The entire universe is
a combination of substances that can generally be classified into two; Energy
and Matter. Energy is technically defined as the potential to do work, measured
in KiloWatts per Hour or Joules. Okay, Physics class terminologies aside, the
force that drives all activities, right from the workings of the human body to
the mechanism of the most complex machines, is ENERGY.
There are various
sources of power, of which the most common is the sun, without which the planet
would not exist. Energy from the Sun is as a result of a nuclear fusion between
hydrogen atoms to form helium gas. The radiation from the sun on earth is
classified as Solar radiation and is the oldest form of energy available to
humans.
The
first tapped source of power was from the creation, use and control of fire as
far back as 500,000BC China. This was man’s first foray into the concept of
harnessing the energy, at about 200 BC to work for him.
Early Technological
Attempts at Harnessing Energy
It
is safe to say we have come a long way from the first tentative fires, and
there have been quite a number of developments along the way.
2000
BC China: The next step in applying energy
resources was the use of coal for heating and cooking as far back as 6000BCE.
Sometime
around 500 BC: A new level of energy resourcing was introduced; passive
use of solar radiation in Greek homes.
By 200
BC, the Chinese had developed a system of using natural gas especially for
mining salt from brine. This was closely followed by the first water wheel in
London, used to harness energy from streams and rivers in 100 AD,
the closest to today’s turbine system at that period.
Gradually,
there was also a shift towards industrialization. The first-ever windmill
designed for grinding grain was originally used in 10th Century Persia.
The mill was later introduced to Europe but in a horizontal more simplified
version.
With
the use of windmills in Europe by 1100 AD, within a hundred years,
they were consequently on their way to crudely mining coal for commercial
purposes. In the 1500s, water wheels were being used in London, and within 100
years, coal had become the main energy source as the wood had been severely
depleted.
The
1700s saw
the invention of water pumps to remove water from coal mines and ease the
industrial mining of coal which powered the iron industry and ushered in the
Industrial Revolution.
Industrial Revolution
Welcome
to the mid-1700s when the United States began the first commercial production
of coal. The invention of a more effective model steam engine between
the late 1700s and 1800 pushed the revolution. This was a remarkable point in
the exploitation of energy resources as it marked the full reliance on fossil
fuels, limited at that point to coal.
Becquerel in 1839 discovered
the possibility of conversion of sunlight to energy using PHOTOVOLTAIC
Cells. This discovery, therefore, paved the way for the modern Solar
Panels. Solar panels have become a major alternative energy source in
an attempt to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
Meanwhile,
in the USA 1820, the first natural gas well was
drilled in New York.
1830: Faraday makes
discoveries that consequently facilitate the development of an electric motor.
1850 was the year the
first oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania.
It
is safe to say this period effectively ushered in the fossil fuel boom. This
likewise accelerated the levels of environmental pollution as to necessitate
the need for more renewable energy sources.
Alternatives
Although
hydro-electric, wind and solar energy sources have been in use for centuries,
none of them is as widely sustainable and versatile as fossil fuels. As a
result of this, there is a need to be able to find means of making these
resources viable for the long run. Every day, more and more progress is being
made in these fields.
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