Understanding Energy Sources: Renewable vs Non-Renewable

Energy Sources

Energy is the ability of a system to do work. Chemical: stored energy contained in chemical compounds. Released during chemical reactions, electrical: produced by the flow of electric charge, thermal: released as heat, electromagnetic: stored in electromagnetic waves or radiation, mechanical: combination of two energies (kinetic: things in motion, potential: stored within an object), nuclear: stored in the nuclei of atoms (fission: nucleus splits, fusion: nucleus joins).

Non-Renewable Energy Sources

Non-renewable energy sources are limited energy resources obtained from beneath the Earth. They are being used faster than they can be replenished. Fossil fuels are formed from the remains of microorganisms, plants and animals buried millions of years ago. At nuclear plants, uranium atoms are split by nuclear fission in a nuclear reactor. The energy released is used to heat water. The vapor produced by the hot water drives a turbine which generates electrical energy.

Renewable Energy Sources

Renewable energy sources are energy resources which are replenished continuously and naturally.

• Coal: most abundant, easy and cheap/ extraction dangerous, cause pollution/ electricity, heat, steel;
• Oil: more heat, easier to extract and transport/ limited, extraction can harm environment, burning it releases CO2/ electricity, automobile fuel;
• Gas: cleaner, easy to transport/ extensive processing, very toxic, cause explosions/ electricity, heat, fuel;
• Uranium: large amounts of energy, does not pollute/ nuclear waste, dangerous radioactive substances/ electricity, heat;
• Biomass: unlimited, few residues, less contaminating/ low efficiency, transportation difficult/ heat, electricity;
• Hydroelectric: unlimited, low usage, clean, control flooding, provides water/ transportation costs, weather conditions, negative environmental impact, risk of dam breakage/ heat, electricity;
• Solar: unlimited, low maintenance cost, clean/ affected by latitude, seasons, large areas/ heat, directly into electricity;
• Eolic: unlimited, low installation costs, clean, high efficiency/ wind is intermittent and inconsistent, difficult to store, requires large areas, wind turbines are loud, interferes with radars, televisions, danger to birds/ transformed directly into electricity;
• Geothermal: clean, not dependent on weather conditions/ negative environmental impact, installation is difficult and costly/ transformed directly into electricity;
• Tidal: unlimited, clean, not dependent on weather conditions/ low efficiency, negative environmental impact, limited to certain coastal areas/ transformed directly into electricity.