Energy development facts for kids

Energy development is all about finding and using different ways to get energy from natural resources. This includes making energy from renewable sources like the sun and wind, nuclear sources, and fossil fuels. It also involves finding ways to reuse energy that would otherwise be wasted. When we use energy wisely and efficiently, we need to develop less new energy, which is good for the environment.

People use energy for almost everything! We need it for transportation, making things in factories, lighting our homes, heating and cooling buildings, and communicating. Energy resources can be split into two main types:

• Primary resources: These are used almost as they are found, like wind power, solar power, wood, coal, petroleum, natural gas, and uranium.
• Secondary resources: These are made by changing primary sources into a more useful form, like electricity or hydrogen.

Another way to sort energy is by how quickly it can be replaced:

• Renewable resources: These can be replaced naturally over a human lifetime, like hydroelectric power (from water) or wind power. They don't run out.
• Non-renewable resources: These are used up much faster than nature can replace them, like coal, oil, and natural gas. They will eventually run out.

Thousands of people work in the energy industry. This includes jobs in oil, natural gas, electricity, and nuclear power. There are also many new jobs in the renewable energy industry, which focuses on making and selling alternative fuels.

Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuel Fossil fuels are a type of primary energy that comes from the remains of ancient plants and animals. Over millions of years, these remains were buried deep underground and turned into coal, petroleum (oil), and natural gas. When we burn fossil fuels, they release energy that was stored from the sun long ago.

People use the heat from burning fossil fuels directly for heating homes and buildings. They also convert it into mechanical energy to power vehicles, run factories, and generate electricity.

Fossil fuels were very important for the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, they still provide most of the world's energy. In 2005, about 81% of the world's energy came from fossil fuels. We already have the technology and systems to use them. Liquid fuels like petroleum pack a lot of energy into a small space, which is great for vehicles.

However, there are downsides. Fossil fuels are non-renewable, meaning they will eventually run out. It also gets more expensive to find and extract them as the easiest sources are used up. Getting fossil fuels can also harm the environment, for example, through strip mining for coal.

Burning fossil fuels releases pollution into the air. The main problem is carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas and a big cause of climate change. Other pollutants include nitrogen oxides, soot, and heavy metals like mercury.

Nuclear Energy

Fission Power

Nuclear power uses a process called nuclear fission to create heat and electricity. Fission happens when the center of a heavy atom, like uranium, is split. This releases a lot of energy.

In 2012, nuclear power plants provided about 5.7% of the world's total energy and 13% of its electricity. There are over 400 nuclear power reactors operating in 31 countries. Many naval ships, like submarines and aircraft carriers, also use nuclear power.

There's a big debate about nuclear power. Supporters say it's a safe, sustainable energy source that doesn't produce carbon emissions. Opponents worry about the risks to people and the environment.

Some serious nuclear power plant accidents have happened, like Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima Daiichi (2011). These events can cause a lot of damage and force people to leave their homes. However, studies have shown that nuclear power has caused fewer deaths per unit of energy produced compared to fossil fuels and hydropower. The economic costs of nuclear accidents are very high, and cleanup can take many years.

Nuclear power is a low carbon power generation method. This means it produces very few greenhouse gases during its operation, similar to renewable sources.

Nuclear Power Changes

After the 2011 Fukushima accident in Japan, many countries started rethinking nuclear safety. Germany decided to close all its reactors by 2022, and Italy banned nuclear power.

The cost of building new nuclear power plants is very high. They require huge investments and take a long time to build. This makes them risky projects, especially when cheaper energy sources like natural gas are available.

Renewable Sources

Renewable energy commercialization Renewable energy comes from natural resources that are constantly refilled, like sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and heat from the Earth. Renewable energy is used for making electricity, heating water and homes, powering vehicles, and providing energy to remote areas.

About 16% of the world's energy currently comes from renewable sources. This includes 10% from traditional biomass (like burning wood for heat) and 3.4% from hydroelectricity. Newer renewables like small hydro, modern biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels are growing quickly. Many countries already get more than 20% of their energy from renewables.

Renewable energy sources are found all over the world, unlike fossil fuels which are concentrated in a few countries. Using more renewable energy helps with energy security, fights climate change, and creates economic benefits. People around the world strongly support using solar and wind power.

Renewable energy technologies are great for rural and remote areas, especially in developing countries, where access to energy is very important for human progress.

Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity is electricity made by the power of falling or flowing water. In 2015, hydropower generated 16.6% of the world's total electricity and 70% of all renewable electricity. It is expected to keep growing.

