Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy Resources

On planet Earth, we are using both renewable and non-renewable energy resources to cover the power demand of our civilization.

In terms of non-renewable resources, mankind relies today on fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power.

Fossil fuels represent limited resources of energy, which means that mankind needs to find new resources of power (preferably clean and renewable) that can replace in the future the fossil fuels used today on a large scale for electricity generation.

Fossil fuels need to be replaced in the future not only because they are limited resources, but also because while burning, they are releasing harmful emissions into the atmosphere that are destroying the environment and our health.

The non-renewable energy resources available on our planet (fossil fuels) have helped the human society to evolve and even to go into space, but if we want to save the environment we need to replace these dirty sources of energy with renewable resources of power.

The renewable energy resources available on the planet are represented by infinite resources of power that are continuously replenished by nature, so they never run out.

These infinite resources of energy include: solar, wind, hydro (water), geothermal, biomass and hydrogen.

Examples of Non-renewable Energy Resources

Non-renewable Energy Resources are represented by fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear fuels (uranium, plutonium, thorium, etc.).

These resources are considered non-renewable because they are not replenished by nature in a very short period of time.

1. Coal

A very long time ago, the vegetation on planet Earth was very well developed, and when the vegetation died, thousands of years of pressure, heat and layers of sediments, have turned the plants into coal through a pretty complex process.

Coal is used today on a massive scale for electricity and heat generation even if we know that by burning it, we release the largest amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

Coal being a cheap source of energy, it is used mostly by developing countries such as India, China and others, and this is the reason why air pollution (smog resulted from burning coal) is a main issue in these countries.

Estimates say that coal deposits are enough for two more centuries (if mankind keeps the today’s level of coal consumption on the planet).

However, because coal is the dirtiest resource of energy among all the other fossil fuels, it will be replaced much sooner by cleaner sources of power.

2. Oil

Oil is another non-renewable energy resource that is massively used on our planet to power our vehicles, to generate electricity and heat.

The oil deposits have been formed due to the fact that the dead remains of plants and animals (marine plants and animals are included here) have settled in muddy sediments at the bottom of the sea millions of years ago.

After a long period of accumulation and sedimentation of organic debris, they got buried deep below the surface of the planet, and due to the intense heat and pressure in the underground rock, the organic remains of the dead plants and animals have been turned into the today’s oil reserves.

The crude oil extracted from the well needs to be refined to become useful for the market.

After the refining process, the petroleum resulted is used to produce oil, gas (a gaseous fuel) and carbon black, solvents (for dry cleaning), gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene (fuel used by planes), lubricating oils, vaseline and grease, paraffin wax (for candles and waterproofing fabrics), pitch and tar (for artificial asphalt) and petroleum coke (used as fuel and also to produce electrodes).

Estimates say that oil reserves are enough for another 52 years, but only if we don’t increase the today’s level of oil consumption on the planet.

3. Natural Gas

Natural gas is another non-renewable energy resource that burns cleaner compared to coal and oil.

Thanks to the U.S. shale and fracking boom, natural gas is considered now a fossil fuel that can help mankind to reduce the use of coal and oil for energy and heat production.

Big oil companies are using a technology that turns the natural gas into liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is a commodity that can be shipped all over the planet.

Producing about half as much carbon dioxide compared to coal, natural gas is considered a major energy source based on a fossil fuel that can ensure the transit between the fossil fuels era and the renewable energy era in a not very far future from now on.

Estimates say that natural gas reserves could power mankind for another 54 years if we maintain the today’s level of gas consumption on the planet.

4. Nuclear Energy

Nuclear power is another for of non-renewable energy resource (the fuel used in the nuclear fission reaction), which is still used today by many countries despite the hazardous nuclear waste resulted after the nuclear fission reaction of uranium and plutonium.

Thorium is considered a better nuclear fuel for the nuclear fission reaction because is more abundant on our planet (compared to uranium and plutonium) and the nuclear waste resulted after the nuclear reaction is less harmful.

However, despite being more abundant on our planet, thorium is still a finite resource, which means that someday will be exhausted.

Nuclear power will become a renewable energy resource only when mankind will use the nuclear fusion reaction of hydrogen (a very abundant element on our planet and in the universe) to generate unlimited amounts of clean electricity.

Examples of Renewable Energy Resources

Renewable energy resources are called this way because they are continuously replenished by nature, and they rely on the power of the Sun, and on Earth’s natural processes that are replenished in a short period of time.

Renewable energy resources are clean and endless, which means that mankind needs to focus on developing these energy resources in order to use them as a replacement for the fossil fuels that are finite resources.

We need to stop using fossil fuels entirely before the end of this century, and by then, we need to slowly reduce the use of fossil fuels and increase the use of renewable energy to give nature a chance to recover.

The list of renewable energy resources include solar energy, wind power, hydro power (which includes hydroelectric, tidal and wave energy), geothermal energy, biomass (biofuels) and hydrogen.

1. Solar Energy

The Sun is the most important source of energy in the solar system, which means that we need to use this free and clean source of power in our own interest.

Theoretically, solar power is not 100% renewable because the Sun will not be here forever to send us heat and light, which can be used to power our society.

However, compared to the time spent by mankind here on the planet, we can consider solar power a renewable resource because the Sun will be here for another 5 billion years to provide us with free electricity, light and heat.

2. Wind power

The wind on planet Earth is produced due to the fact that the Sun is heating the different layers of air in our atmosphere in an uneven way, which makes the heated air to rise and the cold air to move down.

This movement of the air layers in our atmosphere is what we call wind.

The kinetic power of the wind is used to spin a turbine (mechanical energy) and produce clean electricity using generators (electrical energy).

Wind power is considered a renewable resource because is generated by the Sun, which is also a renewable resource.

3. Hydro Power

Hydro power or hydro energy consists of several forms of clean energy such as hydroelectricity (hydroelectric energy), tidal power and wave energy.

Water is considered a renewable resource on our planet because is continuously replenished by the water cycle taking place on the planet every day.

Water is constantly moving on the planet, and this is the reason why we can use water as an energy source, which luckily is also free and clean (does not pollute).

4. Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is another renewable energy resource available on the planet being provided by the Earth’s core.

The melted core of the planet is very hot (even hotter than the Sun’s surface), which means that this renewable energy resource can be used by mankind as a clean and free source of energy and heat.

Geothermal energy comes from the underground and reaches the surface of the planet under the form of very hot water (over 300°C) and steam.

This renewable resource can be used to produce clean electricity (the steam coming from the underground is used to spin a turbine, which generates electricity using a generator), and also in residential heating.

5. Biomass

Biomass consists of wood and plant waste, energy crops, trash, organic waste (human and animal), biogas and biofuels.

Plants and trees regrow, energy crops regrow as well, until we have people and animals on the planet, organic waste and trash will be produced every day (biofuels and biogas as well).

Biomass is considered today a renewable energy resource because is replenished in a short amount of time, and can be used instead of coal to generate electricity and heat releasing a lower amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

6. Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the cleanest fuel known today because besides producing heat and a large amount of energy, the waste obtained is only water.

Hydrogen can be used as a renewable resource for a zero carbon society because it can provide large scale energy storage for renewable power, which would reduce the need for natural gas.

Hydrogen is also used today to power green vehicles (hydrogen fuel cells) for a cleaner transportation system and a healthier environment for all of us.

Conclusion

Today, mankind relies on several energy resources available to us, but in the future, we need to increase the use of renewable energy resources while decreasing the use of non-renewable energy resources because we all want to live our life in a healthy environment, which is free of any form of pollution.