Introduction
Many centuries ago people did not need much energy. Back then, people used the sun or burned wood and straw for heat. People used the wind force in sails or horses to go anywhere in the world and used animals to do the work humans could not do. Although, humans did use simple machines that could ground grain, pump water, and even utilize steam power. Steam engines transformed over time and by the 18th century the modern steam engine, fueled by coal, could do the job of a team of horses. Since steam engines were much more favorable compared to air and wind power, steam engines were used to power factories and coal was used to heat up buildings.
By the late 1800s, the world’s first coal powered electric generator was made, the world’s first electric light was used, and the world’s first hydroelectric plant was utilized. A few years later a new type of fuel was becoming well-known, petroleum. Initially it had been an inconvenience for polluting water but by the end of the century oil, turned into gasoline, powered up engines. With the spread of economical gas cars and electricity, society’s energy use rapidly increased. Power plants became massive and power lines stretched out from hundreds of miles between cities, even during The Great Depression. After World War II, the use of energy was quickly doubling every 10 years and it concerned no one.
That changed in the 70s when Arab oil producing countries stopped providing oil to the Western nations. The oil prices
As the global population increases exponentially, having passed six billion in 1999, the world population is expected to be 8.9 billion by the year 2050. The worlds energy consumption will increase by an estimated 54 percent by 2025. Energy demand in the industrialized world is projected to grow 1.2 percent per year. Energy is a critical component of sustained economic growth and improved standards of living. One of the major requirements for sustaining human progress is an adequate source of energy. As the world’s technological enhancements and standards of living improve, so too does their appetite for electricity.
Fossil fuels and other power generates are slowly changing the world. Alternative power sources are slowly becoming more popular in everyday life while the technology progresses. Using these power sources that don’t pollute the atmosphere could be the change in the world that completely changes the way the world uses energy. Engineers and technicians have been producing these alternative ways for years and years. A few, but not limited to consist of: Solar panels, Wind turbines, Wave tech and much more.
David Nye is of the opinion that even if a new energy system is developed in the USA the process of conversion would be gradual and this can be seen in the evolution of the structure as well as the composition of the energy systems in the USA over time. The history energy of America can be traced in six energy systems from muscle power to “an eclectic bricolage of many technologies and conservation measures, coordinated by computer technologies” (Nye, 253). The first one took place during the pre-Columbian period where the prime mover was the muscle power and stayed relevant until 1920. New sources of energy were introduced by the European colonialists that included water, the wind as well as domestic animals.
Though humanity still has developed industrial systems, there have been laws and social norms put in place to protect the environment. Odum discusses fuel-powered systems in industrial areas, “they require so much energy and create so much waste heat and pollution, that they have an enormous impact on the other two environments.” In 1993, this was true since the primary use of energy was coal, oil, natural gas, all carbon emitting energy sources. However, countries like China, Germany, the United States have reduced the emission coming from these fuel-powered systems in the past 25 years. There are now other options for environmentally clean power, people are recycling their trash, using less water, and cutting back energy usage.
Coal and natural gas are the United States’ main fossil fuels used as energy sources. These fossil fuels both contain mixtures of hydrocarbons, which is a chemical compound of carbon and hydrogen (Olah, 2005). Currently, fossil fuels provide eighty-five percent of commercial energy, such as businesses, worldwide and this eighty-five percent does not even account for residential use. Imagine if the residential energy use was accounted for in that eighty-five percent (Davison, 2007). According to Goodell (2006), “Between 1950 and 2000, the world population increased by 140 percent and fossil fuel consumption increased by 400 percent. By 2030, the world’s demand for energy is expected to more than double,” with most of the electricity
As we go throughout life, we use various kinds of energy sources for our needs. Whether it be from solar energy to wind energy, there is a multitude of sources that allow us to do the things we do each and every day. Throughout the world, however, coal and nuclear power have risen to the
This article explained how electricity was generated in the early 1900s. Burning coal in the city centers produced electricity and also helped to heat buildings. Only people near from the city were able to use electricity because there was not way to transmit the electricity to rural areas. After a long time coal plants started to grew and people were facing difficulties because the coal plants occupied space and they also produced pollution to the city. People decided to move coal plants to the outside of the city in that way people would not be affected, they started to use transmission wires to carry electricity. Even though they did not have the same efficacy to obtain electricity they were finding a way to improve it. At the beginning of 1970 technology began to improve, so many mass-produce engines were produce and they can be located in the middle of the population, also decentralized plants were used to recycle the wasted heat. After all these benefits of the new technology, industry decided to make some changes. Electric monopolies started to charge people for the use of electricity. Later on, congress tried to open competition in 1978 and some independent power companies started to develop one site generation. This article was focused in a research on how to build new power generation providing technology, capital costs and fuel prices. After all of this significant and dramatic changes in electricity, United States was facing problems because the power industry
