MANILA TYTANA COLLEGES

Diosdado Macapagal Blvd, Pasay, Philippines

COLLEGE OF NURSING

RESEARCH PAPER
Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy Sources
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Subject
ENGLISH II

Submitted by:
Mercado, Skye Dana J

Submitted to:
Ma’am San Pedro
(Physics Teacher)

Date of Submission:
January 29,2015
INTRODUCTION

There are nine major areas of energy resources. They fall into two categories:
nonrenewable and renewable. Nonrenewable energy resources, like coal, nuclear, oil, and
natural gas, are available in limited supplies. This is usually due to the long time it takes
for them to be replenished. Renewable resources are replenished naturally and over
relatively short periods of time. The five major renewable energy resources are solar,
wind, water (hydro), biomass, and geothermal.

Since the dawn of humanity people have used renewable sources of energy to survive —
wood for cooking and heating, wind and water for milling grain, and solar for lighting
fires. A little more than 150 years ago people created the technology to extract energy
from the ancient fossilized remains of plants and animals. These super-rich but limited
sources of energy (coal, oil, and natural gas) quickly replaced wood, wind, solar, and
water as the main sources of fuel.

Fossil fuels make up a large portion of today’s energy market, although promising new
renewable technologies are emerging. Careers in both the renewable and nonrenewable
energy industries are growing; however, there are differences between the two sectors.
They each have benefits and challenges, and relate to unique technologies that play a role
in our current energy system. For a range of reasons, from the limited amount of fossil
fuels available to their effects on the environment, there is increased interest in using
renewable forms of energy and developing technologies to increase their efficiency. This
growing industry calls for a new workforce.

Some resources can be thought of as both renewable and non-renewable.

Wood can be used for fuel and is renewable if trees are replanted.
Biomass, which is material from living things, can be renewable if plants are replanted.

SUMMARY
Non-renewable energy resources
Type of Where it is from Advantages Disadvantages
fuel
Coal Formed from fossilized Ready-made fuel. When burned coal gives
(fossil plants and consisting of It is relatively cheap off atmospheric pollutants,
fuel) carbon with various to mine and to including greenhouse
organic and some convert into energy. gases.
inorganic compounds. Coal supplies will last
Mined from seams of longer than oil or gas.
coal, found sandwiched
between layers of rock
in the earth.
Burnt to provide heat or
electricity.
Type of Where it is from Advantages Disadvantages
fuel
Oil A carbon-based liquid Oil is a ready-made When burned, it gives off
(fossil formed from fossilised fuel. atmospheric pollutants,
fuel) animals. Relatively cheap to including greenhouse
Lakes of oil are extract and to convert gases.
sandwiched between into energy. Only a limited supply.
seams of rock in the
earth.
Pipes are sunk down to
the reservoirs to pump
the oil out.
Widely used in industry
and transport.
Natural Methane and some other Gas is a ready-made When burned, it gives off
gas gases trapped between fuel. atmospheric pollutants,
(fossil seams of rock under the It is a relatively cheap including greenhouse
fuel) earth's surface. form of energy. gases.
Pipes are sunk into the It's a slightly cleaner Only limited supply of
ground to release the fuel than coal and oil. gas.
gas.
Often used in houses for
heating and cooking.
Nuclear Radioactive minerals A small amount of Nuclear reactors are
such as uranium are radioactive material expensive to run.
mined. produces a lot of Nuclear waste is highly
Electricity is generated energy. toxic, and needs to be
from the energy that is Raw materials are safely stored for hundreds
released when the atoms relatively cheap and or thousands of years
of these minerals are can last quite a long (storage is extremely
split (by nuclear fission) time. expensive).
in nuclear reactors. It doesn't give off Leakage of nuclear
atmospheric materials can have a
pollutants. devastating impact on
people and the
environment. The worst
nuclear reactor accident
was at Chernobyl,
Ukraine in 1986.
Biomass Biomass energy is It is a cheap and When burned, it gives off
generated from decaying readily available atmospheric pollutants,
plant or animal waste. source of energy. including greenhouse
It can also be an organic If the crops are gases. If crops are not
Type of Where it is from Advantages Disadvantages
fuel
material which is burned replaced, biomass can replanted, biomass is a
to provide energy, eg be a long-term, non-renewable resource.
heat, or electricity. sustainable energy
An example of biomass source.
energy is oilseed rape
(yellow flowers you see
in the UK in summer),
which produces oil.
After treatment with
chemicals it can be used
as a fuel in diesel
engines.
Wood Obtained from felling A cheap and readily When burned it gives off
trees, burned to generate available source of atmospheric pollutants,
heat and light. energy. including greenhouse
If the trees are gases.
replaced, wood If trees are not replanted
burning can be a wood is a non-renewable
long-term, sustainable resource.
energy source.

