The dawn of industrialization in the 18th and 19th centuries was led by innovations in metallurgy, steam power, and production processes. The energy powering these developments was coal. In pre-industrialized societies, biomass was the dominant source of energy including woody phytomass (firewood), crop residues, dry dung, and charcoal. These energy sources are renewable and limited by ecosystem constraints. Coal is a non-renewable, ancient biomass—a group of energy resources commonly called “fossil fuels”—that proved to be a more efficient power source than biomass in 18th and 19th century Britain—and subsequently all major economies of the world.
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Coal and industrialization
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The dawn of industrialization in the 18th and 19th centuries was led by innovations in metallurgy, steam power, and production processes. The energy powering these developments was coal. In pre-industrialized societies, biomass was the dominant source of energy including woody phytomass (firewood), crop residues, dry dung, and charcoal. These energy sources are renewable and limited by ecosystem constraints. Coal is a non-renewable, ancient biomass—a group of energy resources commonly called “fossil fuels”—that proved to be a more efficient power source than biomass in 18th and 19th century Britain—and subsequently all major economies of the world.