Energy Resources and Their Uses

• Renewable energy resources

  Energy sources that can be naturally replenished, such as wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectricity, water waves, tides, and bio-fuels
• Non-renewable energy resources


  Energy sources that cannot be naturally replenished, including coal, gas, oil, and nuclear fuels like uranium and plutonium
• Coal


  A non-renewable energy resource used for generating electricity, transportation, and heating
• Gas


  A non-renewable energy resource used for generating electricity, transportation, and heating
• Oil


  A non-renewable energy resource used for generating electricity, transportation, and heating
• Nuclear fuels

  Non-renewable energy resources like uranium and plutonium used for generating electricity, transportation, and heating
• Wind


  A renewable energy resource used to generate electricity by driving turbines
• Solar


  A renewable energy resource used to generate electricity directly from radiation from the Sun
• Geothermal


  A renewable energy resource used to generate electricity by using heat to turn a turbine, or to heat buildings directly
• Hydroelectricity


  Electricity generated by water flowing through a dam and driving turbines directly
• Water waves

  Energy generated by forcing air through a turbine using the power of water waves
• Tides


  Energy generated by using the power of tidal water as it fills and leaves an estuary
• Tidal barrages


  Dams built across estuaries where turbines are driven by tidal water
• Bio-fuels


  Fuels that can be burned to generate electricity by heating water into steam that drives a turbine
• Fossil fuels

  Non-renewable fuels that can be burned to generate electricity by heating water into steam that drives a turbine
• Nuclear power


  Power generated by using energy released from the fission of uranium or plutonium to heat water into steam that drives a turbine
• Environmental impacts


  The effects on the environment caused by the use of different energy resources
• Reliability


  The ability of an energy resource to consistently provide power
• Estuaries


  Areas where rivers meet the sea, used for generating power through tidal barrages
• Drought


  A period of time with little or no rainfall, affecting the reliability of hydroelectricity
• Trends in Energy Resource Use

  Changes in the utilization of different energy resources over time
• Cost and reliability


  The main limitations of renewable energy resources