How is energy made?

"It is important to realize that in physics today, we have no knowledge what energy is.  We do not have a picture that energy comes in little blobs of a definite amount.  It is not that way." ― Richard Feynman, The Feynman Lectures on Physics

It is a myth to say that we produce energy.  It is impossible to create—or destroy—energy.  Instead, we extract it from energy-rich sources, like coal or petroleum.  The problem then becomes how to make it do what we want.  In the 18th century, engineers were able to build machines that could turn chemical energy into motion.  In the 19th century, engineers were able to build machines that could turn motion into electrical energy.  And in the 20th century, engineers were able to build machines that could turn nuclear energy into heat.  However, at this point, most methods of extracting energy are in place.

via LLNL and DOE. (Full size).

Above is one of the best infographics I've seen.  It shows the energy sources and uses for the United States—by far, the largest energy consumer in the world.  Let's begin the controversy.  Fossil fuels are, undoubtedly, a limited resource.  The notion that we will reach—or have reached—a point where we are no longer able to increase the available supply of petroleum is called the peak oil hypothesis.  Looking at this chart, though, we see that over 80% of our total energy needs comes from fossil fuels, and over 95% of energy used for transportation comes from fossil fuels.  Tomorrow, we'll look at what sources may replace fossil fuels in the future.