Energy Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Yesterday – Burning Wood Heat Light Cooking

Yesterday – Fossil Fuels Coal, oil, and natural gas formed from plants and animals that lived up to 300 million years ago. Fossil fuels are found in deposits beneath the Earth’s surface. Fossil fuels are an exhaustible energy source because it takes millions of years for them to form. In the 19th century we started to extract and use fossil fuels for energy.

Energy Today 85% of U.S. energy consumption is still fossil fuels. 34% of U.S. energy needs are imported. 64% of the petroleum used in the U.S. is imported.

Energy Today The 7% of renewable energy used in the U.S. is divided into 5 sources as shown below.

What is Energy Used for Today?

Energy in the Future – Petroleum At current levels of consumption, the world’s oil reserves are expected to last about 40 years. There may be some oil that is currently undetected, but it cannot be economically extracted with current technology.

Energy in the Future – Natural Gas Known gas reserves are expected to last about 60 years at current consumption levels with current technology.

Energy in the Future – Coal If we continue to use coal at the current consumption rate, we expect to run out in about 200 years.

Energy in the Future We are using fossil fuels that were made more than 300 million years ago. They are not renewable; they can’t really be made again. We can save fossil fuels by –Conserving energy –Using alternative energy sources

Alternative Energy – Future More money and research will go into developing alternative energy sources. Hydropower Renewable gravitational energy of moving water Wind Renewable kinetic energy from moving air Nuclear Non- renewable potential energy stored in the nucleus of an atom Biomass Renewable stored chemical energy from wood, garbage, and agricultural wastes

Alternative Energy – Future Solar Renewable radiant energy from the sun Geothermal Renewable heat energy from beneath the Earth’s surface Many career opportunities will be involved with the research and development of alternative energy sources.

Smart Grid - Future Smart Grid technology changes the way we manage and distribute energy by making our current power grid more intelligent. A Smart grid delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers using digital technology to save energy, reduce cost and increase reliability. Smart Grid Smart Grid for Intelligent Energy Use

Image Resources Microsoft, Inc. (2009). Clip art. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from