Although it’s not widely publicized, a majority of the energy used to generate electricity is wasted in the form of heat discharged to the environment. For better or worse, that’s just the way a typical thermal power plant works.

Fuel, such as coal, biomass, natural gas, or uranium (in the case of nuclear plants), is used to heat water, producing high-temperature and high-pressure steam. The steam is admitted into a turbine, which spins a generator to produce electricity. However, not all of the energy stored in the steam is converted to useful work through the process.

In order for the cycle to continue, the steam exhausted from the turbine must be returned to its liquid form inside a condenser. In a fairly standard arrangement, the condenser is cooled by river, lake, or ocean water. The cooling water from the condenser is often simply released back to its source, and with it, the energy that was transferred inside the condenser.

Waste Not, Want Not

The average U.S.…

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