Are You Curious About Electricity? Here Are Some Facts

Facts about electricity
Electricity is integral to every part of our lives, powering not just light and heat, but production processes, communication devices. It plays a part in the lifecycle of most of the items in our homes via production, transport or usage. Here are 10 interesting facts about electricity:

  1. The ancient Greeks discovered electricity around 600BC. They noted that amber and fur when rubbed together attract each other through static electricity (electricity that stays in one place).
  2. Scientists believe the Persians and the Romans created batteries after finding pots in an archaeological dig that were lined with copper sheets. It has been suggested that these were used to electroplate artwork.
  3. Ancient Egyptians probably used electric lamps since no other energy sources have been found by archaeologists. Also, some artwork from the era depicts electric lamps.
  4. In our home appliances, electricity flows through wires at a speed of 1/100th of the speed of light. That is 186,00 miles per second.
  5. A single lightning bolt, which can be three million volts, reaches temperatures of 30,000 degrees centigrade or 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Three million volts can light up 200,000 average homes, which is the same amount of electricity as a 600-megawatt natural gas plant.

  6. Iceland obtains 100 per cent of its energy from renewable resources of geothermal and hydro-power. Costa Rica gets 99 per cent of its electricity needs from hydroelectric, geothermal, and wind sources.
  7. If someone is “electrocuted” it means they were killed by electricity. If you are hit with electricity and live, that is an electric shock, not electrocution.
  8. In Sweden, there are some trains that generate five times the amount of electricity they use. This energy powers other trains and nearby towns.
  9. Water does not conduct electricity. It is the impurities in water that make it conduct electricity.
  10. The global demand for electricity could be met in the future through the conversion of ocean thermal energy conversion, which would not harm the oceans or the wider environment.