History of Energy Sources until Renewable

Carboniferous Period - Date not accurate

9999 BCE

This period was 300 million to 360 million years ago. The animals that became fossil fuels were living during this period of time. Plants used photosynthesis to gain energy, then animals ate those plants, and the energy was added to their bodies, so when we burn fossil fuels, it releases the trapped energy.

Nonrenewable sources begin to be used

1800

Nonrenewable sources began replacing most renewable energy use in the United States. We began to use fossil fuels because they are energy-rich and relatively cheap to process, and fossil fuels release a lot of carbon.

Nonrenewable energy becomes the main source of energy

1900

Fossil fuels become the main source of energy in the United States.

More sources of energy are used

1900

The world began to adopt a broader range of sources throughout the 1900s, such as oil, gas, and hydropower, because we want more electricity, so we found more ways to produce it.

Nuclear energy begins to be used

1960

Nuclear energy begins to be used, because it produces massive amounts of electricity without creating lots of carbon that pollute the air, like other non renewable resources.

Modern renewables are beginning to be used

1980

Wind and Solar are being used and created, mainly because eventually fossil fuels will run out, so we have to have a solution to the depletion of nonrenewable sources, because we still need power, while still not creating carbon.

Renewable energy use is increasing

1985

In the mid-1980s, more people began to use renewable energies such as biomass, because of incentives for their use, like electricity generation, and that fossil fuels are running out.