What type of facilities generate electricity using thermal energy?

Thermal power plants generate electricity using thermal energy primarily through the process of converting heat energy into mechanical energy, which subsequently generates electrical energy. In these plants, various fuels such as coal, natural gas, or oil are burned to produce steam. This steam drives a turbine connected to a generator, thus producing electricity. The efficiency and design of thermal power plants can vary, but their fundamental operation relies on heat energy resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels or biomass and, in some cases, more advanced technologies like supercritical steam processes.

Hydro power plants utilize kinetic energy from flowing water, while wind power plants harness energy from wind flow, neither of which involve thermal energy. Nuclear power plants, although they generate electricity from thermal energy produced by nuclear fission, are distinct from conventional thermal power plants that primarily rely on the combustion of fossil fuels or biomass for heat. Thus, while both nuclear and thermal power plants use heat, the classification of facilities generating electricity specifically through thermal means aligns with thermal power plants.