Most electricity is created with a turbine generator. Turbine generators are large magnets inside metal rings that are wrapped with wires. A turbine forces the magnet to spin, which creates an electric field between the wires. To force the turbine to spin, power plants burn coal, oil and gas or use nuclear power to create steam. The energy in the steam forces the turbine to spin the generator.
Some power plants use water or wind to spin the generator.
Many utilities are working to develop new sources of energy. These sources include methane gas from solid waste and sewage, ethyl alcohol, burning garbage, and steam from heat under the earth's crust. Today, experts are experimenting with ways to produce electricity without using turbine generators, by using fuel cells and sunlight instead. Soon, a large amount of electricity is generated and ready to flow to you.