Some thoughts on energy
Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:05 pm
ENERGY –Some thoughts—Part 1
TEMPERATURE.
The human body is comfortable in a temperature range of from about 50 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Below this limit there is a desire to seek warmer surroundings, and further down the scale shivering will set in. Above this limit the body starts to sweat and there is a desire to seek shade from the heat. To a certain extent the effects of being outside the comfort zone can be ameliorated by the addition or subtraction of clothes.
As the temperature of the planet can vary from about minus 50 degrees to plus 140 (again fahrenheit) it is not surprising that most of it’s inhabitants have the need to regulate the temperature of their surroundings to make their lives bearable within the comfortable temperature range.
For those who live in colder climes, this involves the provision of heat in all their buildings and vehicles. For those who live in torrid zones the need is for cooled air in all inhabited buildings and vehicles.
Both of these requirements involve a vast amount of energy, usually in the form of electricity and gas, to fulfil the demand for comfort.
Historically wood and coal were the main suppliers of heat, and water or shade were about the only relief from heat, but their effects were temporal, difficult to control, and technology has produced refined temperature control, but at the cost of escalating energy requirements.
TRANSPORT.
Starting from a historic basis, this was conducted either by foot or horse on land, and by sail on water. These methods required very little in the way of energy requirements (maybe an exception could be made for the horse). However, modern transport, be it by car, train, bus, plane, or ship, involves the expenditure of vast amounts of energy—mainly of oil, but with electricity increasing it’s share.
These, then, seem to be the main reasons why the consumption of energy has risen so dramatically since the industrial revolution. In part 2 (not yet written) I would like to review the way this demand for energy has been tackled and suggest possible alternative methods that could be employed.
TEMPERATURE.
The human body is comfortable in a temperature range of from about 50 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Below this limit there is a desire to seek warmer surroundings, and further down the scale shivering will set in. Above this limit the body starts to sweat and there is a desire to seek shade from the heat. To a certain extent the effects of being outside the comfort zone can be ameliorated by the addition or subtraction of clothes.
As the temperature of the planet can vary from about minus 50 degrees to plus 140 (again fahrenheit) it is not surprising that most of it’s inhabitants have the need to regulate the temperature of their surroundings to make their lives bearable within the comfortable temperature range.
For those who live in colder climes, this involves the provision of heat in all their buildings and vehicles. For those who live in torrid zones the need is for cooled air in all inhabited buildings and vehicles.
Both of these requirements involve a vast amount of energy, usually in the form of electricity and gas, to fulfil the demand for comfort.
Historically wood and coal were the main suppliers of heat, and water or shade were about the only relief from heat, but their effects were temporal, difficult to control, and technology has produced refined temperature control, but at the cost of escalating energy requirements.
TRANSPORT.
Starting from a historic basis, this was conducted either by foot or horse on land, and by sail on water. These methods required very little in the way of energy requirements (maybe an exception could be made for the horse). However, modern transport, be it by car, train, bus, plane, or ship, involves the expenditure of vast amounts of energy—mainly of oil, but with electricity increasing it’s share.
These, then, seem to be the main reasons why the consumption of energy has risen so dramatically since the industrial revolution. In part 2 (not yet written) I would like to review the way this demand for energy has been tackled and suggest possible alternative methods that could be employed.