Tennessee Valley Authority
Media Downloads
TVA
logos
Executive photos
TVA site photos
Generating facility diagrams and animations
Download Instructions
To download any of the files, follow these instructions:
For Windows: right click and choose “Save Link As”
For Macintosh: hit Control-Click and choose the appropriate Save option
TVA Logos
Rules for using the TVA logos as well as instructions for file download can be found on the TVA Logos page.
TVA Executive Photos
Download head shots of TVA executives from our leadership page.
TVA site photos
These are photographs of TVA power generation sites (jpgf files, approx. 5 mb).
Dams
Fossil Plants
Nuclear Plants
Generating facility diagrams
These diagrams illustrate how TVA power plants work (these are compressed files that need to be uncompressed).
Combustion
turbine
The turbine burns either natural gas or oil. Fuel is mixed with compressed air in the combustion chamber and burned. High-pressure combustion gases spin the turbine, which drives the generator.
Macintosh (.sit) | Windows (.zip)
Preview Animation | Download Animation (.mov)
Hydroelectric
dam
Water from the reservoir rushes through the penstock into the powerhouse. The water spins the turbine, which drives the generator. Inside the generator is a large electromagnet that spins within a coil of wire, producing electricity.
Macintosh (.sit) | Windows (.zip)
Preview Animation | Download Animation (.mov)
Pumped
storage plant
During periods of low power demand, the pump-turbine pumps water up into the mountaintop reservoir. During periods of high demand water from the reservoir flows down through the mountain to the power plant, generating electricity.
Macintosh (.sit) | Windows (.zip)
Nuclear reactor: boiling
water type
Water is heated through the controlled splitting of uranium atoms in the reactor core and turns to steam. Pumps force the water through the reactor at top speed, maximizing steam production. Steam drives the turbines that turn the generator that makes electricity. Cooling water from the river condenses the steam back into water. The river water is either discharged directly back to the river or cooled in the cooling towers and reused in the plant.
Macintosh (.sit) | Windows (.zip)
Preview Animation | Download Animation (.mov)
Nuclear reactor:
pressurized water type
Water is heated through the splitting of uranium atoms in the reactor core. The water, held under high pressure to keep it from boiling, produces steam by transferring heat to a secondary source of water. The steam is used to generate electricity. Cooling water from the river condenses the steam back into water. The river water is either discharged directly back to the river or cooled in the towers and reused in the plant.
Macintosh (.sit) | Windows (.zip)
Preview Animation | Download Animation (.mov)
Coal-fired plant
Coal burned in the boiler heats water to produce steam. The steam spins the turbine, which drives the generator.
Macintosh (.sit) | Windows (.zip)
Preview Animation | Download Animation (.mov)
Solar photovoltaic
system
Photovoltaic (PV) systems use semiconductor cells that convert sunlight directly into electricity. Direct current from the PV cells, which are arrayed in flat panels, flows to inverters that change it to alternating current.
Macintosh (.sit) | Windows (.zip)
Wind turbine
A turbine and gear box are mounted in a casing called a nacelle, and rotor blades are attached to the turbine. The turbine localizes the energy of the turning rotor blades in a single rotating shaft that generates electricity.
Macintosh (.sit) | Windows (.zip)
Methane
gas facility
Pipes collect methane gas produced by decaying waste, and the gas is burned to generate electricity.