What is the role of energy in the development

of human society from industrial age to

knowledge based society?
Well, we learned how to harness nuclear energy and how to convert electrons and their energy to
things like computer monitors, televisions, cell phones, etc.
So, we're no longer reliant on only biofuels like coal, wood, etc, as we were in the industrial age.
We can also now use gas to power means of transportation: cars, jets, etc. Transportation is
important in scientific conferences, field experiments (eg going out on a boat to take samples of
marine organisms or sediments), zooloogy, etc.
Communication is another huge advancement. Now, people can discuss such issues as
biotechnology, genetic engineering, rocket design, etc, from far away. That speeds up the process
of development considerably. This is energy in the form of low frequence waves (using satellites)
or electrons (going through cables).
Energy is also used in the lab. When doing gel electrophoresis, you use electric energy to
separate samples. Or you can use chemical energy as one source of energy in PCR (polymerase
chain reaction) machines. Electricity is important in computer-based imaging. Crystallography,
in order to determine the 3-D structure of proteins and other molecules, uses X-rays and electric
energy. Microscopes - scanning electron, light, etc - also use electricity to visualize the natural
world and learn more about it.
So, communications and technology are some of the most important factors in developing into a
knowledge based society. I'm sure you can thing of many other examples.