Hydropower is used in 150 countries. China is the biggest producer. The cost of hydroelectricity is quite low, making it a good choice for renewable electricity. Hydro plants can also quickly adjust how much electricity they make to match demand.

However, building dams can change the flow of rivers and harm local ecosystems. Large dams and reservoirs often require moving people and wildlife. Once built, a hydroelectric plant produces no direct waste and much less carbon dioxide than fossil fuel plants.

Wind Power

Wind power Wind power uses the force of the wind to spin the blades of wind turbines. These spinning blades turn magnets, which create electricity. Wind turbines are often grouped together in wind farms, which can be on land or offshore in the sea.

Global wind power has grown very fast. In 2014, wind energy made up about 4% of the world's total electricity use. Many countries, like Denmark, Portugal, and Spain, get a large percentage of their electricity from wind.

Large onshore wind farms

Wind farm	Current capacity (MW)	Country	Notes
Alta (Oak Creek-Mojave)	1,320	USA
Jaisalmer Wind Park	1,064	India
Roscoe Wind Farm	781	USA
Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center	735	USA
Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm	662	USA
Fântânele-Cogealac Wind Farm	600	Romania
Fowler Ridge Wind Farm	599	USA

Solar Power

Solar Energy Solar power uses energy from the sun. This energy can be used in different ways:

• Solar heating: Sunlight can directly heat water or buildings.
• Solar electricity (photovoltaic): Solar panels (photovoltaic cells) turn sunlight directly into electricity.
• Concentrated solar power (CSP): Mirrors focus sunlight to heat a fluid, which then creates steam to power a turbine and generate electricity.

Solar power is a very clean energy source and is becoming more affordable. It's great for remote areas that aren't connected to a main power grid.

Biofuels

Biofuel Biofuels are fuels made from recently living organisms, usually plants. They contain energy from carbon fixation, which is how plants store energy from the sun. Biomass (plant material) can be turned into solid, liquid, or gas fuels.

Two main types of biofuels are:

• Bioethanol: An alcohol made by fermenting sugar or starch crops like corn or sugarcane. It's often mixed with gasoline to improve vehicle emissions.
• Biodiesel: Made from vegetable oils and animal fats. It's often mixed with diesel fuel to reduce pollution from diesel vehicles.

Biofuels have become more popular because of rising oil prices and the need for energy security. In 2010, biofuels provided 2.7% of the world's fuel for road transport. The International Energy Agency hopes biofuels can meet over a quarter of the world's transportation fuel needs by 2050.

Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy Geothermal energy is heat energy that comes from deep inside the Earth. The Earth's core is super hot, and this heat slowly moves up to the surface. This heat comes from the planet's original formation and from the decay of radioactive minerals in the Earth's crust.

People have used geothermal energy for bathing in hot springs for thousands of years and for heating homes since ancient Roman times. Today, it's mostly used to generate electricity. In 2012, 24 countries used geothermal power.

Geothermal power is reliable, sustainable, and good for the environment. It's usually found near tectonic plate boundaries where the Earth's heat is closer to the surface. However, new technologies are making it possible to use geothermal energy in more places, especially for home heating. Geothermal wells release some greenhouse gases, but much less than fossil fuels.

Ocean Energy

Marine energy Marine energy (or ocean energy) is the energy found in ocean waves, tides, and differences in ocean temperature. The constant movement of water in the oceans holds a huge amount of energy. This energy can be captured to make electricity for homes, transport, and industries.

Ocean energy includes wave power (from surface waves) and tidal power (from the movement of large bodies of water). Offshore wind power is different because it uses wind, even if the turbines are in the water.

The oceans have a lot of energy and are often close to large populations. Ocean energy has the potential to provide a lot of new renewable energy around the world.

100% Renewable Energy

100% renewable energy Many people want to switch to 100% renewable energy for electricity, transport, and even all energy use worldwide. This is mainly to fight global warming and for economic reasons. Experts say there are no major technical limits to using a mix of renewable energy technologies to meet most of the world's energy needs.

Some experts believe that producing all new energy with wind power, solar power, and hydropower by 2030 is possible. They think existing energy systems could be replaced by 2050. The biggest challenges are social and political, not technological or economic.

Increased Energy Efficiency

Efficient energy use Even though it's not about making new energy, making energy use more efficient is very important. It means we need less energy to do the same amount of work. For example, if you insulate your home, you'll use less heating and cooling energy to stay comfortable. Using fluorescent lamps or natural skylights uses less energy for lighting than old-fashioned light bulbs.

