Question

What type of generator are used at power stations?

Answer 1

A generator is the one which converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. The two types of generator are AC generator and DC generator, depending on the requirement of the type of current the type of generator will be chosen.

Complete answer:
AC generators are used in the power stations.
AC generator and DC generator both use electromagnetic induction to generate electricity. But the process of generating the current is different. An AC generator creates an alternating current that periodically reverses the direction of current whereas in a DC generator, direct current flows in one direction.
AC generators are preferred over DC generators in power stations because:-
$\Rightarrow$ The loss of energy in transmitting the AC voltage over long distance with the help of a step up transformer is negligible as compared to DC voltage that AC is more efficient.
$\Rightarrow$ AC voltage can be stepped up and stepped down as per the requirement by using step up and step down transform respectively.
$\Rightarrow$ AC is economical and less complicated compared to DC.

Additional information:
Any type of generator will work on the principle of electromagnetic induction. Electromagnetic induction occurs when an electric current passes through a shifting magnetic field, which allows mechanical energy to be converted into electrical energy. Slip rings are used in AC generators to get AC current. AC current can be converted to DC current by using split rings, that is split rings will act as commutators.

Note: It should be noted that AC generators are used in power generating stations not the DC generator because of its wide range of advantages compared to DC generators and also the efficiency of AC generators is more compared to DC generators.