Energy

Where is the energy?

Albeit in different forms, energy is everywhere. However, the energy available which can be controlled, transformed and used by human beings (thanks to today’s technology) is only a small part of the energy contained in the primary sources. 
For example, energy can be found in the chemical bonds of oil, coal and gas (chemical energy turning into heat during the combustion process) or in the power of the blowing wind or water falling from the mountains (mechanic energy which can be transformed into electric energy) or the nuclear bonds (nuclear fuels) which, if they are altered through ad hoc processes caused by human beings, produce huge quantities of heat (thermal energy). 
In 2009 approximately 71% of the primary world energy consumed by mankind is made up of fossil fuels: coal, natural gas and oil (International Energy Agency (IEA) – Key World Energy Statistics 2011). Those energy sources are under the Earth’s surface, however they are not available uniformly in all the countries of the world. In other words they are distributed according to a precise geographical pattern. Great quantities of oil and natural gas can be found in Middle East countries (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait), in the United States, Russia and Europe, in the North Sea; great quantities of coal are located in China and the United States.