Ebook: The History of Energy Flows: From Human Labor to Renewable Power

This book presents a global and historical perspective on transitions in energy use during the last millennium.



The search for sustainable energy is a key issue dominating today's energy regime. This book details the historical evolution of energy, following the overlapping and slow transition from one regime to another. In doing so it seeks to provide insight into future energy transitions and the means of utilising sustainable energy sources to reduce fossil fuel footprints. The book begins with an examination of the earliest and most basic forms of energy use, namely that of humans metabolizing food in order to work, with the first transition following the domestication and breeding of horses and other animals. The book also examines energy sources key to development during the industrialization and mechanisation, such as wood and coal, as well as more recent sources, such as crude oil and nuclear energy. The book then assesses energies which are at the forefront of sustainability, by examining green sources, such as solar power, wind power and hydropower. While it is easy to see energy transformation and creation in terms of 'revolutions', energy transitions have taken centuries to evolve, and transitions are never fully global, as, for example, wood remains the primary fuel source for cooking in much of Sub-Saharan Africa. This book demonstrates the longevity of energy transitions, but also discusses the possibility for reducing transition times when technological developments provide inexpensive and safe energy sources which can reduce the dependency on fossil fuels.



This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy transitions, sustainable energy, and environmental and energy history.