History of Energy Use and Power Generation

The use of energy throughout human history is explored, starting from the beginnings of humanity to modern power generation. This course will consider the development of different energy sources over time, the history of energy conversion and storage technologies, and the establishment of modern thermal sciences. A major focus is the investigation of how these developments affected societal, economic, military, and technological change and growth. Understanding the historical trends related to energy use and power generation will allow for better informed prediction of humanity's energy future. Open only to students in the Focus program.