The Technical, Organizational, and Cultural Aspects of the Production and Use of Energy

The production and use of energy with respect to the technical, organizational, and cultural aspects during the Middle Ages and the 19th and 20th centuries provide both similarities and differences. The technical differences are a matter of source of energy. During the middle ages, energy came from water, while during the 19th and 20th century it came from electricity. Organizationally speaking, both time periods show a dependency of the source of energy while efficiency of standardization also is present. With reference to the cultural differences, the production and use of energy during the Middle Ages was a centralized feature, while electricity could be delivered to individual residences and used on demand at a citizen’s leisure. At the same time, the communities were drawn together for different reasons, and the use of the energy sources promoted community growth.
The primary energy source in the Middle Ages was moving water in the form of rivers, streams, millponds, and...