Temple of Saturn, Rome. Dedicated 
Around 500 B.C. 

Chapter 15   
. 
Energy: Some Basics 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES       Increased efficiency in the use of energy, conservation, and the expanded use of alternative energy sources are essential goals for effective future energy plans.  This section should foster your understanding of material covered in the text regarding basic principles associated with what energy is, how much energy we consume, and how we might manage energy for the future.  A CLOSER LOOK:  Energy Crisis in Ancient Greece and Rome.         Energy problems go back at least to the early Greek and Roman cultures.  The climate in coastal areas of Greece 2500 years ago was characterized by warm summers and cool winter, much as it is today. Wood was their primary source of energy, as it is for half the world's people.           By the fifth century B.C. fuel shortages had become common, and much of the forest in many parts of Greece was depleted of firewood.  Olive groves became sources of wood, which reduced a valuable resources and led to the banning of the used of olive wood for fuel by the fourth century B.C.           At about this time the Greeks began to utilize passive solar energy for heating purposes.  Recent excavations of ancient Greek cities suggest that large areas were planned so that homes could take maximum advantage of passive solar energy.  The Greeks use of solar energy in heating homes was a logical answer to their energy problem.       2000 years ago wealthy Roman citizens burned as much as 275lb. of wood every hour for central heating, which caused local wood supplies to be exhausted quickly.  As a result, Romans had to import wood, eventually from as far away as 1,000 miles.        The Romans turned to solar energy for the same reasons that the Greeks did but with much greater application and success.  The Romans used glass windows to increase the effectiveness of solar heating, developed greenhouses to raise food during the winter, and oriented large public bathhouses to use passive solar energy.  The widespread use of solar energy in ancient Rome resulted in the establishment of laws to protect a person's right to solar energy.    FAQs  . Photo Credit: Tulane University Theater Design Program