What You Need To Know About Energy
The Cost of Energy
Energy use can carry a hefty price tag—and not just in money. The cost to our environment, to national security, and to the prospect of future sustainability is sometimes hard to calculate in dollar terms, but nonetheless very real in practical terms. What factors should we consider as we make decisions about energy options for the future?
Explore Other Topics
Energy Hands-on
Understanding Efficiency
Learn the significance of energy efficiencyThe Promise of Better Lighting
Energy savings through lighting technologyOur Energy System
A visualization of all our energy sourcesEnergy Defined
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
A colorless, odorless, non-poisonous gas consisting of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. A by-product of fossil fuel combustion and other industrial processes, it is considered a greenhouse gas because it traps heat (infrared energy) radiated from Earth within the atmosphere. For this reason, CO2 is believed to be a major contributor to human-induced climate change.
National Academies
Search the National Academies Press website by selecting one of these related terms.
Source Material
- America’s Energy Future: Technology and Transformation (2009)
- Electricity from Renewable Resources: Status, Prospects, and Impediments (2010)
- Liquid Transportation Fuels from Coal and Biomass: Technological Status, Costs, and Environmental Impacts (2009)
- Assessing Economic Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation: Summary of a Workshop (2009)
- Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy (2007)
- Energy Research at DOE: Was It Worth It? Energy Efficiency and Fossil Energy Research 1978 to 2000 (2001)
- Novel Approaches to Carbon Management: Separation, Capture, Sequestration, and Conversion to Useful Products-Workshop Report (2003)
