Be Careful What We Wish For

Currently at work, I am researching the history of energy efficiency. Everyone thinks that this issue had its real foundation in the 1970's with what was at that time, considered non-mainstream, basically a "tree-hugger's" ideal. But over the past 40 years, various and evolving forms of energy efficiency have become the norm for the home, workplace, transportation, health maintenance.

But surprising, I find information about energy efficiency going back to the 18th Century. Perhaps, in those days it was a matter of producing as much energy as possible. At this time economic and technological development is linked to shifts in energy sources, i.e., from coal (a solid fuel) to oil (liquid) or natural gas (gas). From the beginning of history up until the 18th Century, man's use of energy came from muscular or biomass (wood) sources. Most work was done by manual labor or animals,  using wood for heating and cooking. Windmills and watermills were employed but not to great extent. Eventually, the Industrial Revolution would change all that with steam or coal powered engines.

In 1712 - the first Steam Engine was developed in England to Pump Water Out of Coal Mines.

In 1767 - the first solar thermal collector was developed by Swiss scientist Horace de Saussure, to generate energy, with simple foods being cooked in black cast iron pots, and heat collectors in the form of hot boxes to cook food. Horace was ahead of his time!

1790's - coal began to take the place of current sources of energy... Wood, wind, water, beeswax, tallow, sperm-oil - all these were displaced steadily by coal and derivatives of coal...

1800 - the process of electrolysis is discovered , with English scientists William Nicholson and Sir Anthony Carlisle discovering that applying electric current to water produced hydrogen and oxygen gases. This process was called electrolysis. This was an important historic step in the development of hydrogen energy and the hydrogen fuel cell.

Of course, as the Industrial Revolution took hold, its great benefits also held the beginnings of the dreaded black skyline, creating the London combination of smoke and fog, or "smog" as it became known. The rest is history, and now we have the massive clean up underway.  We need to be careful, or be careful what we wish for!