Question

Fuel used in thermal power plants is
A) water
B) uranium
C) biomass
D) fossil fuels

Answer 1

Hint
Thermal power plants generate electricity by heating water using coal, petroleum as fuel to turn a turbine. It is the most widely used kind of power plant worldwide up to this date.

Complete step by step answer
For option (A) - Water is used as a fuel by splitting it into hydrogen and oxygen which releases energy in the process however the amount of energy released in the process is less than what we need to split it in the first place. Hence water cannot be used as a fuel.
For option (B) - Uranium is radioactive in nature. It is used in nuclear power plants where the process of nuclear fission is used to break Uranium into lighter elements and energy is released in the process. However it is not used as fuel in thermal power plants.
For option (C) - Biomass is used as a fuel but in biomass powered plants where biomass such as organic waste, wood etc is burned and the steam is used to power a turbine that generates electricity.
For option (D) - A majority of the world’s energy is provided by fossil fuels i.e. coal petroleum or natural gas which are utilized by thermal power plants.
Hence option (D) is the correct answer.

Additional Information
Large amount of pollution is caused by thermal power plants which leads to global warming because of which more sustainable power sources such as solar, wind energy are utilized these days to generate electricity.

Note
Different types of power plants utilize different kinds of fuel to generate electricity. Thermal power plants utilize the heat energy released by burning of fossil fuels to power a turbine which is where the name thermal power plant comes from.