Do you know the difference between renewable and non-renewable fuels?
Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy Sources Quiz
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Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy Sources
Our modern society needs energy and lots of it. Usually, we use energy in the form of electrical energy, but the energy needs to first be harnessed from the environment in some way before it can be useful for human activities. Like gravitational potential energy which is transferred into kinetic energy and used to power turbines when water from a dam is released at a hydroelectric power station.
Some sources of energy we have exploited for thousands of years such as the power of water and wind which we used to mill grain. These sources of energy are known as renewable as they are replenished on human timescales.
Other sources of energy such as fossil fuels are considered to be non-renewable as they are replenished at geological timescales, meaning hundreds of millions of years. The majority of the coal that can be found on Earth is actually from ancient forests that existed across the globe. This was during the Carboniferous period which ended around 300 million years ago. Most of our energy in the modern-day comes from thermal power plants that heat water to create steam which turns a turbine and generates electricity. Thermal energy is transferred through conduction, convection and radiation.
Nuclear energy, in particular nuclear fission, is also considered to be non-renewable because the nuclear fuels that are used have a finite supply and will one day run out if we continue to exploit them, this issue is an example of a disadvantage of non-renewable energy sources. An alternative is nuclear fusion which uses isotopes of hydrogen as fuel and is almost limitless since all we need is water to create the fuel.
Unfortunately, the technology needed to exploit nuclear fusion has been much more difficult to develop than first expected and the saying goes that “nuclear fusion will always be 30 years away”. Renewable energy resources are increasing as a percentage of global energy usage because they are gradually becoming cheaper. Moreover, the negative associations of fossil fuels are driving cleaner and non-polluting alternatives such as solar power.
If you want to test your knowledge and see how your revision is working why not try one of our Mock GCSE Quizzes?
Advantages and Disadvantages of Wave Energy
There are many different energy sources and they all have their pros and cons. Wave energy is no exception and that is why it is still only deployed in a limited way around the world today. The main reason why wave energy is advantageous is the fact that the energy produced does not involve burning fossil fuels and so there are no air pollutants or greenhouse gases emitted during operation. Not using thermal energy also increases efficiency, since there are fewer energy transfers.
Wave energy is therefore a renewable source and could be a valuable source to add to a mix of renewables. A disadvantage is that the technology would work best in seas and oceans where corrosive saltwater can impact the useful life of the structures used to generate electricity. Additionally, wave energy generation is difficult to set up as it involves working at sea which increases costs in comparison to works on land.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Coal Energy
The fossil fuel known as coal has been used for energy since the industrial revolution and it has many benefits. Principally, the amount of energy that is stored in a small amount of coal makes it a valuable energy source. Its high energy density means that it is energy efficient to transport and produce relatively large amounts of electricity. However, it is a very dirty source of energy, both when it is mined as well as when it is inevitably burned. When burned coal produces large amounts of air pollution and greenhouse gases which have contributed to a significant portion of the increase in atmospheric CO₂ which in turn has caused anthropogenic climate change.
If you want to test your knowledge further, try out our Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy Sources Quiz. Also, check out our other related quizzes to learn about how thermal energy is transferred and what gravitational potential and kinetic energy are.