Beyond fossil fuels: Assessing energy alternatives

Abstract

Most discussions of the remarkable trajectory of human development in the past few centuries label the phenomenon the Industrial Revolution. This term is apt enough, although it emphasizes the industrious nature of clever humans. An equally important factor-if not more so-has been the abundant supply of cheap surplus energy in the form of fossil fuels. Coal fueled the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, opening the door to accelerated energy-resource discovery and exploitation. Indeed, the first major application of coal was to power steam engines used to pump water out of coal mines in order to gain access to more coal. Perhaps the Coal Revolution would more accurately represent the transformational change marked by the nineteenth century.