Energy

Energy is fundamental to modern life — it powers our homes, fuels transportation and drives the technologies we rely on every day. We rely on it to heat and cool our spaces, light our rooms, drive cars, move freight and manufacture products. It is a simple fact: we need energy to survive and function. Yet the concept of energy can be quite complicated. 

In the simplest terms, energy is the capability to do work — it is the power that allows people, animals and machines to move and do things. Natural resources, for example, contain the energy that we rely on to power devices and machinery. Energy is fuel like gasoline or propane, geothermal power, wind that blows through turbines, and coal or gas that can be burned to emit heat. 

It’s important to know that energy and electricity are not the same. Electricity is a specific and widely used form of energy that we use to power our devices, light our homes and run appliances. Electricity doesn’t just appear at the wall outlet. It is generated at power plants, often far from where it is used. Once generated, it travels through a complex transmission and distribution network called the electrical grid, which consists of power stations, substations, transmission lines and the distribution poles you see outside your home and in your neighborhood. The grid is what delivers electricity from power plants to homes, businesses and industries. Without electricity, modern communications, technology, medical advancements and industry would be nearly impossible.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources focuses on affordable and reliable energy production in Missouri. The department assists, educates and encourages Missourians to advance the efficient use of diverse energy resources to drive economic growth, provide for a healthier environment and achieve greater energy security for future generations. With its large, highly educated workforce, strategic location, low business costs, clean energy initiative and plentiful natural resources, Missouri is perfectly positioned to take advantage of advances in alternative energy in the wind, solar and biofuel sectors.