MONTARIL,ADRIAN

CRIM2-C

1.)200,000 BC – Fire used

Records of the first controlled uses of fire for warmth and cooking.

500 BC – Solar power

Passive solar energy used in Greek homes.

200 BC – Coal mining

Coal mining starts in China.

644 AD – First windmill

The first windmill, with a vertical axis, is recorded in Iran.

1100 – Wind power

Windmills are introduced in Europe.
1690 – Coal replaces wood
Widespread use of coal begins in Europe due to wood depletion.

1700 – Geothermal power

Māori use geothermal hot water and coal for cooking and heating.

1848 Coal discovered in New Zealand

New Zealand coal is discovered by Thomas Brunner on the West Coast of the South Island.

1859 – First US oil well

First oil well in America is drilled in Pennsylvania.

1868 – First solar power plant

First modern solar power plant in Algiers used to heat water to drive a steam engine.

1885 – Petrol powered car

Karl Benz develops the first working motorcar powered by petrol.

1886 – Oil discovered in New Zealand

New Zealand oil is discovered in Taranaki, in the North Island of New Zealand.

1892 – First hydroelectric power station in New Zealand

First hydroelectric power station in New Zealand is built at Mokopeka.

1933 – First hydroelectric power station in the South Island

First hydroelectric power station scheme in operation on the Kawerau River in the South Island.
1939 – Nuclear power
Otto Hahn, in Germany, discovers the process of nuclear fission for energy.
1942 – First nuclear fission reactor
Enrico Fermi, working in the United States, designs and builds the first nuclear fission reactor.

1945 – First atomic bomb

First atomic bomb detonated in New Mexico, USA.

1951 – First nuclear electrical power

First nuclear electrical power produced in Idaho, USA.

1958 – First geothermal power plant in New Zealand

New Zealand’s first geothermal power plant, in Wairakei in the North Island, produces
electricity.

1962 – First gas well in New Zealand

New Zealand’s first gas well drilled in Taranaki, North Island.
1973 – Energy shortages
Worldwide energy shortages are caused by the oil embargo of key oil-producing countries.

1974 – Photovoltaic cell developed

Silicon photovoltaic cell for harnessing solar power is developed by Joseph Lindmayer in the
USA.

1985 – New Zealand’s nuclear ban

The New Zealand anti-nuclear policy is enforced over a visit by the USS warship Buchanan.

1986 – Worst nuclear meltdown

Worst nuclear meltdown with nuclear fallout occurs at Chernobyl, Ukraine.

1993 – First wind turbine in New Zealand

The first commercial wind turbine in New Zealand is installed in Brooklyn, Wellington. More
wind farms follow.
2003 – World’s biggest power cut
The world’s biggest power cut affects more than 50 million people when a fault in a power
company in Canada causes a black-out across the eastern USA and Canada.

2016 – Year high

New Zealand generates 85% of electricity from renrewable sources.

2017 – Damaged pipeline causes fuel shortages

The 168 km pipeline, which carries jet fuel, diesel and petrol directly from the refinery at
Marsden Point to tanks in South Auckland, is damaged by a digger. Air travel is disrupted and
some Auckland petrol stations run out of petrol.
2.) Fossil fuels
Fossil fuels are formed due to the continuous heating and compressing of organic matter buried
beneath the earth’s surface. The organic matter mainly comprises of plant and animal remains
that have decomposed, heated, and compressed over millions of years to form fossil deposits.

The deposits are extracted through drilling or mining, and they can be in liquid, gas, or solid
form. Fossil fuels are highly combustible, making them a rich source of energy. Examples of fossil
fuels include:

Crude oil

Crude oil, also referred to as petroleum oil, is the only non-renewable resource that is extracted
in liquid form. It is found between the layers of the earth’s crust, or between the rocks, and it is
retrieved by drilling a vertical well into the ground and ocean floor.

The crude oil is then pumped out to the surface, taken through a refinery, and then used to
create different products. It used to produce gasoline and diesel to power motor vehicles and
manufacture plastics, heating oil, propane, and jet fuel, as well as artificial food flavors.

With oil reserves being used up more quickly than new oil fields are discovered, scientists
predict that the current oil reserves may not last beyond the middle of the 21st century.

Natural gas

Natural gas is a gaseous non-renewable resource that is found below the earth’s crust but near
crude oil deposits in the subsurface. Natural gas primarily consists of methane, but may also
contain other forms of natural gas such as propane, ethane, and butane.

Methane is odorless, and it is mixed with a special additive to give it an odor for easy detection
in case there is gas leakage. Once natural gas is extracted, it is sent to processing plants to
remove propane and butane, which are used as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Natural gas is
used for heating homes, as well as for cooking in gas ovens, stoves, and grills.

Coal

Coal is created by compressed organic matter, and it contains carbon and hydrocarbon matter. It
is formed from plant-filled swamps that have been covered by sediments for millions of years.
Coal is extracted by digging up the ground and taking out the coal solids for processing into
energy.

The main types of coal are anthracite, lignite, bituminous coal, and sub-bituminous coal.
Bituminous is found in the United States. It contains 45% to 86% of carbon. It has a high heat
content and is used in generating energy and in making steel and iron.
Anthracite contains 86% to 97% carbon, and it has the highest heating value. It is much harder
to find than the other types of coal and is used in the metal industry.

2. Nuclear energy (Uranium)

Apart from fossil fuels, the other category of non-renewable resources is nuclear fuels. It is
primarily obtained through the mining and refining of uranium ore, a naturally occurring
radioactive element below the earth’s surface.

Uranium is found in small quantities, and miners often gather the uranium deposits for refining
and purification. The mineral generates power through a process known as nuclear fusion,
which creates enough pressure to run turbines and generate nuclear power.

3.) Non renewable energy typically releases carbon dioxide, methane, and other gasses into the
atmosphere. As we burn more non renewable fuels, we continue heating the planet, which
contributes to changing weather patterns that in turn affect food production, animal
ecosystems, and essential biodiversity within habitats.