Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems
Chapter One
BASIC ELECTRIC
AND MAGNETIC CIRCUITS
1.1 INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRIC CIRCUITS
In elementary physics classes you undoubtedly have been introduced to the fundamental
concepts of electricity and how real components can be put together
to form an electrical circuit. A very simple circuit, for example, might consist
of a battery, some wire, a switch, and an incandescent lightbulb as shown in
Fig. 1.1. The battery supplies the energy required to force electrons around the
loop, heating the filament of the bulb and causing the bulb to radiate a lot of heat
and some light. Energy is transferred from a source, the battery, to a load, the
bulb. You probably already know that the voltage of the battery and the electrical
resistance of the bulb have something to do with the amount of current that will
flow in the circuit. From your own practical experience you also know that no
current will flow until the switch is closed. That is, for a circuit to do anything,
the loop has to be completed so that electrons can flow from the ... read full excerpt from Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems ebook
