Electric Power

Electric power is the rate of transfer of electrical energy within a circuit. Electric power is energy generated through the conversion of other forms of energy, such as mechanical, thermal, or chemical energy. Electric energy is unrivaled for many uses, as for lighting, computer operation, motive power, and entertainment applications. For other uses it is competitive, as for many industrial heating applications, cooking, space heating, and railway traction. Electric power is characterized by current or the flow of electric charge and voltage or the potential of charge to deliver energy. A given value of power can be produced by any combination of current and voltage values. If the current is direct, electronic charge progresses always in the same direction through the device receiving power. If the current is alternating, electronic charge moves back and forth in the device and in the wires connected to it. For many applications either type of current is suitable, but alternating current (AC) is most widely available because of the greater efficiency with which it can be generated and distributed. A direct current (DC) is required for certain industrial applications, such as electroplating and electrometallurgical processes and for most electronic devices.