By Nassim Terzout

Energy has consistently formed the foundation of survival for generations dating all the way back to our primal ancestors. It is easy to overlook the importance of energy as we have adapted it into much of our society, however, it took a lot of ingenuity and testing to get to where we are today. In this article, we will be discussing what are believed to be the different eras of energy revolution, how we came to the technology which exists today, and where this technology is headed in the future.

To understand energy and its importance we must travel back in time to when very little was discovered in nature, but it was certain that survival was paramount. Beyond the sun (first form of energy), one of the first forms of reliable energy was the burning of biomass. By learning to ignite sources like wood and harnessing energy using insulated devices, the first revolution of energy took place [1]. As a result, humans were able to become more efficient and accomplish various tasks with ease. Energy sources enabled for better shelter, purification of water, better food, and improvements of many factors essential to life. These technological improvements enabled humans to thrive and draw closer to energy as the foundation of survival. Soon after this, fire was able to be controlled and used in systems where metals could be smelted. This occurred around 1300 B.C. when we could start seeing the use of steel in the Iron Age [5]. This caused the creation of improved tools and weapons that once again scaled society to new norms. It is important to note that, even today, steel forms the backbone of much of our global infrastructure and many old innovations are still used [5].

Following the Iron Age, many inventions including the waterwheel and windmills helped refine industries such as agriculture. However, it was not until 1800 that we saw the second energy revolution [3]. This revolution saw the use of brand new forms of energy such as fossil fuels which are still the leading sources of energy to power our world today. Many technologies such as steam engines and internal combustion engines relied on this source of energy and made major impacts in the development of and industries globally [4]. The use of fossil fuels also played a major part in World War I as they powered machinery and artillery used in war. Following World War I, researchers turned to a new form of energy known as nuclear energy. Using the power of the atom, engineers and researchers initially used this energy to form nuclear weapons which played a large role towards the end to World War II [2]. Their research ended up serving another purpose; today, we use nuclear energy to boil water into steam to spin turbines and provide energy to the grid [3].

A third energy revolution is coming soon, but we don’t know when it will arrive. It is argued making the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources to combat climate change could be the third revolution. What is certain is that energy is the foundation of technological advancement and we need to continue expanding our energy supply as we live on this planet. Similar to our ancestors progressing rapidly after the discovery of biomass as a source of energy, our current generation may witness exponential growth following the immersion of new energy sources. It is guaranteed that we will use more energy in the future than we do currently, and it is for that reason that the energy industry is a crucial factor for future generations.

References

[1] “The Environment,” Ducksters. [Online]. Available: https://www.ducksters.com/science/environment/biomass_energy.php#:~:text=Biomass%20has%20been%20used%20as,United%20States%20in%20the%201800s. [Accessed: 29-Mar-2021].

[2] History of Nuclear Energy - World Nuclear Association. [Online]. Available: https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/outline-history-of-nuclear-energy.aspx. [Accessed: 29-Mar-2021].

[3] “A Short History of Energy,” Union of Concerned Scientists. [Online]. Available: https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/short-history-energy. [Accessed: 29-Mar-2021].

[4] “U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis,” Energy sources have changed throughout the history of the United States - Today in Energy - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). [Online]. Available: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=11951. [Accessed: 29-Mar-2021].

[5] “Who Invented Steel: A Look at the Timeline of Steel Production,” Steel Fabrication Services, 04-Jan-2017. [Online]. Available: https://steelfabservices.com.au/who-invented-steel-a-look-at-the-timeline-of-steel-production/. [Accessed: 29-Mar-2021].

Energy Through The Years: The Evolution of Energy