Joseph Sheaffer

Reflective Essay 1
Energy in the Human History

One of the topics that greatly interested me in Smils book, Energy, is

energy throughout the history of humans. Human civilization has evolved
from living in caves, struggling to survive every day, to the Renaissance
Period, and to the technology age that we live in today. It is fascinating to
think that at the beginning of human history, we relied on manpower for
every aspect of daily life. From this, we transitioned to animal power, and
eventually the power of machines. Among machine power, there is still a
level of evolution. We have gone from steam engines, which operated with
an efficiency of %1, to fuel efficient cars that have an efficiency of about
25% efficiency. This is substantially more efficient, yet we have even greater
efficiency potentials ahead of us. It is fascinating to see where we have been,
and to think about our future for energy.
For a large amount of human history, we were struggling to get by. We
burned easily accessible products to stay warm and to cook. These resources
included wood, plants, and animal dung (Union of Concerned Scientists).
Everything was done in an effort to conserve the resources and utilize
nature. Homes were built to maximize the wind and sun. This was done to
utilize cooling, heating, and light (North Dakota State 2010). Shelters were
not built to withstand severe weather. The tools that were used to build
houses were the byproducts of rocks, wooden sticks, and animal bones (Smil
65). Combined with man power, these tools were the only options when

Joseph Sheaffer

Reflective Essay 1

building structures. Human energy was devoted to hunting and gathering,

just to survive. There was no time for leisure.
As civilization evolved, humans began to use animals to help with
everyday tasks. Horses were used in transportation, allowing humans to
travel farther and carry more things. Horses, cows, oxen, and other large
animals were also used in farming. This enabled humans to plant more food,
which increased the stability of civilizations. More food was produced, thus
people had more energy to live off of. Even with these domesticated animals
doing a lot of work, heavy human labor was still required (Smil 65). People
still had little time for leisure, since a lot of energy was required to make it
through a day of work. Wind and water power were also utilized. Wind was
used in transportation, as sailboats traveled around the world (Smil 65).
Windmills and waterwheels were used in grinding grain, which increased the
food production as well (North Dakota State University 2010).
During the Industrial Revolution, humans began using lots of machines
to make their work much more efficient. People used trains and steam
engines, powered by mined coal, to travel. Coal was used for heating and
smelting iron as well (Union of Concerned Scientists). During this time period,
people used coal, water, and petroleum as fuel for power plants that
provided cities and towns with electricity (Union of Concerned Scientists).
Coal was the prominent source of power at the end of the 19th century, into
the beginning of the 20th century (EIA 2013). Towards the middle of the 20th
Century petroleum surpassed coal in energy consumption in the United

Joseph Sheaffer

Reflective Essay 1

States (EIA 2013). Hydropower was replaced by coal, and then coal was
replaced by petroleum in order to use the highest energy fuel.
Currently, we live in a time when we have such a high need for
electricity, machines and technology. The primary avenue for powering these
machines is through energy fuels, such as petroleum and natural gas, which
are non-renewable resources. Not only are we using tremendous amounts of
resources that cannot be replicated, but we are also polluting the Earth with
the waste from these energy sources. In an effort to continually utilize
energy sources to improve the food, living conditions, and length of life, we
have not developed efficient, clean ways to supply the energy we need.
The human race started from humble beginnings, using only our
manpower to do everything needed to survive. From this initial start, we
have grown exponentially. However, the current energy sources we have are
very inefficient and pollute the environment. For the future, we need to look
to the energy sources of our roots. Combining natural resources, such as the
sun, wind and power, with current technology, we will be able to meet our
energy demands in much more efficient ways.

Joseph Sheaffer

Reflective Essay 1
References

1. Smil, Vaclav. Energy: A Beginner's Guide. Oxford: Oneworld, 2006.

Print.
2. "U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics
and Analysis." Energy Sources Have Changed throughout the History of
the United States. N.p., 03 July 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
3. "A Short History of Energy." Union of Concerned Scientists. Union of
Concerned Scientists, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
4. "Energy Sources: History, Selection, and Transitions." North Dakota
State University, 2010. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.