain everyday activities such as the trajectory of a thrown cricket ball, are shown to have strong analogies in the electrical sphere, and as a result we can gain a valuable insight into the nature of electrical power systems by examining simpler gravitational processes.