RESOURCE

• Natural resource


  Any material given to us by nature which can be transformed in a way that it becomes more valuable and useful
• Renewable resources


  Resources that can be regenerated, which means new materials can be made or grown again at the same rate as they are being used
• Renewable resources


  • Trees
  • Soil
  • Wildlife
  • Water
• Some renewable resources like soil have very slow rates of renewal, so we still need to conserve them
• We can still pollute renewable resources
• Non-renewable resources


  Resources that renew themselves at such slow rates that, practically, they cannot be generated
• Non-renewable resources


  • Coal
  • Oil
  • Natural gas
  • Minerals
• Once we use up non-renewable resources, they are gone for good - or at least for a very, very long time
• It takes millions of years for non-renewable resources to form, so if we use them to the point of depletion, new resources will not be made for millions more years
• We can run out of non-renewable resources
• Solar energy


  Radiant light and heat from the sun harnessed using a range of ever-evolving technologies such as photovoltaic cells

  
• Solar energy provides less than one percent of energy needs
• Solar energy


  • It is intermittent and diffuse
  • All systems that use solar energy must store energy or use supplementary sources of energy when sunlight is not available

  
• Wind energy


  Electrical energy obtained from harnessing the wind with wind mills or wind turbines
• Winds are caused by the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of the earth's surface, and rotation of the earth
• Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical power
• Wind energy


  • The moving blades are a hazard to birds and bats
  • Newer windmills have slower-moving rotors that many birds find easier to avoid
• Hydroelectric power


  Energy derived from the falling water or running water
• Hydroelectricity provides 16 percent of the world's electricity
• In some areas of the world, hydroelectric power is the main source of electricity (South and Central America 65%, Norway 95%, Canada 59%, United States 8%)
• Hydroelectric power


  • The flooding of vast areas of land
  • Greatly alters watersheds
  • Alters the migration patterns of fish and often prevent fish from migrating upstream to spawn
• Geothermal energy


  Thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth, obtained in two ways: 1) In geologically active areas where hot magma approaches the surface, 2) The heat from the underlying rock can be used to heat water that can be used directly either to heat buildings or to generate electricity by way of steam turbine
• The United States produces about 30 percent of the world's geothermally generated electricity
• The Philippines is one of the world's top producers of geothermal power, owing to its location along the Ring of Fire zone of Pacific volcanoes
• As of 2017, the Philippines' net installed geothermal energy capacity is estimated at 1.9 gigawatts, ranking behind the United States (2.5 GW) and ahead of Indonesia (1.5 GW)
• Geothermal energy


  • The steam often contains hydrogen sulfide gas, which is an unpleasant form of air pollution
  • The minerals in the steam corrode pipes and equipment, causing maintenance problems
  • The minerals are also toxic to fish if wastewater is discharged into local bodies of water
• Tidal power


  Electricity generated from the gravitational force exerted by the moon and the sun causing tides
• To produce practical amounts of power, a difference between high and low tides of at least 5 meters (16 feet) is required
• Tidal power generation


  1. Dam or "barrage" across a tidal bay or estuary

  2. Gates and turbines installed at certain points along the dam

  3. When the difference in the elevation of the water on the two sides of the barrage is adequate, the gates are opened

  4. As the water flows from the high side to the low side of the dam, the flowing water causes turbines to spin and produce electricity
• Tidal power


  • Changing tidal flows by damming a bay or estuary could result in negative impacts on aquatic and shoreline ecosystems, as well as affecting navigation and recreation
  • The barriers and turbines will affect the migration of fish and other marine species
• Resource


  A naturally occurring substance of use to humans that can potentially be extracted
• Reserves


  Known deposits from which materials can be extracted profitably with existing technology under prevailing economic conditions
• Reserves are a portion of the total resource
• The amount of reserves changes as technology advances, new deposits are discovered, and economic conditions vary
• Countries often restate the amount of their reserves for political reasons
• A net useful energy yield is necessary to exploit a fossil fuel resource
• In the future, new technology or changing prices may permit the profitable removal of some fossil fuels that currently are not profitable, and those resources will be reclassified as reserves
• Reserves


  The amount of a resource changes by the amount used each year, as technology advances, new deposits are discovered, and economic conditions vary
• There can be large increases in the amount of reserves, while the total amount of the resources falls
• Availability of fossil fuels


  • If the cost of removing and processing a fuel is greater than the fuel's market value, no one is going to produce it
  • If the amount of energy used to produce, refine, and transport a fuel is greater than the energy produced when it is burned, the fuel will not be produced