F. U. N with Science F.U.N With Science_1_FINAL_UPDATE v3 | Page 8

Combustible
Energy Production
6
Electricity makes Barbados
go round. It powers
everything we use and
rely
on
for
our
everyday needs. All
electricity in Barbados
comes
from
the
Barbados
Light
&
Power Co. Ltd (BL&P).
However,
the
energy
provided and the source of
energy are not the same thing.
The electricity generated
by the BL&P is generated
from many different fuel
sources. Fuel can be
described as anything
which provides energy.
Most fuel sources with
which you may be
familiar are combustible
materials that are ignited
to create heat. This heat
is then applied on a large scale
to produce electricity by the use
of power generators and power-
plants.
Where It
Comes From
As the sole provider of electricity to every residential household and
commercial business across the island, BL&P plays a
vital role in our fuel usage and conservation. To
generate electricity, they employ three different
types of fuel sources: diesel, oil and natural gas.
These fuel sources are known as fossil fuels. Fossil
fuels come from the remains of dead organisms
buried deep below the earth’s surface, for billions
of years. These fossil fuels are the liquefied form of
the same fossils which archaeologists search to
discover and analyse.
Fossil
To provide electricity, BL&P burns these fuels to power
generators that are set up according to the following system:
A rotating shaft is
mounted on a powerful
electromagnet
The shaft turns inside
a cylindrical iron shell
(strator)
The electromagnet,
acting inside a field of
wire coils in the strator
produces electricity.