History of Energy Sources
• Coal drawbacks
o Smoke and fumes
o Hazardous to mine
o Dirty to handle
o Steam engines large and awkwardà1st use wood then coal
o Steam engines must be started hours earlier
• Oil—prevalence due to 3 things:
o Internal combustion energy
o Oil-well drilling
o Refinement of crude oil
o 100 horsepower oil engine is a fraction of the size of 100 horsepower steam engine, so
transport of machinery much better
• Advantages
o Much cleaneràair quality dramatically improved
o Mechanical advantage—power to height ratio much better
• Oil became dominant in US by 1951
o About 40% energy today in the US and global
o Coal is 22-24% of energy production globally and locally
• Natural gas (23% of US energy)
o Associated with oil
o Very cleanàonly methane (bad for global warming)
o Harder to develop due to transfer of itàeventually pipelines
• Fossil fuels: oil, natural gas, coal
o 85% of US energy and 87% global
• Non-fossil fuels: nuclear, hydropower, renewable
• Energy from coal, oil, and natural gas ultimately comes from sun
• 12,000 years ago muscle power started to be used, then wind for sailing
• 275 years ago built engines on steam engine ran on renewable firewood
o Firewood was replaced by coal in 1850
• 1859àlearned how to pump oil from ground
o 1885 internal combustion engine to power vehicles invented
• 1950sàlearned to use nuclear energy
• 1900ànatural gas
Electricity
• Turbo generators
o Fuel heats water to steam
o Pressurized steam turns paddles called a turbine which when it spins creates electricity
o Most common
• Turbine can also be turned by flowing water or by the gaseous product of combustion
• Oil powers and does a lot
