My little turbines

The construction of wind or water turbines connected to a small generator (alternator) allows you to experiment two different ways of transforming motion into electricity.

Most power plants in the World produce the movement required to opterate the alternator by heating water with coal, natural gas, oil or, as in nuclear power plants, through the fission of uranium atoms. After beeing heated in a closed tank and transformed into steam, the water volume increases dramatically. In the tank a great pressure is created which can be released to spin a turbine linked to an alternator. Unfortunately, this type of power plants produces a lot of pollution or dangerous waste and uses non-renewable energies.

This project shows that it it is also possible to produce the movement needed to operate an alternator with energies that are renewable such as the wind, water, waves or tides. These environementally friendly energies are also renewable. In Switzerland, about 60% of the electricity is already produced with the power of water.