Energy System Map

Explore the energy system with Student Energy, starting with energy sources all the way to the end uses of energy. The Energy System map includes an interactive map view, a searchable energy topics index view, and accompanying videos.

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Influences

‘Influences’ are some of the most important social, ecological, and equity issues that intersect with and influence the production and consumption of energy.

The topics identified as ‘Influences’ are also are areas where young people can take action to transform the energy system – for example, by developing innovative policy mechanisms, pursuing careers in research and technology development, or working with their peers to build public support for climate action.

Climate Change
Energy Justice
Energy Policy
Sustainable Development Goals

Source

This is the category of natural resources, both renewable and non-renewable, that can be converted into forms of usable energy.

Generally, energy sources are grouped into three categories – fossil fuels, alternative energy, and renewables. Fossil fuels refer to resources created by thousands of years of heat and pressure on prehistoric organisms. Alternative energy refers to any form of energy that is not a fossil fuel; this includes renewables and nuclear energy. Renewable energy refers to sources of energy that can be replenished in a human lifetime.

These categories are further broken down into individual sources like oil, coal, wind, solar, hydro and nuclear that require specific and unique processes to be converted into usable forms of energy.

Energy
Alternative Energy
Energy Efficiency
Fossil Fuel Energy
Renewable Energy
Biomass
Coal
Geothermal
Hydrogen
Natural Gas
Nuclear
Oil
Solar
Water
Wind
Conventional Gas
Conventional Oil
Hydro Power
Tidal Power
Unconventional Gas
Unconventional Oil
Arctic Oil
Coal Bed Methane
Enhanced Oil Recovery
Gas Hydrates
Heavy Oil
Offshore Gas
Offshore Oil
Oil Sands
Oil Shale
Shale Gas
Tight Oil

Production

Production refers to the methods used to get an energy source into a state where it can be converted into a usable form of energy.

For natural resources found in the Earth, this generally involves exploration, extraction and basic processing of the resource. For other resources such as hydrogen, production may involve a chemical process to obtain the element in its pure form. Many renewable resources, such as wind and solar, skip production processes because they undergo direct conversion into a usable form of energy.

Drilling
Electrolysis
Hydraulic Fracturing
In Situ
In Situ Gasification
Mining
Oil Sands Mining
Steam Methane Reforming
Upgrading

Conversion

Conversion refers to the processes that convert an energy resource into a usable form of energy.

Energy is only consumed in a few major forms – such as electricity or transportation fuels. Our infrastructure – such as our grid or the internal combustion engine – is built around these forms of energy and therefore resources must be converted to be consumed.

Biodigestion
Coal Liquefaction
Fission
Fusion
Gasification
Power Plant
Pyrolysis
Refining
Solar PV
Solar Thermal
Waste to Energy
Cogeneration
Combined Cycle
Fuel Cell
Gas Turbine
Steam Turbine

Form

Form refers to the states energy has been converted to so that it can be efficiently utilized for its end use.

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it simply changes form. Raw natural resources must be converted to usable forms of energy so that they can be consumed to perform work.

Biochar
Electricity
Refined Products
Biofuels

Transport

Transport refers to the various methods for moving energy resources from where they are produced to where they are converted.

Resource transportation is most common for fossil fuels because they are seldom produced and converted in the same location.

Natural Gas Transport
Oil Transport
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
Natural Gas Storage
Oil Storage

Distribution

Distribution refers to the various technologies that enable the delivery of usable energy forms to the places where they will be consumed.

Once a natural resource has been converted into a usable form of energy it needs to be delivered to consumers. The electric grid is our largest piece of energy distribution infrastructure.

Electrical Grid
Transport Fuels
Energy Storage
Smart Grid

Use

Use is the service that people acquire from energy.

Ultimately, the reason our energy system exists is so that our society can benefit from the services energy enables. Energy allows us to transport ourselves efficiently from point A to point B, stay warm in cold months or cool in hot months, have light and power to run our various home appliances; the list could go on and on. Energy is the ability to do work and therefore use can be thought of as all the ways in which energy allows us to do work.

Heating and Cooling
Light
Power
Products
Transportation

Influences

‘Influences’ are some of the most important social, ecological, and equity issues that intersect with and influence the production and consumption of energy.

The topics identified as ‘Influences’ are also are areas where young people can take action to transform the energy system – for example, by developing innovative policy mechanisms, pursuing careers in research and technology development, or working with their peers to build public support for climate action.

Air Pollution
Blockchain
Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage
Cities: Urbanization and Rising Energy Demand
Clean Cooking
Climate Finance
Climate Movements
Communicating Energy
District Energy
Energy Access
Energy Finance
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Heating and Cooling
Policy Proposals
Regulatory Tools
Initializing