Movement energy can also be converted into electricity. When a magnet is moved near a coil made of copper wire, the result is electric energy. The image below shows a cross-section image of a flashlight that uses this kind of a swinging generator as its source of electricity. The magnet moves back and forth through the coil of copper wire. The lamp also contains a small unit that stores electric tension, which means that it does not have to be swinged constantly to produce light. An LED lamp serves as the flashlight's light source.


A flashlight that uses a swinging generator as its source of electricity.

Most often, the generator is not swung but rotated. The flashlight on the right is powered by a crank generator. The flashlight produces light only when the crank is rotated, because it does not contain a tension storage unit. 

When a generator is connected to a rotor, the flow of water, air or water vapor can also be converted into electricity.

In the images below, you can see two types of rotor generators. The rotor rotates the electric motor that functions as a generator. As a result of this, the movement energy of flowing air or water can be converted into electricity. 

On the left: A small rotor that rotates an electric motor. On the right: A rotor of an old waterpower plant. 

Large wind power generators or windmills have rotors with three long blades.

The rotors of vapor power plants are complex and therefore extremely powerful. Water vapor can be released by boiling water in large containers. The water can be set to boil by burning a fuel, such as coal, oil or peat. In nuclear power plants, water vapor is produced by splitting the cores of atoms in nuclear fission reactions. 


On the left: The rotors of wind power generators or windmills contain three long blades. On the right: The complex rotor of a vapor power plant is rotated by the pressure of water vapor. 

Sunlight can also be converted into electricity. To do this, we need a photoelectric cell, which contains two different forms of silicon (Si). These photoelectric cells are then connected together to form large, flat panels. Solar panels can be placed on the roof of a house, for example. They serve as sources of tension in electric circuits. They are often used in places that are not reached by large power grids, such as summer houses or distant islands. 


On the left: Solar panels being installed on a roof. On the right: An electronic traffic sign that is powered by a solar panel.