People use energy to walk and bicycle, to move cars along roads and boats through water, to cook food on stoves, to make ice in freezers, to light our homes and offices, to manufacture products, and to send astronauts into space.
There are many different sources of energy, but they can all be divided into these two categories
Energy that comes from the sun
Converted into heat, light and electricity
Energy in moving air, harnessed by wind turbines
Used to produce electricity
Energy in the force of moving water
Captured by dams in hydropower plants and converted to electricity
Energy contained in organic matter
Used to generate electricity
Energy that comes from heat generated by the Earth
Used to produce electricity and can provide heat and hot water
Comes from the remains of plants that died hundreds of millions of years ago
Can be extracted and refined to make gasoline, diesel and jet fuel
Comes from the remains of plants that died hundreds of millions of years ago
Has the highest level of carbon of all fossil fuels
Energy released when atoms' nuclei are fused together (fusion) or split apart (fission)
Formed from the remains of tiny sea plants and animals that died millions of years ago Mainly composed of methane