Where does most of the energy of the world come from? Have scientists and specialists in the field located the best alternative energy sources with the least environmental impact? Is renewable energy the answer to our global crisis?

There are two types of sources of energy in the world: renewable energy sources and non-renewable energy sources. Renewable energy sources include solar energy, biomass energy, wind energy, tidal energy, hydro energy, and geothermal energy. Non-renewable energy sources include oil, coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy.

Renewable energy sources are generated directly from nature, like the sun, rain, wind, tides, and it is possible to generate it over and over whenever it is needed. Renewable energy sources are abundant and are definitely the cleanest energy sources in Earth. For instance, it is possible to utilize the energy we get from the sun in order to generate electricity. Geothermal, wind, tides,and biomass energy from plants can also be used in different forms.

Most energy that is used in the world today is generated from non-renewable energy sources. These energy sources can be re-generated over a short period of time. Natural gas and oil are derived from anicent plant or animal remains or fossils. These remains are what we have been left with after millions of years of fluctuation in pressure and temperature.

There are pros and cons to using both renewable energy sources and non-renewable energy sources. First let’s look at renewable energy. The obvious advantages of it is that wind, sun, ocean, and geothermal energy is in abundance and completely free of charge. Secondly, renewable energy sources have very low or zero carbon emissions, so they are environmentally friendly. Thridly, it isn’t necessary to rely on any country to supply renewable energy sources, unlike its non-renewable counterparts.

However, things are not all so rosy with renewable energy sources. First of all, it is quite difficult set-up to get any of these sources to generate energy, and the starting costs can be astronomical. As in the case of solar energy, it can only be generated during the day, which completely excludes night-time and the rainy season. And to utilize wind energy, you have to depend on strong winds, so choosing the right place for the set-up can be challenging.

The obvious advantage of non-renewable energy sources is that they are ready, cheap, and easy to use. It is also cheap to convert one non-renewable energy type to another. However, a major disadvantage of non-renewable energy sources is that they are finite and will expire some time in the future. This will make the prices of these energy sources increase dramatically. They also cause severe environmental changes and are in a large way responsible for climate change and global warming. Non-renewable energy sources can have a serious impact on human health, as they are certainly not environmentally friendly.

For the original article and further information on renewables and non-renewables, click here

For more information, go to:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-renewable_resource

One Response to “What is the Difference between Renewable and Non Renewable Energy Sources? – Updated article”

1. 1
   Celeste Says:
   

   Being able to look at all of the options in one place like this really make a big difference when trying to consider all the sources. This is a great article.

   February 20th, 2009 at 12:47 pm

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