Energy Basics
Welcome to Energy Basics! This website is designed to help give a broad overview of energy for everyone, scientists and non-scientists alike. It may serve as a basic introduction to energy concepts or as a companion resource to courses related to energy in the humanities and social sciences. We hope it will provide a baseline knowledge of energy considerations and instill a curiosity to engage in further learning and conversations with others.
Where possible, we have tried to simplify complicated systems and topics into smaller, digestible bites. At the bottom of each page, there are questions for deeper thinking to help you extend beyond the content provided above. In addition, there are links for further reading if you would like a more in-depth perspective.
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The website is divided into five categories that are summarized below.
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1. Overview – What are the basic principles of energy and how does human energy use impact the planet?
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2. Sources – Where does energy come from?
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3. Conversion – How do humans convert energy sources into usable, useful energy?
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4. Distribution – Once we convert energy, how does it get to the people who need it?
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5. Storage – How can we ensure we always have energy available when we need it?