Geothermal power stations

Geothermal power stations use natural heat from the deepest underground layers of out planet. This heat comes to the Earth's surface as hot water, stream and hot gases.

Geothermal energy can be used in two ways:

• It can be used directly to provide hot water for heatingand industrial uses. insome places, this hot water is used for bathing and health spas.
• It can be used indirectly to drive generators and produce electricity.

Marine power stations

Marine power stations use the movement of ocean water to generate electricity. There are three general types of marine power stations:

• Tidal power stations, which use the energy of tides 
• Wave power stations, which use the energy of waves.
• Ocean thermal conversion stations, which use the difference in water temperature between the surfece of the ocean and deeper areas to produce energy.

Biomass power stations

Biomass is any organic material that is produced by natural processes.

In a biomass power station, the fuel used to produce energy comes from biomass. The steam produced from burning the biomass moves a turbine that is connected to a generator (alternator).

Solar power stations

Solar power stations use energy from sunlight to generate electricity. There are two main types of solar power station: solar thermal and photovoltaic

Solar thermal stations
-With solar collectors that absorb sunlight in order to produce heat.
- With mirrors called heliostats that reflect and concentrate sunlight in one place.

Photovoltaic stations

In photovoltaic stations, solar panels covert sunlight directly into electricity. Each panel contains many photovoltaic cells

Small solar power installations can provide energy for homes and rural areas. Excess power can be stored in batteries or accumalators and used at night.