What is Energy?

Energy Display Panel

St. Columba's Primary, Cupar, Fife

The Human Race needs a lot of energy this is the reason we have so many ways to generate electrical energy and to take natural resources and turn them into fuel.

But what is energy?

The planet Earth is warmed by the rays from the Sun. The sun then is a natural source of energy for us here on earth. Since early history, people have sought out ways of keeping warm, helping them do tasks, and surviving.

Early humans quickly learned that wood, peat and coal could be burned, and this allowed them to do a variety of tasks. As people learned more, they discovered different ways of exploiting these materials – we now classify them as fuels, and sources of energy.

Humans have learned a lot about different natural resources and how they can use them for a variety of jobs.  Energy exists in many forms, and people have learned that stored energy can be released to do work.

There is energy in the food that we eat, and by eating it, our body consumes the food, releasing the energy and allowing us to do all different kinds of work. When we run, or walk, we ‘burn’ food to produce the energy we need. Cars, planes, boats all use fuels which are ‘burned’ to release the energy inside the fuel to allow the vehicles to move.

There has been an increased demand for energy over the years, and people have searched and found a variety of resources to exploit for energy.

Our reliance and use on oil, gas and coal has placed a strain on these natural and limited resources. This has led to research into new fuel types and sources of energy, which are covered in this web site.