Energy - Some Viewpoints and General Approaches

This chapter presents some viewpoints and general approaches about energy. From a scientific point of view, energy cannot be consumed. It is a flow. By means of various technical aids, man can divert it from its flows, distribute it, and make use of it. Both the natural energy flow and the energy flow created by man in the industrialized system are utilized. From an economic point of view, energy is a commodity that is sold by the energy enterprises and, therefore, appears in statistics as energy consumption. The stored energy sources—such as oil, coal, and gas—are created from the free-flowing energy sources but at such a slow rate that they can be regarded as nonrenewable. The quality of energy is dependent on the form in which it appears. The chapter explains the importance of the energy concept in linking together energy and material resources and also the importance of a society's use of materials for its energy needs.