Table of Contents :

• World of Energy - Introduction
• Fossil Fuels
• Water Power and Nuclear Energy
• Alternative Forms of Energy
• Conserving Energy
• Energy Consumption and Recycling

 

Energy is another word for power. It makes things move and machines work. It provides us with light and we use it to heat and cool our houses and offices, to cook our food, and to transport people and goods.

 

Sources of energy

Almost all energy on earth today comes directly or indirectly from the sun. Over millions of years the sun has given plants light and heat which they need in order to grow. When trees and plants decay they turn into the fossil fuels we use today: coal, petroleum, natural gas and others.

About 85 % of all the energy we consume today comes from fossil fuels. However, we don’t have enough to last forever. People burn more and more fossil fuels and eventually the supply will run out. They also pollute our atmosphere and contribute to global warming. So, over the past decades, scientists have been looking for other sources of energy to replace these fossil fuels.

Some of these new sources of energy have been used for many years, like wind and water power or heat that comes from the earth.