energy conversion
Changing energy forms
Energy conversion is the transformation of energy from one form to another.
A power plant converts chemical energy in fuel to electrical energy.
Solar panels convert light to electricity.
Engines convert fuel to mechanical motion.
The human body converts food to heat and movement.
No conversion is perfectly efficient—some energy always dissipates, usually as heat.
- steam engineThermal vapor motor
- heat enginesDevices converting thermal energy
- waste heatUnusable thermal energy byproduct
- heat pumpThermal energy transfer device
- solar panelsLight-converting power generators
solar farm · batteries · electromagnetism · photovoltaic effect · thermodynamics · transducers · fuel cells · power plants · power grid · metabolism · photosynthesis · power generation · alternators · entropy · wind turbines · efficiency · electricity · electric vehicles
- energyelectricity, power, oil, fuel, gas
- conversionconverting, converts, encoding, decoding, transcoding
- power transmissiontransformer, transformers, drives, transmission lines, power lines
- nuclear physicsfission, nuclear fission, neutron, proton, reactor
- thermodynamicsentropy, enthalpy, heat transfer, heat capacity, second law
- cogenerationcogeneration, waste heat, thermal power, power generation, steam turbine
energy conversionenergy storage
Capturing power for later
energy conservation · energy loss · heat death · energy generation · energy production
energy conversionstasis
State of inactivity
equilibrium · steady state · inertia · stability · homeostasis