Renewable energy sources

Renewable energy sources quickly replenish themselves and can be used again and again.
For this reason they are sometimes called infinite energy resources.

The advantages and disadvantages of

renewable energy sources.
Type of Where it is from Advantages Disadvantages
energy
Solar Energy from Potentially infinite Manufacture and
sunlight is captured energy supply. implementation of solar
in solar panels and Single dwellings panels can be costly.
converted into can have own
electricity. electricity supply.
Wind Wind turbines Can be found Manufacture and
(modern windmills) singularly, but implementation of wind
turn wind energy usually many farms can be costly.
Type of Where it is from Advantages Disadvantages
energy
into electricity. together in wind Some local people object
farms. to on-shore wind farms,
Potentially infinite arguing that it spoils the
energy supply. countryside.
Tidal The movement of Ideal for an island Construction of barrage is
tides drives turbines. such as the UK. very costly.
A tidal barrage (a Potential to Only a few estuaries are
kind of dam) is built generate a lot of suitable.
across estuaries, energy. Opposed by some
forcing water Tidal barrage can environmental groups as
through gaps. double as a bridge, having a negative impact
In future underwater and help prevent on wildlife.
turbines may be flooding. May reduce tidal flow and
possible out at sea impede flow of sewage out
and without dams. to sea.
Wave The movement of Ideal for an island Construction can be costly.
seawater in and out country. May be opposed by local
of a cavity on the More likely to be or environmental groups.
shore compresses small local
trapped air, driving a operations, rather
turbine. than done on a
national scale.
Geothermal In volcanic regions Potentially infinite Can be expensive to set up
it is possible to use energy supply. and only works in areas of
the natural heat of Used successfully volcanic activity.
the earth. in some countries, Geothermal and volcanic
Cold water is such as New activity might calm down,
pumped under Zealand and leaving power stations
ground and comes Iceland. redundant.
out as steam. Dangerous elements found
Steam can be used underground must be
for heating or to disposed of carefully.
power turbines
creating electricity.
Hydrological Energy harnessed Creates water Costly to build.
or from the movement reserves as well as Can cause the flooding of
Hydroelectric of water through energy supplies. surrounding communities
Power (HEP) rivers, lakes and and landscapes.
dams. Dams have major
ecological impacts on
Type of Where it is from Advantages Disadvantages
energy
local hydrology.
Biomass Decaying plant or It is a cheap and When burned, it gives off
animal waste. readily available atmospheric pollutants,
An organic material, source of energy. including greenhouse
which can be burned If replaced, biomass gases.
to provide energy, eg can be a long-term, Biomass is only a
heat, or electricity. sustainable energy renewable resource if
An example of source. crops are replanted.
biomass energy is
oilseed rape (the
fields of yellow
flowers you see in
the UK in summer),
which produces oil.
After treatment with
chemicals it can be
used as a fuel in
diesel engines.
Wood Obtained from A cheap and readily When burned it gives off
felling trees, burned available source of atmospheric pollutants,
to generate heat and energy. including greenhouse
light. If the trees are gases.
replaced, wood If trees are not replanted
burning can be a then wood is a non-
long-term, renewable resource.
sustainable energy
source

CONCLUSION

Everyone, specially today, needs to save/conserve energy to protect our

environment from sudden changes and to save non renewable energy resources
for the future. But because there’s a renewable energy resources which can last
forever, the trauma for the future lessen. For the world to change completely, we
should start by our own homes. Simple actions can turn out to be a big help.

REFERENCE
http://science.kqed.org/quest/2014/02/13/nonrenewable-and-renewable-energy-resources/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/energy_resources/energy_rev2.sht
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