Renewable and Non Renewable Energy

672 Words2 Pages

Energy can be put into two broad categories Renewable energy and none renewable energy. Renewable energy sources can be reused continually as they are abundantly found in nature. All of them are non-polluting but devices used to collect the energy may impact the environment adversely. They are free but producing storage equipment or converting them into another form of energy may be costly.
The examples of using renewable energy are The Solar Panel which is an assembly of solar cells. The solar cells convert solar energy into electrical energy. The solar panels are very expensive even though they cost nothing to run. They are installed in places which must have sunlight. The efficiency is 10-20% the environmental impact is it needs very large areas, 40km² is needed to produce to produce the equivalent power of one modern power station. Does not cause pollution but there are environmental concerns about the production of storing devices.
The Wind Turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of the wind into kinetic energy of turbines. The turbines turn to generate electricity but they work only when there is wind. The efficiency is 30-40%. The environmental impacts are needs many large turbines to generate electricity which can be noisy and unsightly. Turbines may endanger birds and bats.
Hydroelectric Power Plant is when electricity is generated when water in an uphill reservoir flows downhill. The gravitational potential energy of the water changes to kinetic energy of the flowing water which drives the turbines to generate electricity. The efficiency is more than 90%. The environmental impact is Floods large area and affects the ecology of the area, May cause drought downstream if not managed properly, does not cause ai...

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...rbines in Port Elizabeth are used to create kinetic and the turbines are strong enough to power a small town. The Coelga Wind Farm was the first wind farm built in South Africa which was built in the Eastern Cape; due to the success of the wind farm many more were built. The problem with wind turbines is they can't be used in a place such as Gauteng, because the wind is minimal and the wind turbines can't be turned and no power can be produced.

South Africa wastes lots of money on non renewable energy sources in order to create electricity for example coal. The building of Wind Turbines, Hydroelectric power plants etc. Are costly, but once built are free as they use renewable energy sources. They do not contribute to global warming unlike nuclear power plant which is extremely bad for the air. There is also a risk of an accident such as the Chernobyl accident.

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1058 Words | 3 Pages
Alternative energy sources are renewable, and is most commonly referred to as free energy sources. There are many alternative energy sources such as hydro power, solar power, wind, biomass, and geothermal. Using alternative sources is more expensive in the long run, but it is the much safer option for our environment compared to fossil fuels. Although everything used is completely free, such as water and wind, the equipment used to generate these things are expensive. There are several pros and cons that come with the utilization of alternative energy sources.
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Renewable and Non Renewable Energy
973 Words | 2 Pages
A non-renewable resource is a natural resource that cannot be re-made or re-grown at a scale comparable to its consumption. In addition, Nuclear Energy, Coal/Petroleum/Gas (Fossil Fuels), and Coal are all examples of this non-renewable resource. Nuclear energy, uses Uranium to create energy, and is a non-renewable resource because once the Uranium is used, it is gone. Coal, Petroleum, and Natural Gas are considered non-renewable because they cannot be replenished in a short period of time; these are called “Fossil Fuels”.
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1128 Words | 3 Pages
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1501 Words | 4 Pages
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1334 Words | 3 Pages
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1102 Words | 3 Pages
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1172 Words | 3 Pages
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1042 Words | 3 Pages
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Renewable and Non Renewable Energy

Advantages And Alternatives: Pros And Cons Of Alternative Energy