All power stations function in the same way regardless of what type of fuel they use. The electricity is generated by spinning coils of copper at high speeds through powerful magnets. The propulsion used to spin the coils can come from many different sources, including wind turbines, steam or diesel engines.
Diesel is used in power stations in two different ways. It can be burned and used to heat water which will run a steam generator or the diesel can be used to run a combustion engine and thus power the generator directly.
The engines used in diesel power stations can either be four-stroke or two-stroke depending on the requirements. A station with a four-stroke engine is able to generate up to 20 Mega Watts. These engines are often used in remote areas or as emergency backup generators should more powerful generators, such as nuclear or coal, fail.