Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources

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Wind

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Wind turbines have giant blades mounted to a tall tower. The blades are connected to a housing, a nacelle, that contains gears linked to a generator. As the wind blows, it transfers some of its kinetic energy to the blades, which turn and drive the generator. Several wind turbines may be grouped together in windy locations to form wind farms.

Wind is a renewable energy resource, and there are no fuel costs. No harmful polluting gases are produced. On the other hand, wind farms are noisy and may spoil the view for people living near them. The amount of electricity generated depends on the strength of the wind. If there is no wind, there is no electricity.

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Solar Energy

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Solar power is energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy. Solar energy is the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy source available.

Solar energy is a renewable resource. The sun will always be around during our lifetime, and it is available in remote places around the world. The amount of electricity generated depends on the amount of sunlight on the particular day. Solar energy is not available during rainy or cloudy days.

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Biomass

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Biomass is organic material that comes from plants and animals. Plant and animal waste can be found everywhere and will never run out. It can be burned directly or converted to liquid biofuels or biogas that can, in turn, be burned as fuels.

Biomass is a renewable source of energy that contains stored energy from the sun. Burning biomass is beneficial for the environment.

It can be used as an energy source that would otherwise be wasted. When biomass is burned, the chemical energy in biomass is released as heat. A downside to biomass is the production of greenhouse gases.

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Hydropower

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Hydropower uses the water stored in dams, as well as flowing in rivers, to create electricity. It uses a turbine to help generate electricity. The energy from falling or flowing water turns the blades, and the rotating blades spin a generator that converts the mechanical energy of the spinning turbine into electrical energy. The amount of electricity generated from each power plant depends on the quantity of the flowing water and the height from which it falls. 

Hydropower is a free renewable energy source. The amount of precipitation that drains into rivers and streams in a geographic area determines the amount of water available for producing hydropower. Seasonal variations and long-term changes in precipitation patterns, such as droughts, have a large impact on hydropower production.

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Geothermal

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Geothermal energy is the heat from Earth. Resources of geothermal energy range from hot water and hot rock found a few miles beneath Earth's surface to deep down to the extremely high temperatures of molten rock in Earth’s core.

Geothermal energy is a free renewable resource that is clean and sustainable. Since the energy comes from within Earth, the energy source will never run out. Greenhouse gases below Earth’s surface, along with toxic minerals, can potentially migrate to the surface and into the atmosphere. Geothermal reservoirs are hard to come by with prime sites often far from population.

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Natural Gas

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Natural gas occurs deep beneath Earth's surface and consists mainly of methane. Millions of years ago, the remains of plants and animals decayed and were deposited in thick layers. Over time, these layers were buried under sand, silt, and rock. Pressure and heat changed some of this organic material into coal, some into oil, and some into natural gas.

Natural gas is highly abundant nonrenewable resource. It is used to heat about half of all homes in the United States. Natural gas is obtained by a process known as fracking. The rock formation is fractured by forcing water, chemicals, and sand down a well. This releases the natural gas from the rock, and the natural gas flows up the well to the surface. The dangers of fracking are still not understood today.

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Oil

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Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons that formed from plants and animals that lived millions of years ago. It is used in all forms of transportation around the globe such as gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel fuel.

Oil is a relatively inexpensive nonrenewable resource that can easily be transported using ships (tankers and barges). Working on oil rigs is extremely dangerous due to explosions and weather, and oil spills can cause long-term environmental damage

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Coal

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Coal is a fossil fuel used mostly by power plants, but also by some homes and commercial buildings. The energy we obtain from coal today comes from the energy that plants absorbed from the sun millions of years ago.

Coal energy is a reliable and affordable nonrenewable energy source that is easy to burn and produces large amounts of

energy. The supply of coal energy is limited. Therefore, if we continue to consume too much coal, we will eventually run out. Coal is dangerous to mine and creates pollutants when burned.

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Nuclear Energy

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Nuclear energy harvests the powerful energy found in the nucleus of an atom. It is released through nuclear fission where the nucleus of the atom splits. Nuclear energy requires a very small amount of the natural resource yet produces a large amount of energy.

The material most often used in nuclear power plants is the element uranium. Although uranium is found in rocks all over the world, nuclear power plants typically use a very rare type of uranium, classifying this as a nonrenewable source of energy. The production of nuclear energy can also produce radioactive waste, which is very dangerous to the environment if mishandled.