Thermal power plants: what they are and how they work in Brazil

Thermal power plants produce electricity from heat released by the combustion of natural coal, fuel oil, wood, and natural gas. Operation: material is burned heating a boiler generating high-pressure steam that moves turbines connected to the generator. Advantages include construction close to consumer centers saving transmission and constant production regardless of the weather. Brazil has almost 2,000 thermal power plants responsible for a quarter of the total capacity. Highlights include the Jorge Lacerda Complex in SC, the largest in Latin America…