Why is water always used in energy generation (water - > steam - > turbine) instead of a liquid with a lower specific heat capacity or boiling?

There are multiple reasons for this. First of all, water is available in almost every place on the Earth. It doesn't pollute the air, doesn't cause health use and is easily handle.

Other factor is the fact that water has a really high specific heat. This means that water, and more specifically steam, can aborb and transport more energy. A lower heat capacity would imply the need to boil more of the liquid to obtain the same amount of energy. This combine with the fact that water expands at a large rate when boiling, combine with everything mentioned previously, and you get a liquid with all the characteristics that a efficient turbine requires to work.