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Renewable Vs. Nonrenewable Energy

by Carolyn J. Randall, studioD 

Renewable energies generate from natural sources that can be

Wind turbines can be as tall as a 20-story building and have three
200-foot-long blades. (See Reference 4)
replaced over a relatively short time scale. Examples of renewable
energies include solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass.
Nonrenewable energies come from resources that are not replaced or
are replaced only very slowly by natural processes. The primary
sources for nonrenewable energies in the world are fossil fuels --
coal, gas and oil. Nuclear energy is also considered nonrenewable
because there is a limited supply of uranium in the Earth's crust.
When planning the energy profile for various communities, the
advantages and disadvantages of renewable vs. nonrenewable
energies need to be considered.
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Advantages of Renewable Energy Resources

Because renewable energies are not burned like fossil fuels, they do not release pollutants into the atmosphere and provide a
cleaner, healthier environment. Sources of renewable energy are found everywhere in the world and cannot be depleted. Costs for
tapping renewable energies are decreasing as the technology advances and, once established, maintenance costs are generally low.
Because trained technicians are needed to maintain the equipment, some renewable energy plants have the potential to generate
more jobs than highly mechanized fossil fuel plants. Most importantly, there are little or no greenhouse gas emissions associated
with renewable energies that are contributing to driving up the planet's temperature.

Disadvantages of Renewable Energy Resources

Initial costs for setting up renewable energy plants are often quite high and require careful planning and implementation.
Building dams, for example, for hydroelectric power requires high initial capital and high maintenance expenses. Renewable
energies like solar and wind require large tracts of land to produce energy quantities competitive with fossil fuel burning.
Renewable sources of energy are also affected by weather, reducing their reliability. For example, wind turbines only rotate it
there is enough wind at a given speed and solar panels do not operate at night time and are less efficient on cloudy days.

Advantages of Nonrenewable Energy Resources

Fossil fuels are the world's traditional energy sources and electrical power plants, vehicles and various industrial plants are built
around using them. Many nonrenewable energies are more reliable than most renewables and are not subject to weather
conditions. They provide continuous --not intermittent, weather-dependent -- energy. New technologies, such as carbon, capture
and storage (CCS) are emerging that may allow fossil fuel use with less harmful effects to the environment This process captures
carbon dioxide (CO2) from electrical and industrial plants and stores it underground instead of releasing it to the atmosphere. The
U.S. Department of Energy currently has several CCS projects in place to determine the long-term feasibility of this technology.

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Disadvantages of Nonrenewable Energy Resources
Fossil fuels are in a limited supply and will one day be depleted. Processes for extracting and transporting fossil fuels have
caused widespread environmental damage from strip mining and accidental oil spills. Most importantly, burning fossil fuels
releases harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, primarily CO2. Incorporating CCS technologies into existing fossil fuel
plants to prevent CO2 emissions is extremely costly. Nuclear power plants do not release C02, but pose other risks such as
potential radiation leaks and waste storage problems. The costs for building new nuclear power plants have risen sharply making
them less economical than other types of power.

Conclusions
Governments worldwide are recognizing that burning fossil fuels is changing the Earth's climate, increasing global average
temperatures, causing unprecedented melting of polar sea ice and raising sea levels. Given these climate-change threats,
renewable energies appear to be the wave of the future. Many countries, including the United States, have programs for limiting
CO2 emissions and supporting renewable energy development. Renewable energy R & D is helping to lower costs and increase
efficiency. In the future, there will likely not be a single solution to a community's energy needs but a combination of technologies.
Communities will need to identity the energy resources in their area and develop sustainable energy plans.
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R e f e r e n c e s

Texas Renewable Energy: Definition of Renewable Energy

US Environmental Protection Agency, Clean Energy: Air Emissions
US Environmental Protection Agency, Clean Energy: Nuclear Energy
Union of Concerned Scientists: Benefits of Renewable Energy Use
Conserve Energy Future: What is Energy
U.S. Department of Energy: Overview of Carbon Storage Research
Huffington Post: Carbon Capture And Storage: Global Warming Panacea, Or Fossil Fuel Pipe Dream? ,
Union of Concerned Scientists: After 50 Years, Nuclear Power is Still Not Viable without Subsidies, New Report Finds
Geology.com: Trends in Renewable Energy Production and Consumption in the USA

R e s o u r c e s
World Watch Institute: Renewables Becoming Cost-Competitive With Fossil Fuels in the U.S.
U.S.Energy Information Administration: Electricity in the United States
The Shift Project Data Portal: Breakdown of Electricity Generation by Energy Source
California Energy Commission: Renewable Energy Vs. Fossil Fuels

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World Nuclear Association: Renewable Energy and Electricity
Time, Science and Space: Nuclear Energy Is Largely Safe. But Can It Be Cheap?
Science Museum: Could the World be Powered Without Fossil Fuels
Skeptical Science: Can renewables provide baseload power?

A b o u t t h e A u t h o r

Carolyn J. Randall has more than 15 years of experience in writing and publishing. She is the owner of Randall & Associates
Publishing, which specializes in natural science publications related to pest control, food safety, public health, biology, plant
pathology and forestry. Randall holds a Ph.D. in forest pathology.

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