What is a Power Generator?

A power generator is a device that transforms any form of motion into usable electricity. While this is normally accomplished by a type of piston engine or flywheel design, there are many types of power generators in use by residential and commercial customers. The makeup of a wind power generator, for example, harnesses the wind's energy in order to turn the rotors that are attached to an energy collection device. Gas and solar-powered generators work in a completely different manner, but essentially produce the same result, which is why they fall under the same category. Large manufacturing plants will use a power generator to power complex machinery that requires a constant draw of power, and electrical companies often implement a massive power generator to supplement entire cities with electricity.

As technology flourishes across the globe, clean power is a topic that is frequently visited. World leaders are constantly looking for innovative ways to break their country's dependency on oil, and a renewable power generator is often the answer. Wind turbines, solar panels, and hydroelectric dams are but a few of the innovative ways to accomplish this task. Since these technologies are finally becoming affordable for the average consumer, the next millennium should show a massive shift in how consumers receive power. Eventually, there will be a power generator of some sort within every household and business throughout the world, eliminating the need for a public utility to supply electricity.

An underwater power generator is currently a big topic with global officials because it harnesses the ocean's waves to create electricity for coastal cities. Massive turbines that spin several hundred times per minute are installed on the ocean's sandy bottom to take advantage of the natural tide that is always in motion, and in essence, they look and function exactly like a wind power generator. Both of these devices relay the energy collected into a central motor which turns and produces electricity. At that point, it is either tied into a central grid for distribution or stored within large batteries for storage.

The world will most likely remain dependent on the gas power generator for decades to come because it is the easiest to implement and the most readily available. Almost every vehicle in the world has a gas-powered generator in the form of an alternator, and while the technology is present to collect this energy by other means, it is nowhere near affordable for the average consumer. During a power outage or a natural disaster, the gas-powered generator is still hands-down the device that most consumers turn to, and years of depending on this type of power generator is not likely to fade any time soon.