Electric power is the use of electric energy to do work. It lights, heats, and cools many homes. Electric power also runs television sets, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, and many other home appliances. Electric power operates machinery in factories. Escalators, elevators, and computers and other business machines in stores and offices use electric power.
Electric power drives many trains and subway systems.
On farms, electric machinery performs such tasks as pumping water, milking cows, and drying hay. Huge electric generators in power plants produce almost all the world's electric power. The majority of these plants burn coal, oil, or natural gas to run the generators. Most other plants drive the generators by means of nuclear energy or the force of falling water. Wires carry the electric current from power plants to the cities or other areas where it is needed.