Throughout recorded history, humans have searched for ways of putting energy to work for them. Humans have found ways of growing food instead of foraging for it out in the wild. Instead of walking, they ride in cars they have built for getting from one place to another. Humans even learned how to send messages electronically instead of using a messenger or a postal service. This quest for faster, easier, and more efficient ways of meeting the needs of a growing human population has led to increasingly high energy demands. But the resources currently used for generating energy are running out. The pollution created by the use of these resources is also causing significant damage to the planet's natural systems. For these reasons, people are beginning to turn to alternative energy sources to reduce pollution while meeting their energy needs.

A Brief History of Power Use