Energy Resources & their Uses

• Energy sources, both renewable and non-renewable, are mostly used to generate electricity. 2 other major uses are transport and heating
• Non-renewable energy sources will run out one day (finite)
• Non-renewable energy sources are fossil fuels and nuclear fuel (uranium and plutonium).
• Fossil fuels are natural, non-renewable resources that form uderground over millions of years. They are typically burnt to provide energy
• The 3 main fossil fuels are coal, oil and (natural) gas
• Non-renewable energy sources do damage to the environment but they are reliable
• Renewable energy sources will never run out
• Renewable energy sources include the Sun (solar), wind, water waves, hydro-electricity, bio-fuel, tides and geothermal
• Renewable energy resources damage the environment but are no way near as bad as non-renewables. The trouble is that they don't provide much energy and some of them are unreliable because they depend on the weather
• Energy resources can be used for transport
• Transport is one of the most obvious places where fuel is used
• Non-renewable E.R. - Petrol and diesel powered vehicles (most cars) use fuel created from oil
• Non-renewable E.R. - Coal is used in some old-fashioned steam trains to boil water to produce steam
• Renewable E.R. - Vehicles that run on pure bio-fuels or a mix of a bio-fuel and petrol or diesel (only the bio-fuel is renewable)
• Electricity can also be used to power vehicles (trains and some cars). It can be generated using renewable or non-renewable energy sources
• Energy resources can be used for heating
• Non-renewable E.R. - Natural gas is the most widely used fuel for heating homes in the UK. The gas is used to heat water, which is then pumped into radiators throughout the home
• Non-renewable E.R. - Coal is commonly burnt in fireplaces
• Non-renewable E.R. - Electric heaters (also called storage heaters) which use electricity generated from non-renewable energy resources
• Renewable E.R. - A geothermal (or ground source) heat pump uses geothermal energy resources to heat buildings
• Renewable E.R. - Solar water heaters work by using the sun to heat water which is then pumped into radiators in the building
• Renewable E.R. - Burning bio-fuel or using electricity generated from renewable resources can also be for heating