1. ENERGY AND SOURCES OF ENERGY

Renewable Energy

Learn all about renewable energy and alternative energy sources. Renewable energy is sustainable: it's collected from renewable energy sources that naturally replenish, such as wind, waves and solar power.

What is renewable energy?

Renewable energy comes from non-finite sources within the environment that cannot run out.

Examples of renewable energy sources include sunlight, wind, and waves.

Renewable energy is increasingly being used as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.

What are 10 examples of renewable and nonrenewable resources?

Renewable:

1. Solar

2. Wind

3. Hydropower

4. Bioenergy

5. Geothermal

Nonrenewable:

6. Coal

7. Gas

8. Oil

9. Uranium

10. Tar Sand

What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources?

While renewable energy comes from sustainable natural resources, non-renewable energy comes from Earth's resources that are not naturally replenished.

Since the industrial revolution, western society in particular has relied on nonrenewable resources of energy to fuel everyday life. Gas is used to heat homes, water and cook food. Electricity powers lights, televisions, and computers. Diesel, oil and electricity fuel cars.

5 differences between renewable and non-renewable resources

Burning coal is bad for our planet; it's harmful to us. Lots of carbon dioxide gets released into the atmosphere when coal is burned, which contributes to the greenhouse effect and global warming. This is part of the reason why we are suffering the impacts of climate change. Meanwhile, the advantages of renewable resources, such as solar energy, mean that we do not have these negative, long-lasting environmental impacts. So, renewable energy combats climate change.
Renewable energy can decrease pollution, and therefore reduce threats to human health.
Non-renewable energy sources are unreliable. They can be difficult to find and will one day soon run out. Once built, renewable facilities do not cost a lot to operate and can stay in operation for as long as they are needed.
Coal and oil are useful because they can be stored and used when they are needed. Currently, solar energy and wind power cannot be stored, which makes them more difficult to rely upon as energy sources.
Oil and coal are also - at the moment - cheaper than using renewable energy. Renewable energy, however, has more stable costs, while non-renewable costs fluctuate and are set to increase as they run out.

What are renewable energy sources?

There is a range of renewable energy sources that we can use to fuel our lives. These renewable energy sources make use of the earth’s natural resources, such as the sun, wind, ocean etc. let’s have a look at the most popular sources of renewable energy:

Solar power

The sun is essentially a massive ball of energy, which is why solar polar has become such a popular form of renewable energy in recent years. In fact, the sun has the capacity to supply the earth with enough energy to meet its need for an entire year in just one hour. So, if we have all of this energy streaming down to us every 60 minutes, why is there an energy crisis at all? Well, with solar energy, the problem is not getting enough energy, but harnessing the energy that we have.

As it stands, solar energy is used to heat buildings, warm water, and power a range of devices and appliances. The way we harness solar energy is by using ‘solar cells’, which are made from materials like silicone. These cells work by transforming sunlight into electricity, which can then be used as energy. One of the most common ways that solar energy is used is through solar panels. These panels are typically placed on the roofs of buildings and used to harness solar energy to power the building.

Solar power is an amazing renewable energy source as it is also clean. This means that solar energy doesn’t produce any air pollutants or greenhouse gases.

Wind power

Wind power simply uses the power of the wind to power generators that then produce electricity. Wind turbines are like a new take on old-fashioned windmills and are used to harness the energy of the wind.

You will find wind turbines all over the place, in areas where winds are high, such as open fields and hilltops. For decades, wind farms have been used to harness offshore wind power. A wind farm is just a group of wind turbines in the same location that is used to harvest the power of the wind and produce electricity.

The wind turbine energy chain begins with the generation of electricity. Wind turbines aim to constructively utilise nature to create energy, in particular wind. These structures are placed in areas of strong winds and gales so that the propellers attached to the top of these turbines rotate. Through the spinning of these turbines, electricity is generated.

Hydroelectric power

Much like wind power, hydroelectric power is used to power a generator’s turbine blades, which then create electricity. Hydroelectric power, which is also known as hydropower, utilises fast-moving water, which can be found in rivers and waterfalls, etc., to spin the turbine blades.

Hydroelectric dams, which are large structures that have been built to contain different bodies of water, are a way of producing hydroelectric power. They are also used to control the flow of rivers and regulate flooding.

Hydropower is harnessed at hydro plants, of which there are 3 main kinds:

Impoundment facilities, use dams to store water and collect energy using turbines.
Pumped storage facilities, are like impoundment facilities but with more reservoirs.
Run-of-river facilities that convert water from portions of rivers.

Biomass energy

Biomass energy makes use of organic material from plants and animals to generate energy. These materials, which are known as biomass, are burned to create heat, which is then used to power steam turbines and generate electricity.

Biomass is an example of a renewable energy source but is not necessarily a clean or green energy source. This is because biomass energy has the potential to produce a high level of carbon emissions, which can be even higher than fossil fuels.

Geothermal energy

Instead of using the heat from the sun, geothermal energy burrows down into the ground and uses the heat trapped in the earth’s core to create energy. The heat in the core of the earth is generated by the slow decay of radioactive particles in rocks at the centre of our planet. Geothermal energy harnesses the power from this heat through drilling wells, which allow heated water to be brought up to the earth’s surface. This water can then be used as a hydrothermal resource that can turn turbines and generate electricity.

Tidal power

The final renewable energy source on this list is tidal power. The tide is controlled by the gravitational pull of the moon and is a super sustainable source of energy. Whilst tidal power is not constant, as it is always going in and out, it is reliable as, once the tide goes out, it will always come back in again.

Whilst this is a great source of renewable energy, we do need to be careful how we choose to harness tidal power. This is because structures like tidal barrages and dams, which can be used to harvest tidal energy, can have a negative impact on the environment and surrounding wildlife.

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