Using energy more efficiently can save money because you pay less for energy. It also reduces pollution. The International Energy Agency believes that improving energy efficiency in buildings, factories, and transportation could greatly reduce global energy demand by 2050, even as the world economy and population grow.

Energy efficiency and renewable energy are often called the "twin pillars" of a sustainable energy plan. Many countries also see energy efficiency as a way to improve their national security by reducing their need to import energy from other countries.

Energy Transmission

While new energy sources are rare, the ways we move energy around are always improving.

Shipping and Pipelines

Pipeline transport Fuels like coal, petroleum, and natural gas are moved by boats, trains, or trucks. Oil and natural gas can also travel through pipelines. Fuels like gasoline can even be delivered by aircraft.

Wired Energy Transfer

Electrical grid Electricity grids are networks of wires and equipment that move electricity from where it's made (like a power plant) to where it's used (like your home), sometimes hundreds of kilometers away. They use substations and transmission lines to keep electricity flowing steadily.

Grids can have problems like blackouts (when power goes out completely) or brownouts (when power is reduced), often due to bad weather. If too much electricity is needed at once, the grid can fail, so power might be rationed.

Countries like Canada, the US, and Australia use a lot of electricity because they have large and advanced electrical grids.

Wireless Energy Transfer

Wireless power transfer means sending electrical energy from a source to a device without using wires. Right now, this technology can only send power over short distances and at low levels.

Some researchers are looking into collecting solar power in space and sending it wirelessly to Earth using microwave beams. This is a very big challenge to make safe and affordable.

Energy Storage

Energy storage Energy storage is about holding energy so it can be used later. A device that stores energy is sometimes called an accumulator.

Energy can be stored in different ways:

• A battery stores chemical energy for your phone.
• A hydroelectric dam stores energy in a reservoir as potential energy (energy of position).
• Thermal energy storage can store heat or cold, sometimes for a long time.
• Fossil fuels like coal and gasoline store ancient energy from sunlight.
• Even food is a form of stored chemical energy!

History of Energy

Humans have always looked for ways to get energy, from discovering fire long ago to building windmills in the Middle Ages, and now splitting atoms for electricity.

Most energy sources, except nuclear, geothermal, and tidal, originally come from the sun. Even the sun's energy comes from nuclear fusion. Geothermal power comes from the Earth's internal heat, and nuclear fission uses elements from the Earth's crust that were formed in ancient supernova explosions.

Since the Industrial Revolution, people have wondered about future energy supplies. In 1865, William Stanley Jevons wrote about coal running out. Today, we know that fossil fuels are limited.

Sustainability

Sustainable energy The environmental movement focuses on using and developing energy in a sustainable way. Renewable energy is sustainable because its supply won't run out for millions or billions of years. "Sustainability" also means the environment can handle the waste products, especially air pollution. Sources like wind, solar, and hydropower produce no direct waste.

As the world needs more energy, we need to use many different energy sources. Energy conservation (using energy efficiently) is also very important because it reduces the demand for new energy.

Resilience

Some people think that "energy independence" (not relying on other countries for energy) is hard to achieve. Instead, they talk about "energy resilience," which means being able to handle interruptions in energy supply.

A resilient energy system is important for national security and the environment. It often means focusing on energy efficiency and using decentralized (spread out) renewable energy sources.

For example, former Intel CEO Andrew Grove suggested that the U.S. should use more electricity because it can be made from many different sources. If one source is disrupted, others can still provide power. He also noted that electricity made in the U.S. stays in the U.S. Converting cars from gasoline to electric would also help, but it would require a modern and expanded electrical grid.

Present and Future Energy

Looking ahead, we have choices about our energy future. Many models help us understand different strategies to achieve rapid and sustainable development for humanity. Short-term energy crises are also a concern.

Producing energy usually requires using some energy. For example, drilling for oil or building a wind farm takes energy. The fossil fuels left are often harder to get, meaning they require more energy to extract. If it takes more energy to get a fuel than the energy that fuel provides, it's no longer an effective energy source. New technology can help reduce the energy needed to get resources, but there are always basic physics limits.

Between 1950 and 1984, the "Green Revolution" greatly increased world grain production. This was powered by fossil fuels used for fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation. As world oil production peaks, we may need more sustainable ways to produce food. One idea for a sustainable energy future is for buildings, vehicles, and roads to perform "artificial photosynthesis," using sunlight to create hydrogen and absorb carbon dioxide.

