Difference between Renewable and Non-renewable resources
Difference between Renewable and Non-renewable resources
Natural resources are the materials and goods that come from the earth. There are two kinds of natural resources. The first is renewable natural resources. They can be grown again and never run out. Second is the non-renewable natural resource. These are resources that can be exhausted or used up. These items are usually found in the ground.
Renewable Natural Resources
As innovation brings down costs, renewable power is on the rise and promises a cleaner future. Nevada Solar Group is setting new records. They are being seamlessly integrated into the national grid without sacrificing reliability.
Renewables are replacing “dirty” fossil fuels, which means they have the potential to reduce carbon emissions and other forms of pollution. Not all energy sources that are marketed as renewable are good for the environment. When considering the impacts on wildlife and climate change, large hydroelectric dams and biomass are difficult to choose between. This article will explain the differences between renewable energy sources and how you can make use of them at home.
What is Renewable Energy?
Renewable energy is often called clean energy. It comes from natural resources or processes that are continually replenished. Even though their availability is dependent on weather and time, for example, sunlight and wind continue to shine and blow even when they are not.
Although renewable energy is often viewed as a novel technology, harnessing the power of nature has been used for centuries for heat, transport, light, and other purposes. Wind has been used to power boats that sail the oceans, and windmills that grind grain. The sun has been a source of warmth and light throughout the day, as well as helping to create fires that last until the early hours of the morning. Over the last 500 years, however, people have increasingly turned to less-cleaner energy sources like coal and fracked natural gas.
Renewables have become a more important source of power, accounting for over one-eighth U.S. generation. We now have more innovative and cheaper ways to capture and keep solar and wind energy. Renewables are also expanding at all scales, from rooftop solar panels that can be sold back to the grid to huge offshore wind farms. Renewable energy is used for lighting and heating in many rural communities.
As renewable energy continues to grow, the key goal is to modernize America’s electricity grid. This will make it safer, smarter, and more integrated across all regions.
Types of renewable energy sources
Solar Energy
For thousands of years, humans have used solar energy to grow crops, keep warm, and dry food. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory claims that more energy from the sun is absorbed by the earth than is consumed by the entire world over a year. The sun’s rays are used in many ways today, including to heat homes and businesses, warm water, and power devices.
Photovoltaic (or solar) cells are made of silicon or other materials. These cells convert sunlight into electricity. Distributed solar systems produce electricity locally for homeowners and businesses. These systems can be used to power entire communities or rooftop panels. Solar farms can produce power for thousands of homes by using mirrors to focus sunlight across acres of solar cell arrays.Floating solar farms, also known as “floatovoltaics,” can make good use of wastewater treatment plants and non-ecologically sensitive bodies of water.
The U.S. gets just 1% of its electricity from solar. Nearly a third of the new generation capacity was generated by solar in 2017, second only after natural gas.
Solar energy systems do not produce greenhouse gasses or air pollutants. Most solar panels are well-placed and have minimal environmental impact.
Wind Energy
Since the days of old-fashioned windmills, we’ve made great strides. Nowadays, turbines that are as tall as skyscrapers and nearly as large in diameter stand out around the globe. Wind energy is what turns the blades of a turbine into electricity.
Wind, which makes up just a little over 6 percent of U.S. generation, is now the most affordable energy source in many areas of the country. California, Texas and Oklahoma are the top wind power states. However, turbines can also be installed anywhere there is high wind speed, such as hilltops or open plains, or even offshore in open waters.
Hydroelectric Power
Although hydropower is the most important renewable energy source for electricity, wind energy is expected to soon take over. Hydropower is based on water, which can be either fast-moving water in large rivers or slow-moving water at high points. The twirling of turbine blades converts that pressure into electricity.
Large hydropower seedlings, also known as mega-dams, are frequently regarded as non-renewable energy sources on a national and international scale. Mega-dams decrease and divert organic flows, limiting animal and human access to rivers. Small hydropower generators with capacities less than 40 mw are less likely to cause damage to the environment as they only redirect a small amount of flow.
Biomass Energy
Biomass can be defined as organic material that is made from plants or animals. It includes crops, wood waste, and trees. The chemical energy from biomass is converted to heat by burning it. This heat can be used to generate electricity using a steam turbine.
Biomass is sometimes mistakenly referred to as a clean, renewable fuel that produces electricity and is a cleaner alternative to coal or other fossil fuels. Recent science has shown that biomass, especially from forests, produces higher carbon emissions than other fossil fuels. However, there are also potential negative effects on biodiversity. However, there are some forms of biomass energy that could be low-carbon if used in the right conditions. Low-carbon energy sources include sawdust, chips and sawdust from sawmills.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy is the reason you have ever sat down in a hot spring. Due to slow decay of radioactive particles in the rocks at the core of the earth, the earth’s core can heat up to twice as fast as the surface. Deep well drilling brings hot underground water to the surface, where it is used as a hydrothermal source. The steam is then pumped through turbines to generate electricity. If geothermal plants pump the steam and water back into the reservoir, they produce low emissions. Although there are many ways to make geothermal plants in places without underground reservoirs, there are also concerns about the possibility of earthquakes in geological hot spots.
