Source of Electricity in South Sulawesi

Source of Electricity in South Sulawesi

In South Sulawesi the 2 basic methods of producing Electric Power are hydroelectric generation, based on the energy contained in flowing water, and thermal generation, based on the production of steam. At the centre of nearly all power stations is a generator, a rotating machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy by creating relative motion between a magnetic field and a conductor. The energy source harnessed to turn the generator varies widely. It depends chiefly on what fuels are easily available and the types of technology that the power company has access to.

In thermal power stations, mechanical power is produced by a heat engine, which transforms thermal energy, often from combustion of a fuel, into rotational energy. Most thermal power plants produce steam, and these are sometimes called steam power plants. Not all thermal energy can be transformed to mechanical power, according to the second law of thermodynamics. Therefore, thermal power plants also produce low-temperature heat. If no use is found for the heat, it is lost to the environment. If reject heat is employed as useful heat, for industrial processes or district heating, the power plant is referred to as a cogeneration power plant or CHP (combined heat-and-power) plant.

South Sulawesi's installed electrical generating capacity in 2005 was 543.93 megawatts: 36.06% derived from hydroelectric (own by PLN), 13.96 from oil (own by PLN), 41% from natural gas (Independence