Handbook of Energy

Section 47

Transitions

Within the context of energy, a transition is a significant change from one type of energy use to another. This may be a change in the source of energy, such as the transition from coal to oil as the fuel for warships and cargo ships that occurred in the early 20th century. It may be a change in the energy-consuming device, such as the transition from propeller-driven planes to turboprop aircraft to pure jets that took place in the airline industry in the 1950s. Or it may be a change in the way an energy source is utilized, such as the transition in nuclear energy from its original use as a devastating weapon of war to its current peacetime uses for electrical power and medical imaging.

At the most basic level there has ...