Examples of Nonrenewable Energy Sources

by Daniel Holzer, Demand Media

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2009 nonrenewable energy sources provided 89 percent
of the power generated in the U.S.
Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
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The world is experiencing an energy crisis. While there is disagreement among experts on the exact time frame, it is
understood that our nonrenewable energy sources will be gone within a few decades minimum or a few hundred
years maximum. Unfortunately, the term "nonrenewable energy source" has become jargon and many people do not
understand it refers to the energy sources they use every day. Many of these energy sources are fossil fuels ---
byproducts of fossilized organic matter --- and all of them require intensive extraction practices like drilling or mining.
(See References 1 and 2)
Petroleum
Petroleum is extracted and turned into a variety of fuel sources including petrol or gasoline, diesel, propane, jet fuel,
heating oil and paraffin wax. Also known as crude oil, this fuel source is nonrenewable. Petroleum is made when
organic matter settles in water that has lost its dissolved oxygen and is then compressed under immense heat and
pressure for millions of years. There is no way for humans to reproduce this process for mass production either in
nature or in a lab, so once mankind has used the current supply of petroleum, more will not be available for many
centuries. (See References 3)
Coal
Coal is also composed of organic matter --- matter that decomposed in peat bogs, which then formed into carbon
rock under immense pressure. Coal is generally highly combustible and the world's most-used resource for electrical
generation. However, burning coal releases massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is the
primary factor in the greenhouse effect. In addition to being greenhouse gas source, coal cannot be reproduced. (See
References 5)
Natural Gas
Also a byproduct of decomposition, natural gas is mostly methane created as organic matter decays. Once extracted,
natural gas is processed to remove everything but the methane. This produces a variety of other natural gases, such
as ethane, propane and butane, which are also used as fuels. These natural gases are used to heat homes and
businesses and fuel stoves. While it is a fairly clean-burning fossil fuel, it is a nonrenewable energy source because it
is a byproduct of thousands of years of decomposition within the earth's crust. (See References 4)
Nuclear Power
Nuclear energy may get mentioned in the same breath with renewable power sources like wind and solar because it
is clean-burning and therefore more environmentally sound than oil or coal. But nuclear energy is, in fact, a
nonrenewable resource. The problem lies in the element that enables nuclear power: uranium. The element uranium
is abundant, but only a certain type of uranium, U-235, is used to fuel nuclear power. U-235 must be extracted from
mined and processed uranium. The processing produces only small amounts of U-235, making it rare and expensive.
Man cannot reproduce this element; we have a limited natural supply
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
1. Solar Energy
The sun is our most powerful source of energy. Sunlight, or solar energy, can be used for heating,
lighting and cooling homes and other buildings, generating electricity, water heating, and a variety of
industrial processes. Most forms of renewable energy come either directly or indirectly from the sun.
For example, heat from the sun causes the wind to blow, contributes to the growth of trees and other
plants that are used for biomass energy, and plays an essential role in the cycle of evaporation and
precipitation that makes hydropower possible.
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2. Wind Energy
Wind is the movement of air that occurs when warm air rises and cooler air rushes in to replace it. The
energy of the wind has been used for centuries to sail ships and drive windmills that grind grain.
Today, wind energy is captured by wind turbines and used to generate electricity.
3. Hydropower
Water flowing downstream is a powerful force. Water is a renewable resource, constantly recharged by
the global cycle of evaporation and precipitation. The heat of the sun causes water in lakes and oceans
to evaporate and form clouds. The water then falls back to Earth as rain or snow, and drains into
rivers and streams that flow back to the ocean. Flowing water can be used to power water wheels that
drive mechanical processes. And captured by turbines and generators, like those housed at many
dams around the world, the energy of flowing water can be used to generate electricity.
4. Biomass Energy
Biomass has been an important source of energy ever since people first began burning wood to cook
food and warm themselves against the winter chill. Wood is still the most common source of biomass
energy, but other sources of biomass energy include food crops, grasses and other plants, agricultural
and forestry waste and residue, organic components from municipal and industrial wastes, even
methane gas harvested from community landfills. Biomass can be used to produce electricity and as
fuel for transportation, or to manufacture products that would otherwise require the use of non-
renewable fossil fuels.
5. Hydrogen
Hydrogen has tremendous potential as a fuel and energy source, but the technology needed to realize
that potential is still in the early stages. Hydrogen is the most common element on Earthfor
example, water is two-thirds hydrogenbut in nature it is always found in combination with other
elements. Once separated from other elements, hydrogen can be used to power vehicles, replace
natural gas for heating and cooking, and to generate electricity.
6. Geothermal Energy
The heat inside the Earth produces steam and hot water that can be used to power generators and
produce electricity, or for other applications such as home heating and power generation for industry.
Geothermal energy can be drawn from deep underground reservoirs by drilling, or from other
geothermal reservoirs closer to the surface.
7. Ocean Energy
The ocean provides several forms of renewable energy, and each one is driven by different forces.
Energy from ocean waves and tides can be harnessed to generate electricity, and ocean thermal
energyfrom the heat stored in sea watercan also be converted to electricity. Using current
technologies, most ocean energy is not cost-effective compared to other renewable energy sources,
but the ocean remains and important potential energy source for the future