Ocean
Although wave and tide energy are still in their development phase, the ocean will always be ruled over by the moon’s gravitation, making harnessing its power attractive. Tidal energy methods that are similar to dams but located in ocean bays or lagoons can cause wildlife harm, such as tidal barrages. Wave power is similar to tidal energy and relies on structures that look like dams or ocean floor-anchored devices just below the surface of the water.
Nonrenewable Natural Resources
Let’s now look at nonrenewable resources. They can be found on the earth. These resources are limited in number. They are not living creatures and can sometimes be difficult to find. They do not regrow, and they cannot be replaced or renewed. These include fossil fuels used for energy like natural gas, coal, or oil. Nonrenewable natural resources include minerals, which are used to make metals. It is an item that is not renewable and cannot be replaced in a human’s lifetime. They can take many years to form.
Both types of natural resources are used to make the products people need and want. Natural resources are used to make our homes, clothes, plastics, food, and other products. Let’s take a look at each of these items to make sure.
Your home is located in a building. Wood and minerals are the main materials used to build buildings. Wood comes from trees. Minerals are extracted from the ground. Minerals are used to make bricks, cement, metals, and other products. What about your clothes? Your clothing is mainly made of cotton, nylon, and polyester. Cotton is derived from cotton plants. Oil is used to make nylon and polyester. Plastics can also be made from oil. What about your food? You can eat fruits, grains, and other parts from plants. Dairy products and meats from animals can also be enjoyed. Everything we have or use comes from nature. Which of the resources mentioned are renewable?
It is important to use all natural resources wisely. Natural resources must be conserved. Conserve is the act of not wasting, rotting, or wasting resources. This is especially true of nonrenewable resources. Even renewable resources can be exhausted if they are overused or killed. Our natural resources must be protected from pollution. Pollution is when harmful chemicals or other substances are introduced to the environment. This problem can be illustrated by oil spilled into water, toxic chemicals in air, and garbage left on the sidelines of roads.
Understanding Nonrenewable Resources
Earth is the source of nonrenewable resources. They are extracted by humans in liquid, gas, and solid forms. Then they are used for energy. These substances were formed over billions of years, and they will not be replaced by new supplies for billions of more years.
Crude oil, natural gas and coal are examples of non-renewable resources. These resources can all be processed into products that can then be used commercially.
The fossil fuel industry, for example, extracts crude oil from the ground to make gasoline. Petrochemical products are also made from fossil fuel liquids. These products are used in the manufacturing of hundreds of products, ranging from plastics and polyurethanes to solvents.
Fossil Fuels and Non-renewables
All fossil fuels are nonrenewable. However, not all nonrenewables can be considered fossil fuels. While crude oil, natural gas and coal can all be considered fossil fuels, uranium cannot. It is a heavy metal, which is extracted from solids and then made into a fuel source by nuclear power plants.
These non-renewable resources have been proven to be reliable energy sources and are easy to extract. Shipping, conversion, storage, and transport are simple and inexpensive.
Because of their high energy content and affordability, fuels made from nonrenewable resources remain the main source of all power worldwide.
Other types of nonrenewable resources
The majority of non-renewable resources are made from organic carbon material, which is heated and compressed over time. This changes their form into natural gas or crude oil.
Nonrenewable resources also include minerals and metals found in the earth’s crust, such as iron, gold, and silver. They are also formed through a long-term geological process. Because they are deep in the Earth’s crust, they can be expensive to mine. They are also much more plentiful than fossil fuels.
If groundwater is not replenished at the same rate as it was drained, some types of groundwater can be considered non-renewable.
Renewable Growth
The basic rule of supply-demand will dictate that the price to get nonrenewable resources is going to increase as they become more scarce. Many of these fuels are in danger of being out of stock. Their prices will eventually reach a level that end users can’t afford, leading to a shift toward other energy sources.
Concerns about the environmental impact of fossil fuels and their contribution to global warming are growing. The only problem is that alternatives need to be implemented with sufficient time. This process started slowly. It generated 6.3% of American electric power in 2017,2 and 8.4% in 2020.3 As of 2018, about 1.6% of American electricity was provided by solar power;4 it has risen to 2.3% in 2020.
What is a Nonrenewable resource?
Nonrenewable resources come from the Earth, in a finite supply which can take billions years to replenish. Many nonrenewable resources have been easy to extract in the past. However, as their supply decreases, the price of extraction could rise, leading customers to look for other sources such as solar or wind energy.
What are the different types of nonrenewable resources?
Natural resources include crude oil, coal and uranium. Mineral sources like gold are also common examples. Natural gas and crude oil are two examples of nonrenewable resources. These substances are both made of organic carbon material. The form of the material after heating and compression over time will determine how it looks. Minerals, which include iron, gold, and silver, are another form of non-renewables. These minerals are more difficult than natural gas and crude oil, and can be expensive to extract. Different types of groundwater can become non-renewable if they don’t replenish at the same rate as their draining speed.
What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources?
Nonrenewable will, by definition, decrease in supply over time. The law of supply & demand implies that their prices will continue to rise. Renewables have an inexhaustible supply. But, they will take a long time and cost a lot of money to set up. Recent trends have seen a rise in demand for renewables, accompanied by governmental incentives. Many of their costs are decreasing over time. This trend is evident in solar energy.
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