The development of energy a brief

History, Selection, and Transitions History When hominids first used fire, perhapsyears ago 1they began on a long and complicated path of discovery and innovation. The search for more efficient sources of energy continues today. Our basic energy needs have not changed—heat, light, manufacturing, and transportation—but we now have many ways to fulfill these needs and those of modern society such as telecommunications.

Jan 1, The first horizontal axis windmills are used in Europe for grinding grain. Jan 1, The Dutch and the French The Dutch had began utilising wind power for pumping water and as mills and the French used windmills for irrigation purposes.

Jan 1, Windmills brought to Canada by French settlers, mainly to grind grain. Jan 1, Supplying Europe with megawatts By late s windmills supply Europe with an estimated megawatts of power. Jan 1, Windmills in America Windmills used in America to pump water for farms and ranches.

Early farm windmills used blades made from simple wooden slats.

Jul 18, First electricity producing windmill built in Scotland The first windmill created for producing electricity was built in Julyby the Scottish Professor James Blyth in Glasgow, Scotland.

Jan 1, A new style of wind turbine Danish inventor Poul La Cour develops first wind turbines to incorporate modern aerodynamic design principles,which had a capacity of 25 kilowatts and were used throughout Denmark.

However, with the development of large fossil fuel powered steam plants in Denamark, wind turbine operations were put out of business.

Dec 31, Turbines produce 30 megawatts in Holland s - the Dutch had turbines that are estimated to have produced, at their peak, 30 megawatts. Jan 1, The first vertical-axis rotor invented The first vertical-axis rotor is invented by Frenchman George Darrieus.

Aug 18, Interest in wind energy decreases after WW2 as a result of cheaper fossil fuels As a result of the fall in fossil fuel prices after World War II, the power grids extended into rural areas - as a result interest in wind energy falls dramatically.

Aug 18, Developments made in turbine technology Advanced horizontal axis turbine designs are developed in places such as Germany, consisting of fibreglass and plastic blades with variable pitch blades thus increasing efficiency.

Oct 18, The Oil crisis creats a new interest in large wind turbines The Oil crisis creates a new interest in large wind turbines and as a result government-sponsored renewable energy research programs start in countries such as Germany, Sweden, Canada, Great Britain and the United States.

Its is a five-megawatt plant. Germany leads the world in terms of wind energy with more than 14, megawatts installed. Dec 31, Global Wind Energy more than 39, MW The global wind energy generation capacity is more than 39, megawatts.For most of the s, oil and natural gas were our main fuel sources.

Electricity was used more in the late s. From about to the present, nuclear and solar energy along with water and wind have played a larger role in the production of energy. Other alternative energy sources being used today are geothermal and biomass.

Global energy consumption can be put in perspective by considering the amount of energy consumed by individuals. E. Cook [] provided estimates of daily human energy consumption at six different periods of societal development.

Cook's estimates are given in Table The energy sector is important for Palestinian development and economic growth. Today, the electricity demand is growing faster than the current supply. The first step in closing this supply gap is to ensure reliable payment from consumer to service provider.

A Brief History of Power Use The sun is by far the oldest source of energy. It has provided heat and light for millions of years and is directly responsible for sustaining all life on earth.

Energy, in almost all its forms, starts with the sun. For example, wind is created by temperature changes caused by the sun.

The Institute of Energy Conversion is established at the University of Delaware to perform research and development on thin-film photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal systems, becoming the world’s first laboratory dedicated to PV.

The development of solar power will continue to expand as the demand for clean energy sources continues to rise. With growing concerns over green house gasses, disruptions in gas and oil supplies and the need for remote access to power, solar energy continues to gain popularity and momentum.