The history of human utilization of energy is also the history of human understanding and conquest of nature. The history of human energy utilization can be divided into five stages: (1) the discovery and utilization of fire; (two) the use of animal power, wind, water and other natural power; (3) Fossil fuel development and heat energy utilization; (4) the discovery, development and utilization of electricity; (5) The discovery, development and utilization of nuclear energy.
Fire and fossil energy (charcoal, coal, oil, etc.). ), electricity, new energy (nuclear energy, wind energy, tidal energy, etc. ).
Paleolithic is the early period of the Stone Age in archaeology. Paleolithic human fossils, such as Beijingers, have been discovered in China. Traces such as charcoal and ashes were found in the cave of Zhoukoudian Peking man site, indicating that Peking man has been able to use fire. Since humans can use fire, they can use fuel (energy).
The appearance of painted pottery in the Neolithic Age fully shows that human beings have been able to use wood and firewood as fuel to barbecue food and burn pottery.
The agricultural society began about 4000 years ago. The energy used in agricultural society is the energy of solar energy system, mainly plant energy such as wood. In a broad sense, food is also energy, which is primary energy, and human energy (manpower) is secondary energy, which is transformed from the energy of food. Similarly, animal power is also a kind of secondary energy. In agricultural society, solar energy is also used, such as light (lighting) and heat (heating, sea salt manufacturing, etc. ); Wind energy is also used, such as windmills and sailboats. In agricultural society, hydropower and geothermal energy are also used. In ancient times, there were devices that converted water energy into mechanical energy, such as hydraulic pumps and water mills, which were used to lift water for irrigation and grinding noodles. Taking a bath with hot spring water is an example of using geothermal energy. In the long agricultural society, the energy structure has hardly changed much.
The source of wood is deforestation. Due to the development of production and the increase of population, human beings cut down forests and destroy vegetation for a long time, which leads to natural ecological problems, and at the same time causes the shortage of wood resources, which leads to the energy crisis in agricultural society.
/kloc-Before the 0/8th century, human beings were limited to the direct utilization of natural gas energy such as wind, water, animal power and wood, especially wood, which occupied the first place in the world's primary energy consumption structure for a long time. The appearance of the steam engine accelerated the industrial revolution that began in the18th century and promoted large-scale coal mining. By the second half of the19th century, the first energy conversion took place in human history. In 1860, coal accounted for 24% of the world's primary energy consumption structure, and it rose to 62% in 1920. Since then, the world has entered the "coal age".
It has long been known that coal can be used as fuel. However, people don't like to use coal, because it is dark, dirty and difficult to mine. From 14 to 16, the shortage of wood has seriously threatened the lives of people in western Europe and northern Europe. 1700, Britain first decided to use coal instead of wood as the energy base, and then gradually extended it to European and American countries. This provided energy conditions for the industrial revolution in the eighteenth century. The industrial revolution began in Britain in the 1960s, and the industrial society has existed for 250 years. Compared with the long agricultural society, this is very short-lived. However, in these 250 years, industrial production has developed extremely rapidly and technology has changed with each passing day. During this period, the energy structure used by human beings developed rapidly.
19 in the 1970s, electricity replaced the steam engine, the electrical appliance industry developed rapidly, and the proportion of coal in the world energy consumption structure gradually declined. 1965, oil replaced coal for the first time, and the world entered the "oil age". From 65438 to 0979, the proportion of world energy consumption structure is: oil accounts for 54%, natural gas and coal each account for 18%, and the sum of oil and gas is as high as 72%. Oil replaced coal to complete the second energy conversion.
/kloc-at the end of 0/8 century, a steam engine with coal as fuel appeared, which prompted mechanical chemical plants to gradually replace manual workshops. 18 and 19 centuries, coal has become the main energy source of human society. /kloc-In the middle of the 0/9th century, human beings exploited oil again. 1859, the first modern oil well was drilled and the first oil field was developed in Pennsylvania, USA. /kloc-After the end of 0/9 century, automobiles and airplanes fueled by gasoline, internal combustion engine trains and internal combustion engine ships fueled by diesel oil appeared one after another. Diesel oil is also used for thermal power generation. In the twentieth century, oil gradually surpassed coal as the main energy source. In the future, the use of natural gas will also be valued. Electric energy was also discovered by humans in the19th century. 183 1 year, the British physicist Faraday found that when the magnet moves relative to the wire, there is current in the wire, which opens up a new energy source-electric energy, and thus opens the door for human beings to use electricity. In 1970s, DC generator was invented, and the first thermal power plant was built in 1882. From the end of 19 to the beginning of the 20th century, another hydropower station was successfully built. Since then, electricity has gradually become a widely used energy source, and the electrification of production and work in various departments has become a symbol of economic modernization.
Man rediscovered atomic energy in the 1940s. In 1950s, the world's first atomic power station was built, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy entered the historical stage.
Fossil energy sources such as coal, oil and natural gas are the main energy sources in modern times, so people call nearly 300 years (from 1700) or 250 years (from the industrial revolution) as the fossil energy era to distinguish it from the original solar energy era.
However, the reserves of oil on the earth are limited, and the massive consumption of oil makes the energy supply seriously short, so it is imperative for the world energy to transfer to energy substances other than oil. The world energy is facing a new turning point. In the energy consumption structure, there has been a gradual transition from oil as the main energy source to multi-energy structure. New energy sources include geothermal energy, low-grade radioactive minerals, geomagnetism and other underground energy sources; It also includes ocean energy such as tide, wave, ocean current, temperature difference of seawater, salt difference of seawater, heavy hydrogen of seawater, and geothermal energy such as wind energy and bioenergy. And space energy such as solar energy and cosmic rays. Among these energy sources, nuclear energy is the most promising important energy source to replace oil.