Page 48 - GK Class 08

41 Chronology of Energy

Since the day the man first made fire, humans have sought out the resources of the earth
to power their needs. Whether it’s fuel for cooking, heating or powering that resource is
in high demand. Fortunately, the world provides a vast variety of energy sources for

our consumption, though some are better for us and our surroundings than others.
Let us know about these developments.
Geothermal Energy

This type of energy is generated by heat from the earth’s core
heating water into steam, which turns turbines in order to generate
electricity. The energy is totally clean, although some people have
concerns about the safety and reliability of building plants over
fault lines.

Steam Power

In 1970, use of bio-fuels began when the prices of oil rose high. In 1975, Brazil
started using bio-fuels on a large scale. A third of Brazil’s cars now run on ethanol
which is produced from sugarcane. Though bio-fuels cut pollution, critics point
out that cultivating, harvesting and processing the cane crop uses as much fuel as
it produces.

Hydroelectric Power

Hydroelectric energy, also known as hydropower, relies on the
movement of freshwater bodies of water to move propellers and
generate energy. This is typically achieved by building dams at
strategic points on rivers.

Offshore Gas Fields

The search for oil and gas fields spread to the seabed with the
drilling of a well off the coast of Louisiana, USA in 1945. Gas is also
piped ashore from a drilling rig. It was transported through a
pipeline made of drilled pine logs for 25 miles (40 kms).

Bio-Fuel

An English ironmonger, Thomas Newcomen, used his
‘atmospheric engine’ to pump water from mines. He was the first
to harness the power of steam in 1712 AD.

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