Power generation
The term 'power generation' describes the process of generating electrical power. Types of power generation include:
- Fossil fuel thermal energy such as coal or natural gas.
- Biogas energy.
- Geothermal energy.
- Hydroelectricity.
- Wind energy.
- Solar thermal energy.
- Tidal energy.
- Photovoltaics.
- Nuclear energy.
- Chemical energy generated from fuel cells, batteries, and so on.
Power stations are normally located away from centres of population where fossil fuels are abundant or good transport links exist. Many of these locations are well away from the towns and cities where the electricity is used and hence there is a need for electricity transmission and distribution.
The national power supply network is managed by four types of organisation:
- Generators - responsible for producing the electricity.
- Suppliers - responsible for supply and selling electricity to consumers.
- Transmission network - responsible for the transmission of electricity across the country.
- Distributors - those who own and operate the local distribution network from the national transmission network to homes and businesses.
Microgeneration is the local production of power on a very small scale in comparison to the typical output of a power station.
Consumers can qualify for an ‘export tariff’ by selling surplus electricity back to their supplier. Allowable technologies are:
- Solar photovoltaic panels.
- Wind turbines.
- Water turbines.
- Anaerobic digestion (biogas energy).
- Micro combined heat and power (micro-CHP).
NB Net Zero by 2050, A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector, published by the International Energy Agency in May 2021, suggests that power generation: ‘Refers to fuel use in electricity plants, heat plants and combined heat and power (CHP) plants. Both main activity producer plants and small plants that produce fuel for their own use (auto-producers) are included.’
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Arcing.
- Building an electrical grid for our times.
- Dispatchable generation.
- Electricity supply.
- Energy consumption.
- Energy storage.
- Engineering Recommendation G99.
- Fossil fuel.
- Hydroelectricity.
- Micro-grids.
- Microgeneration.
- Oil - a global perspective.
- Power.
- Renewable energy.
- Smart Export Guarantee SEG.
- Solar photovoltaics.
- Substation.
- The future of UK power generation.
- Types of fuel.
- Using P-DfMA to decarbonise coal-fired power stations.
- Watt.
Featured articles and news
Plumbing and heating for sustainability in new properties
Technical Engineer runs through changes in regulations, innovations in materials, and product systems.
Awareness of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
What CBAM is and what to do about it.
The new towns and strategic environmental assessments
12 locations of the New Towns Taskforce reduced to 7 within the new towns draft programme and open consultation.
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.
The Sustainability Pathfinder© Handbook
Built environment agency launches free Pathfinder© tool to help businesses progress sustainability strategies.
Government outcome to the late payment consultation, ECA reacts.
IHBC 2025 Gus Astley Student Award winners
Work on the role of hewing in UK historic conservation a win for Jack Parker of Oxford Brookes University.
Future Homes Building Standards and plug-in solar
Parts F and L amendments, the availability of solar panels and industry responses.
How later living housing can help solve the housing crisis
Unlocking homes, unlocking lives.
Preparing safety case reports for HRBs under the BSA
A new practical guide to preparing structural inputs for safety cases and safety case reports published by IStructE.
Male construction workers and prostate cancer
CIOB and Prostate Cancer UK encourage awareness of prostate cancer risks, and what to do about it.
The changed R&D tax landscape for Architects
Specialist gives a recap on tax changes for Research and Development, via the ACA newsletter.
Structured product data as a competitive advantage
NBS explain why accessible product data that works across digital systems is key.
Welsh retrofit workforce assessment
Welsh Government report confirms Wales faces major electrical skills shortage, warns ECA.
A now architectural practice looks back at its concept project for a sustainable oceanic settlement 25 years on.
Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
Government report and back track on copyright opt out for AI training but no clear preferred alternative as yet.
Embedding AI tools into architectural education
Beyond the render: LMU share how student led research is shaping the future of visualisation workflows.
Why document control still fails UK construction projects
A Chartered Quantity Surveyor explains what needs to change and how.
Inspiration for a new 2026 wave of Irish construction professionals.
New planning reforms and Warm Homes Bill
Take centre stage at UK Construction Week London.