Energy and Civilization
Patterns of Consumption
Lecture Material from Chapter 8
1. Energy is a very common topic in the news today
2. Traditional Energy Sources
- Grazers convert plants to meat
- Hunter-gathers
- Gather plants: fruits, nuts, roots, firewood
- Hunt animals
- Early civilizations
- Human and animal muscle power
- Limited use of wind and water power
- Dense human populations
- use up the local sources of wood (building & fuel) -
range farther
- Use dung as fuel
- Use peat (from peat bogs) as fuel: Ireland, Scotland
3. Coal Replaces Wood as Fuel
- Wood depleted in India before 13th century
- Started to rely upon dung as fuel source
- Depleted in W. Europe
- coal began to replace wood by 13th century
- N. America’s virgin forests supplied until middle of 19th century
- By 1890 coal replaced wood as primary E source in N. America
4. Coal is a Fossil Fuel
- Fossil fuels
- Remains of plants, animals and microorganisms
- Lived millions of years ago
- Coal
- Formed during the Carboniferous period (286 - 362 mya)
- Climate was warmer and wetter - large swamps and marshes
filled with plants and trees
- Heat, pressure, time --> peat processed into coal
- Oil & Natural Gas
- Primarily single celled marine organisms
- Bodies accumulated on ocean floor, covered by sediment
- Heat, pressure, time --> converted to natural gas and oil
5. Coal Types
a. peat (not yet coal!) - low heat,
high moisture
b. lignite (brown) - low heat, low sulfur, limited supplies
c. bituminous (soft) - high heat, high sulfur
d. anthracite (hard) -- high heat, low sulfur, supplies limited
6. Formation of Coal: graphic showing the progression from peat
to anthracite, and that progression including increasing heat and
carbon content and decreasing moisture content.
7. Industrial Revolution
- Early 1700s
- Fueled by coal
- Began in England, spread to Europe and N. America
- Invention of machines
- Invention of steam engines
- Changed largely rural populations to urban
- Large factories built
- Daily per capita energy usage increased 8X
8. US Historical Energy Consumption (quadrillion British Thermal
Units = Quads)
from: www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/eh/frame.html
9. Per Captia Energy Consumption, 2004 (similar Table 8.1)
2007 population data from: www.prb.org
10. Autos increased the demand for oil
- Cars burned gas and diesel
- Needed lubricants
- Roadway construction
- Energy required
- Asphalt for road beds (a component of crude oil)
- Related industries all require energy
- Glass (windshields)
- Steel (auto and truck bodies)
- Rubber (tires, gaskets)
- Plastics (seat covers, dash boards, nobs, floor mats . . . .)
- More chasing more: convenience drove demand, car not a luxury but
a necessity
11. How is Energy Used?
- Residential: air conditioning, water & space heating, cooking
- Commercial
- Industrial: manufacturing & processing
- Transportation
- How determines energy usage
- Types: bus, rail, waterways, private automobile, animals
- Usage varies
- More developed: Europe, Latin America: rail & bus most
efficient
- US - public transport mostly in Metropolitan areas, cars
most common
- Lesser Developed: public transport main option, most can’t
afford a car
12. How do Americans get to work? Similar to Figure 8.8.
Data from 2000 US Census.
13. Electrical Energy
- Consumed and supplied
- Most produced through burning fossil fuels
- Major E source for most of the world
- Industrialized countries
- 20% of population
- Use 60% of electricity
- Less Developed countries
- 80% of population
- Use 40% of electricity
14. Economics and Politics of ET
- Gasoline: Total price and Taxes in selected countries
- US total price and % of price due to taxes lower than Canada,
Japan, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the UK
- Price vs. Consumption of Energy
- OPEC: organization of oil exporting countries
15. Figure 8.10. Changes in Energy consumption (MTOE=
million tons oil equivalent, from www.bp.com)
16. Figure 8.11. Focus on US Energy Consumption (MTOE=
million tons oil equivalent, from www.bp.com)