Non-Renewable vs. Renewable Energy

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Renewable energy is energy generated from a natural resource. The reason why these sources are called ‘renewable’ is due to the fact that they quickly replenish themselves and therefore we have a relatively everlasting supply. Resources that can not be restored in a short space of time are categorised as non-renewable. In order to acquire a sustainable future we should not so readily dispose of resources that can not be renewed so quickly. As well as this there is the fact that using chemicals as a source of energy is taking it’s toll on the environment. Non-Renewable Sources

84% of the world’s energy comes from non-renewable sources. This creates problems because these sources are not infinite and also have negative effects on climate and the environment. One well known non-renewable energy source is coal. Coal is the most used energy generator in the world. Coal is a natural resource that comes from within the ground.

Coal has concentrated supplies in industrial countries, (U.S. Russia, China and India). Some pros about using coal as a resource for energy are that, the infrastructure is already in place and coal produces a high load factor, which means a high power output at a relatively low cost per unit. It is predicted that coal supplies will outlast both oil and natural gas. Coal is the cheapest form of electricity production, making it the viable option for developing countries. About 80% of coal’s total potential energy is extracted, this is relatively high.

However, despite the amount of pros coal has supporting it there is also a large amount of cons. Coal is a fossil fuel that produces energy when it is burnt. The combustion of fossil fuels results in hazardous gases being released into the environment and atmospher...

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... time. By the time the coal runs out we will be left with irreversible damage to the Earth and global-warming levels will be dangerously high. It takes millions of years for coal to regenerate as it can not be made synthetically but has to be formed naturally by the fossil of lots of different things.

Geothermal energy has infinite potential. It is capable to provide energy for the entire World. This natural resource replenishes itself relatively quickly. This source also has the ability to reduce global warming. There will be no real effect on the source in which we get this energy if we all use it. Geothermal energy regenerates relatively instantly as the water in the reservoirs refills with rainwater and the heat is produced continuously by the Earth. The Earth could never run out of geothermal energy, no matter how many people use it or how much of it they use.

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