Q.Visit any nearby thermal power station / hydro-power station / nuclear power plant. Observe how these plants work.

This is an open-ended field activity rather than a question with a single fixed answer. Its purpose is to let you see first-hand how a power station converts its raw energy source into the electricity that runs the economy, so you connect the chapter's ideas about power infrastructure to a real generating unit. …

How to approach it

Arrange a visit (with your school or family) to a nearby power station. Observe and note how it works:

• a thermal plant burns coal, oil or gas to produce steam that drives turbines;
• a hydro (hydel) plant uses the force of flowing or falling water to turn turbines; and
• a nuclear plant uses the heat from atomic reactions to produce steam. …