Academic Decathalon Social Science: Section 1 Notes

The nineteenth century was a period of remarkable technological, social, and economic range for the newly minted united states. The new developemtns altered the way people had lived, worked, and thought for the centuries prior. Two key developments were the growing usage of electric power and the entrenchment of oil as a critical source of both energy and geopolitical currency. Primary energy: a designation that we use to denote energy tht we have extracted or captured from natural sources and which we have no:t yet converted to another form. Some examples of primary energy sources include wind, coal, oil, and natural gasses. Secondary energy: comes from the transformation of primary energy. For example, we can transform coal into electricity via combustion. Electricity generated this way is a secondary energy souce. The united states consumed about 97 quads of primary energy and generated 30 quads of electricity in 2012. In this example, 97 quads consists of everything that the U.S. consumed, including natural gas for heating, gasoline for transportation, and the fuel sources used to generate electrical power. Therefore, the distinction between primary and secondary energy is important because it helps understand that some analyses are focused on energy inputs into the system (primary energy) and some are focused on the use of converted energy in the system (secondary energy, such as electrical power). At the end of the nineteenth century, the US consumed about 5 quads of primary energy per year. In 1870, the use of wood for energy accounted for nearly 70 percent of this consumption. (meaning that wood was the main source of primary energy) However, in the span of a mere three decades, coal replaced wood and soon became the dominant fuel souce for the US. In 1900, coal represented 70 percent of US primary energy consumption. (where as in 1870, wood represented 70 percent of US primary energy consumption). The shift from wood to coal was largely driven by the transition of the US economy from an agrarian system reliant on wood and animal power to an industrial economy far more dependent on coal and the steam engine. As innovations in energy technologies took place, services such as lighting, heating , cooling, and the use of mechanical power became increasingly available and popular. This increased availability, along with infrastructure developemtns and reductions in the costs of such services, engendered even greater demand. In 1878, Thomas Edison created the Edison Electric Light Company. A year later, as the publically unveiled his incandescent light bulb for the first time, he famously quipped: We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles. This quote was indeed true, for Edisons light bulb provided an affordable and long lasting alternative to camphene and kerosene lighting. In wide usage since the early nineteenth century, camphene lighting, a derivative of turpentine, produced a dim light with excessive heat, presenting a constant risk of fire. Kerosene lamps, while producing excellent light, emitted soot and constantly needed refilling. Edisons light bulb produced light without a flame or soot, never neded to be refilled, and was contained in the fire resistant medium of glass. Edisons light bulb made clear that things that could put the electricity to use were needed. He wanted everyone to have access to electricyt. By the late 1880s, there were 121 small power stations distributed throughout the US. In addition to nighttime lighting, many companies needed electricity to run their electric motors, resulting in a substantial increase in the deamd for electric power. Each of these stations, however, was only limited to providing electricity to a small area-just a few blocks. The limiting factor was the use of direct current. Each of these power plants could transmit direct current electricity only about a mile before much of the power was lost as heat in the wires. In 1886, using techonological innovations pioneered by Nicholas Tesla, George Westinghouse introduced a system based on alternating current, which could send electricity for hundreds of miles without major power losses. And thus began the war of the currents Edison saw alternating currents as threat to the system he had devised, and he began a campaign against alternating current. The campaign included the public killing of animals, spreading disformation, and using the term Westinghouse as a synonym for electrocution. In the end, alternating currents transmission advantages over direct current prevailed. Today, alternating current dominates the US transmission system. Over time, out modern electricity system has evolved into a welter of physoca assests (such as power stations, substations, feeders, etc.), institutions and companies, and laws and regulatory processes. As of 2012, the US had 3200 electric utility companies, 17000 power plants, 165000 miles of high voltage lines, 6 million miles of distribution lines, and 140 million meters for measuring electricity usage. All of these serve a peak electricity demand of some 600 gigawatts, and account for a total of over $1 trillion in assets. However, 1.5 billion people, more than one fifth of the worlds population, lack any access to electricity. Another billion have access to only fitful, intermittent electricl services. The international energy agency (IEA) defines energy poverty as a lock of access to modern energy services. This means the abilituy to have home access to electricity and clean cooking facilities. (indoor ar pollution from fuels and stoves is a major cause of dead in the developing world. ) About 95 percent of the people existing in conditions fo enery poverty live in Asia or sub-saharan Africa; and close to 85 percent live in rural areas. Without affordable electrical power, an industrial revolution, with all its attendant advances, is a distant and improbable future for much of the world.