How to Generate AC Power
- 1). Use an alternator spun by a motor. This is how mechanical generators create an electric current. Using a gas or diesel powered motor they mechanically turn an alternator to produce AC power. Generators can be purchased at most hardware stores.
- 2). Use a hand-cranked alternator. Hand-cranked generators rely on the same principle as mechanical generators, turning a magnetic field within a set of coils. However these machines rely on human power to generate the AC electricity.
- 3). Use a commercial power plant. This is the way communities usually generate AC power. A commercial power plant produces great amounts of AC current by spinning large numbers of conductive wires within magnetic fields. They rely on a variety of energy sources to turn the wires including fossil fuels, hydroelectric power, steam-electric and nuclear power.
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