Secondary Sector Industries, Crafts and Energy Sources

Secondary Sector and Energy Sources

The secondary sector includes all activities that convert raw materials into finished or semi-finished products. The secondary sector is usually associated with industry.

Crafts

When we talk about the secondary sector, it is important to remember crafts. In this type of work, products are made by hand or using small tools. Craftspeople work in a workshop and use materials such as fabric, glass, or clay.

Energy Sources

Energy sources are natural resources that produce the power required to make products from raw materials. There are two types: non-renewable energy sources, obtained from fossil fuels; and renewable energy sources, obtained from inexhaustible, non-polluting resources.

• Non-renewable: coal, petroleum, natural gas, nuclear energy.
• Renewable: hydroelectric, tidal, wind, solar, geothermal, biomass.

Coal

This mineral is used as a fuel to produce electricity in thermal power stations. It is also used as a basic raw material in the iron and steel industry. It is extracted through mining. It has traditionally been a very widely used source of energy, but nowadays it is gradually being used less because the extraction process is very expensive.

Petroleum

Petroleum is the world’s most important energy source. It is used as a fuel and raw material in the petrochemical industry. It is also used to produce electricity in thermal power stations and to make vehicle fuels. It is found in reservoirs located under the ground and the sea floor. Once it is extracted, it is transported through pipelines or by oil tankers.

Natural Gas

Natural gas is also used to produce electricity in thermal power stations. It is usually found in oil fields, in close proximity to petroleum. Natural gas consumption is increasing because it is being used instead of coal and petroleum.

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy is produced through a nuclear reaction called fission. This reaction splits the atomic nucleus of a radioactive mineral, usually uranium. This is carried out in nuclear power stations to produce electricity. The main problem with this energy type is that it generates harmful radioactive waste that damages our health and the environment. This means that it is an unpopular form of energy.

Hydroelectric Power

It is produced using the power of water. It has many advantages: it is clean, cheap and renewable. Water in reservoirs can also be used for other types of human consumption.

Tidal Power

It uses the movement of tides, waves and underwater currents to produce electricity. The photo below shows a Pelamis Wave Energy Converter, one of the leading technologies in this field.

Wind Power

It is obtained from the energy of the wind. The energy is transformed into electricity using wind turbines on wind farms.

Solar Power

Solar panels convert the Sun’s rays into electric (photovoltaic) and heat (thermal) energy. Spain is one of the leading producers of photovoltaic energy in the European Union.

Geothermal Power

It is obtained from the naturally occurring thermal energy beneath the Earth’s surface.

Biomass

It is obtained by processing the waste products of crop and livestock farming and forestry. Biomass can be converted into solid, liquid and gaseous fuels, called biofuels.