Where Does Our Energy Come From

Energy is the power that makes things work and move. Every day, you use energy when you turn on lights, ride in a car, or eat your lunch. All of this energy comes from natural resources, which are materials found in nature that people can use.

The electricity in your home travels through wires from a power plant. A power plant is a building where energy is made for many homes and buildings. Some power plants burn fuels like coal or natural gas. These fuels formed underground from plants and animals that died millions of years ago. Other power plants capture energy from wind using giant spinning blades, from flowing water in rivers, or from sunlight using special panels.

The gasoline that makes cars go also comes from underground. It is made from oil, which formed the same way as coal—from ancient living things. When you pump gas at a station, that fuel started deep in the Earth.

Even the food you eat contains energy! Plants capture energy from sunlight and store it. Think of a plant like a tiny solar panel that turns sunlight into food. When you eat fruits, vegetables, or bread made from wheat, you are using energy that started as sunlight. Animals that people eat, like chickens or cows, got their energy by eating plants.

Almost all the energy we use can be traced back to natural sources on Earth, and much of it originally came from the sun.