View source for Energy conversion technology

 [[Category:Done 2021-10-29]] 
[[Category:Translated to Spanish]]
[[Category:Translated to French]]
[[fr:Technologie de conversion d'énergie]]
[[es:Tecnología de conversión de energía]]
[[File:Coal power plant Datteln 2 Crop1.png|thumb|300px|Figure 1. Coal power plants are energy conversion technologies because they convert chemical energy of their fuel into electricity.<ref>Wikimedia Commons [Online], Available: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Coal_power_plant_Datteln_2_Crop1.png</ref>]]

<onlyinclude>'''Energy conversion technology''' refers to any system that converts [[energy]] from one form to another.</onlyinclude> Energy comes in different forms, including [[heat]], [[work]] and [[kinetic energy|motion]]. Moreover, [[potential energy]] can be in the form of [[nuclear energy|nuclear]], [[chemical energy|chemical]], [[elastic potential energy|elastic]], [[gravitational potential energy|gravitational]], or [[radiant energy]] (also known as [[light]]). All of these can be converted into useful energy, with the one of the most common and versatile forms being [[electricity]].<ref name=wolf>R. Wolfson, "Electricity" in ''Energy, Environment, and Climate'', 2nd ed., New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012, ch. 11, sec. 1, pp. 292</ref>

The main goal of [[power plant]]s is to take a [[fuel]] like [[coal]], [[natural gas]] or [[uranium]], and transform it into electricity. This makes power plants an energy conversion technology, and they are the largest energy conversion technologies by far. Other conversion technologies include [[motor vehicle|cars]], [[battery|batteries]], [[heater]]s and [[generator]]s. Power plants have to make use of many energy conversions in order to get to the final goal—electricity. A coal plant provides a good example: 

#[[Chemical energy]] is stored in the [[hydrocarbon]] [[molecule]]s in the coal. When the coal is [[hydrocarbon combustion|combusted]], this chemical energy is transformed into [[heat]]. '''(Chemical energy → Heat)'''
#The hot exhaust gases from the combustion reaction is used to heat up [[water]] into [[steam]], which travels through pipes at high [[pressure]]s and [[speed]]s.'''(Heat → Heat)'''
#The steam then expands through a [[turbine]], producing [[mechanical energy]] of motion. '''(Heat → Motion)'''
#The motion of the turbine spins an electrical generator, which causes electricity to flow. '''(Motion → Electricity)''' 

In fact our own bodies are extremely complex conversion technologies. They take chemical energy from food and convert that into different forms of chemical energy that we need in order to operate. Our body can then use this energy to convert into many other forms: Heat, movement, sound, gravitational potential energy, and more. 

===More examples===

*[[Heat engine]]s (Chemical energy → Heat → Mechanical energy)
*[[Combustion|Fire]] (Chemical energy → Heat and light)
*[[Electric circuit]] with a [[battery]] (Chemical energy → Electricity → an [[energy service]] like light)
*[[Wind turbine]]s (Motion of [[wind]] → Electricity)
*[[Cell phone]]s (Sound ↔ Electricity ↔ Electromagnetic radiation)

==For Further Reading==
*[[Chemical energy]]
*[[Potential energy]]
*[[Heat]]
*[[Engine]]
*[[Power plant]]
*Or explore a [[Special:Random|random page]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Uploaded]]