People use energy a lot, especially these energy's coal and wind. Do you know a lot about the 2 energies? Their used to be a Windmill that makes water but now they invented Wind Turbines for electricity. Coal is also called dirty energy and 27 states mine
The Industrial Revolution sparked a need for large sources of energy. Human and animal labor could not provide the power necessary to power industrial machinery, railroads, and ships. The steam engine and later the internal combustion engine provided the bulk of the energy required by the industrial age. Today most nations are still heavily reliant on energy that comes from combustion. Usually coal, petrolium, and natural gas are used. Some hydroelectric, wind power, and nuclear fission sources are used, but in the US they accounted for less than 20% of the total energy consumption in 1997 (1). Many experts are worried that natural resources such as coal and petrolium are being depleted faster than they are being replenished, which could
For many years, energy has been a need for people everywhere. What has become of the world today is due to the revolution in energy use. There are two types of energy non-renewables and sources-renewables. An example of a non-renewable is coal and it is a great type of fossil fuel the reason being is because it is a reliable source of electricity. Examples of renewables are wind,water and solar power. Renewables can be recovered and reused while on another hand a non-renewables can not be used again. Coal has been used for thousands of years archaeologists discovered that coal was used even in the second and third centuries by the Romans. Solar power is a renewable source since it’s powered by the sun. It can be changed into other forms for example both heat and electricity can come directly from the sun. The sun’s power has been used for a lifetime to heat up our homes, water (to drink and bathe), and our food as well. Both energy sources-coal and solar-are quite reliable resources, and are used very much. As worldwide energy sources, coal and solar power share similarities and differences when it comes to having a huge impact on the environment the world's economic status within how much money we profit from them and human health such as increased lung cancer rates.
Energy is an important part of life producing the power of movement, heat, and production of electricity in many different ways. Therefore, choosing the correct source of energy is important for the environment and humans. Renewable energy that produces electricity never runs out, causing a lower environmental impact. Solar, Biomass, Wind, Geothermal, and Hydropower energy should be used globally to produce electricity. On the other hand, producing electricity from nonrenewable energy sources can be very harmful to humans and the environment. Humans can easily be dependent on it, which may not be the best option when it comes to finance, efficiency, sustainability and more. Approximately 52% of the US electricity comes from polluting sources like natural gas, oil, nuclear, and hydropower that have a lot of disadvantages effecting the environment in a negative way.
Can you ever imagine a world without light bulb? Before light bulb was created, the night can only be lit by the moon and stars. People working and traveling after sunset could only use candles or oil lamps, which caused many inconveniences. Without any bright light, moving inside your own house even seemed dangerous. However, things changed after the ambitious inventors brought their bright idea, which was to light the world, to life. The invention and the commercialization of light bulb not only changed the way people live, but also became a technological breakthrough for future energy use in our daily lives.
The beginning of the industrial revolution in the eighteenth century led to an exponential increase in our demand for energy to satisfy the growing needs of manufacturing, transport, production of raw materials, healthcare, and agriculture. Simple tasks are taken for granted such as “powering-up” the plethora of devices and gadgets that we “cannot live without” – such as our smart phones and computers. Whilst all of these things are central to our very existence on the planet, our increased dependence on energy has essentially been met to date by the burning of non-renewable fossil fuels, such as brown and black coal.
With American population expected to increase by approximately fifty percent over the next fifty years, some sort of energy reform is needed (Lehrman 2). The most commonly proposed idea is for America to stop relying so heavily on fossil fuels, and to turn its focus onto renewable sources of energy, such as solar power and hydroelectricity (Energy Information Administration). If the United States could realize the benefits of renewable energy, then much of the world’s energy problems could be solved.
Throughout human history the quest for progress was always the center of every great civilization. The history of mankind and the conquest of energy are inseparable. First, the needs were modest: heating, cooking and perhaps illuminating. The energy was mainly related to the control of fire-. Then, developing societies were quickly forced to use other forms of energy. They were relied on human and animal power for construction, transport, travel, agriculture etc... The navigation is also an important step since, besides the human energy of the rowers, the use of the wind becomes essential for centuries. The mills are also used that energy as well. The mid-nineteenth century saw the advent and development of industrial civilization through the use of machines and the exploitation of new energy sources where vapor energy was first used then finally electricity provided by fossil fuels with coal and oil (later gas). Fossil fuel energies allow to design autonomous vehicles carrying their own source of energy (locomotives, automobiles and airplanes). During the twentieth century to our time, the growth of humanity energy needs is accelerating with an exponential rhythm. Electricity has become a must for many industries and our domestic uses. Fossil fuels are used heavily with the consequences we now know about global warming due to the emission of carbon dioxide when it is burned.