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What is the difference between electrostatic generator and power supply?

Does a generator in a power plant produce potential difference or current ?

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    This is a good question and one that is often not thought through. The generator creates a voltage, a potential difference. This potential difference is what's called a 'scalar' field. A scalar has only magnitude everywhere, with no specific direction attached. It is the conducting power-line wire gage and the loads on the circuit that actually results in electron current flow. Can you see how that might work? The generator produces a scalar voltage #force field or energy# across the power-line wires and the loads plugged into the power-lines, it is the power-lines and loads that draws current flow. Electron current is a vector field #having both magnitude and direction# that exists on and inside any conducting material. For example, if you have a voltage source across a load that draws 100 mA, then you change the load such that the current drawn is 1.0 A; if the wires connecting the voltage to the load are not large enough to produce and carry that much current, the wires get hot and burn open. If you replace the original wires with wires of a smaller gage, larger diameter, the wires can now safely supply the additional current. Does that sort of make sense? Generator supplies the "push"; conducting wires and load supply the "electrons" that get pushed around the circuit and back to the battery #force# and through the battery back into the wires and load. See: DC Circuit Water Analogy http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/watcir.html

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IT actually produces both, but - - - What you are asking is whether a generator looks more like a voltage source or a current source. A voltage source produces a fixed voltage, and the current that flows is determined by the load. A current source produces a fixed current, with the voltage drop across it determined by the load. From that perspective, a generator is a voltage source. The load determines how much current flows (ie, how much power it actually produces).

monophoto

A generator produces a voltage. If an external load is connected to it, a current will flow. So it actually produces both.

Laird Vulpine

Both. You must have voltage (potential difference) to produce current. TexMav

texasmaverick

A given generator produces a Voltage (potential difference) amplitude that is independent of the value of the load impedance within the range of it`s rated power output. The same generator produces a current whose amplitude is almost 100% dependent on the presence of a load impedance whose value is less than infinity. The output current of a generator approaches zero as the load impedance approaches infinity whereas the output Voltage of the generator is fixed over the range of the generator`s power rating. From this I think it could be said that a generator produces a Voltage (potential difference) which is capable of furnishing the current through a load impedance that furnishes a conduction path for the current to flow through when connected across the generator`s output terminals. Internal to the generator I believe that first a current is induced through a series of closed loop windings which causes a Voltage to be developed across the impedance of those winding. Looking at it from this view point you might say that a generator first produces a current which develops a Voltage during the process.

Mr. Un-couth

Potential difference (volts). However the by product of this is that if the circuit is completed then a current will flow too

whycantigetagoodnickname

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