3. Energy Outlook: Spatial and Temporal Mapping of Energy Sources Using GIS

Over the centuries, the energy has been extracted from nature in many ways. From ancient times to almost modern times, wood was the main fuel, which was often used more rapidly than was replaced by new growth, and therefore the forests of countries surrounding the Mediterranean were gradually destroyed, followed by the forests of central Europe and South America nowadays. The scarcity of wood stimulated utilization of other energy sources based on fossil fuels. Coal became the main energy source in many developed countries and provided the power for the industrial revolution, because it can be transported and has a higher caloric values than wood. During the twentieth century, coal is gradually displaced by oil and gas. In comparison with coal, these fossil fuels can be more easily transported over large distances by pipelines and tankers. Since the nineteenth century, the rapid development of the electrical industry has become a complex change of our civilization. The advantage of electricity being very easily transported displaced many local energy sources for heating, air-conditioning, suburban transport, and communication. It became a convenient power source for our factories and household articles. Electricity is mostly generated by turbines driven by steam produced by burning fossil fuels. It can be complemented by hydroelectric power and nuclear power. Nowadays the electrical industry makes possible to integrate a number of other sources, such as solar farms, wind and biofuel production, and small hydro energy plants.