energy resources

• main energy sources

  NON-RENEWABLE:

  • fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas)
  • nuclear fuel

  RENEWABLE:

  • biofuel
  • wind
  • hydro-electricity
  • geothermal
  • tidal
  • solar
  • water waves
• RENEWABLE ENERGY: energy can be replenished as it is used

  • more important due to finite lifetime of fossil fuels
  • not always most reliable - solar doesn’t work in bad weather or night, wind is only intermittent

  NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY: energy that cannot be reused

  • used more for large-scale energy supplies due to large energy output per Kg of fuel - renewable resources cannot provide such a large amount of energy easily
• main energy uses

  • transport
  • electricity generation
  • heating
• Environmental impact


  EXTRACTION OF ENERGY:

  • fossil fuels involve destroying landscapes
  • wind turbines can be considered as an eyesore

  USE OF ENERGY SOURCES:

  • fossil fuels release harmful emissions
  • solar, wind directly creates electricity with no emissions
• patterns and trends of energy use:

  • industrial revolution - fossil fuels became important source of energy, it was easy to mine and provided a lot of energy
  • recently, renewable energy has become more suitable - technology developed a lot since industrial revolution
  • easier to use energy resources due to increasing pressure to cope with public's increasing power demands but harder to solve environmental issues due to political, social, ethical, and economic considerations