The story of humanity’s relationship with energy began over 400 million years ago with the formation of fossil fuels. Basking in the sun for millions of years, the Earth soaked up energy through photosynthesis – creating the largest, most concentrated and most convenient ‘energy deposit account’ we are ever likely to know.
However, for the first few thousand years of our civilisation, humanity had no idea that this energy deposit was under our feet. Our access to energy was limited to the ‘annual ration’ of sunlight that reached the Earth’s surface. We lived with the seasons, with a range of natural relationships based around the soil, as the only ways to convert incoming sunlight into the things we needed. Over centuries, humanity became more inventive, utilising wood and canvas to drive sailing ships, windmills and waterwheels – but we were still driven by our annual solar ration.