As the space industry grows, delivering things to Earth's orbit and beyond will also require more energy development. Researchers are even thinking about collecting solar power in space for use on Earth.

Energy Technology

Energy technology is a field that combines different types of engineering and science. It focuses on finding efficient, safe, environmentally friendly, and affordable ways to get, change, move, store, and use energy. The goal is to get a lot of energy while avoiding bad effects on people, nature, and the environment.

Energy is a basic need for people, and because it can be scarce, it has sometimes caused conflicts. How we get and use energy can also harm local environments and have global effects.

Energy is the ability to do work. We get energy from food. Energy comes in many forms, like kinetic (motion), potential (stored), mechanical, heat, and light. We need energy for lighting, heating, cooking, running industries, and transportation.

There are two main types of energy sources:

• Renewable Energy Sources
• Non-Renewable Energy Sources

Interdisciplinary Fields

Energy technology connects with many other fields:

• Physics: For understanding how energy works (like thermodynamics and nuclear physics).
• Chemistry: For fuels, burning, air pollution, and battery technology.
• Electrical engineering: For making and using electricity.
• Engineering: For machines that use fluid energy, like engines and turbines.
• Geography: For finding geothermal energy and other resources.
• Mining: For getting fossil fuels.
• Agriculture and forestry: For sources of renewable energy.
• Meteorology: For understanding wind and solar energy.
• Water and Waterways: For hydropower.
• Waste management: For dealing with environmental impacts.
• Transportation: For creating energy-saving transport systems.
• Environmental studies: For looking at how energy use affects the environment and climate change.

Electrical Engineering

Electric power engineering studies how to produce and use electrical energy. This includes generators, motors, and transformers. It also involves the infrastructure like substations and power lines. Managing how electricity is used across networks is important for overall energy efficiency.

Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics Thermodynamics is a part of Physics that deals with the basic rules of how energy changes from one form to another.

Thermal and Chemical Energy

These fields are connected to chemistry and environmental studies. Combustion (burning) involves burners and engines, and how efficient and safe they are, as well as the pollution they create.

Technology for cleaning exhaust gas aims to reduce air pollution using different methods. Boiler technology deals with making and running steam boilers and turbines, which are also used in nuclear power.

Energy conversion is about how internal combustion engines, turbines, and pumps change energy for transportation, mechanical work, and power generation.

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear technology Nuclear technology deals with making nuclear power from nuclear reactors, processing nuclear fuel, and safely getting rid of radioactive waste. It uses ideas from nuclear physics and chemistry.

Nuclear power is very important for electricity worldwide, even though it has been a debated topic in many countries. Scientists hope that fusion technologies will one day replace most fission reactors, but this is still a research area.

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy Renewable energy has many different types.

Wind Power

Wind power Wind turbines turn wind energy into electricity. The wind pushes the blades, which spin a generator. Wind turbines are designed using ideas from aerodynamics and engineering. They are a very efficient renewable energy source and are becoming more common. Wind power doesn't use water, which is good for dry areas.

Geothermal

Geothermal energy Deep inside the Earth, there's super hot molten rock called magma. This heat warms up groundwater. Different technologies use this heat, like power plants that use hot water or steam to spin a turbine and make electricity. A newer idea uses shallow systems to pump heat to and from buildings, taking advantage of the Earth's constant temperature just below the surface.

Hydropower

Hydropower Hydropower gets mechanical energy from rivers, ocean waves, and tides. Engineers design and build dams and waterways to manage water resources. A water turbine spun by flowing water can power an electrical generator to make electricity.

Bioenergy

Bioenergy Bioenergy is about collecting, processing, and using biomass (plant material) from farming and forestry. This biomass can be burned in power plants to make electricity. It can also be turned into fuels like ethanol or methanol.

Enabling Technologies

Heat pumps and Thermal energy storage help us use renewable energy sources that might otherwise be hard to access, for example, if the temperature is too low or if the energy is available at a different time than when it's needed. Heat pumps can raise the temperature of available renewable heat.

Thermal storage technologies allow heat or cold to be stored for different lengths of time, from hours to between seasons. This can help manage energy use, for example, by storing heat collected in summer to use in winter.

See Also

• Worldwide energy supply
• Technology
• Water-energy nexus

Policy

Energy policy

General

Seasonal thermal energy storage, Energy harvesting

Feedstock

Raw material, Energy consumption, Recycling

Others

Thorium-based nuclear power, Growth of photovoltaics

Images for kids

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  Estimated US Energy Use/Flow in 2011. This chart shows how different energy sources are used in the United States.