ABSTRACT
When electricity is generated in thermal power plants, the conversion efficiency is limited by the laws of thermodynamics. When a fuel is combusted, yielding a substance such as water steam at a certain temperature to drive a turbine, the rotational energy can then be fed into an electromagnetic generator that delivers the power output desired. The temperature of the heat delivered to the turbine (e.g. by steam), determines the efficiency, and the second law of thermodynamics states that there is a maximum, which is 50% at a steam temperature 300 °C above the ambient one (Sørensen, 1993).
