Author: R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D
An examination of the history of mankind’s standard of living shows very little to any significant progress for thousands of years until the industrial revolution. Man’s living circumstances were basically subsistence level from the earliest recorded history about 3000 BC to about the mid 1600’s AD. Subsistence farming by human work force labor and animals was barely able to prevent starvation for the majority of mankind. Housing, frequently shared with livestock, barely prevented death from extreme cold and heat. Unpredictable droughts, plant disease and insect invasions made life very tenuous at best.
Now, let’s examine what happened with the advent of steam power. Human production was always limited by the physical power of humans and afterwards that of domesticated animals. Animal-powered machines such as threshers, plows, and harvesters added significantly to human production. These primitive machines substantially increased production, which in turn led to less expensive products which raised mankind’s standard of living. An exponential improvement was the development of steam power as a replacement for human and animal power. Steam power is not subject to fatigue or to limits of magnitude. It was also applicable to a wide range of uses from clothing product, food processing and transportation. Steam power was the foundation of the Industrial Revolution, allowing the development of machines whose productive capacity far exceeded human labor capabilities.
In the late 1800’s, the genius of men like Thomas Edison, built on earlier experiments by Benjamin Franklin and others, created the ability not only to generate electricity but to modify and alter it to serve the needs of expanding manufacturing. There was quite a dispute early on over DC (direct current) advocated by Thomas Edison or AC (alternating current) advocated by Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse. The competition was fierce and eventually AC was shown to be more practical; primarily because the use of transformers could boost the voltage, allowing longer and more efficient transmission lines. The impact on the standard of living was dramatic, since now power could be provided at manufacturing sites throughout the country and no longer required close proximity to steam generators. The application of electricity to power manufacturing plants, combined with the invention of radio, television as well as electric lighting and air conditioning transformed the lives of mankind in unimaginable ways. This technical advancement continues today.
Although there are alternate ways of generating electricity such as water power, nuclear, and wind and solar, modern civilization cannot exist without fossil fuels. Why didn’t humans turn to wind and solar to power the industrial revolution? There were attempts to use wind power in places like Holland primarily to power pumps to keep back the sea level and prevent flooding. A civilization dependent on electricity requires a dependable and always available generating power source. Fossil fuels and nuclear energy are the most readily available and dependable.
One thing that should not be overlooked is the importance of protecting the elaborate power grid that maintains our survival. Author Gary Timco, has frequently written about this necessity in his articles in The County Compass newspaper. We must protect the power that allows us to survive and live a modern life. Let’s not be led into some childish fantasy by the environmental extremists who would have us believe we can maintain our civilization on wind and solar. We are being led to destruction by the Pied Piper.
On July 18th, Gary Timco will be speaking at Stanly Hall Ballroom in New Bern, North Carolina at 7 pm. He will be sharing some of his thoughts on how to protect America’s power grid.