Yup, thermal is essentially heat source turns water into steam, steam builds pressure and hits fins on a turbine and then steam condenses into water to 'circle back' to the heat source. Nuclear operates the same way. Only ones without water as a thermal transfer fluid are internal combustion, same as how your car works but those are the small home generators or backup generators and are way less efficient.
Can somebody math this one out for me? I see 40,000 missing megawatts, 23k is thermal, the rest is wind and solar right?
What is thermal? Just burning coal/gas?
Thermal I believe is coal, natural gas and nuclear.
Yup, thermal is essentially heat source turns water into steam, steam builds pressure and hits fins on a turbine and then steam condenses into water to 'circle back' to the heat source. Nuclear operates the same way. Only ones without water as a thermal transfer fluid are internal combustion, same as how your car works but those are the small home generators or backup generators and are way less efficient.
Yes, combustion (coal, gas, and rarely oil)
I’m assuming geothermal.