energy

5 articles · All tags

• How the Power Grid Works
  How the power grid delivers electricity from plants to homes — generation, high-voltage transmission, grid balancing, frequency control, and transformers.
• How Solar Cells Work
  The photovoltaic effect: how a silicon junction turns photons into current, why panel efficiency sits near 20%, and what actually limits it.
• How Batteries Work
  Batteries explained: oxidation and reduction at two electrodes, why voltage is chemistry, why capacity fades, and what actually limits fast charging.
• Photosynthesis
  The process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy into chemical energy, releasing oxygen as a byproduct.
• Second Law of Thermodynamics
  The law that entropy in an isolated system never decreases, fixing the direction of natural processes and limiting the efficiency of engines.