Sources of Energy

What is Energy?
Before learning about natural sources of energy, let’s understand what energy is. The classical
description of energy is the ability of a system to perform work, but because energy exists in so
many forms, it is hard to find one comprehensive definition. In short, energy is the ability of a
system to make things happen. It is a property of an object which can be transferred from the
object to an object or converted to different forms but cannot be created or destroyed. There are
numerous sources of energy. It can be chemical energy, electrical energy, heat/ thermal energy,
mechanical energy, nuclear energy, and energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation i.e. light.
Sources of energy contain energy in them if forms that cannot be used directly but living
organisms require energy to stay alive. Therefore, you must unlock this energy to get work done.
Humans get energy from food which has this energy stored in the form of chemical energy. Your
body absorbs this energy from food and burns it to fuel your body so that you can run around and
have fun. A candle has chemical energy stored in it, but it has to be burnt to be useful. This
conversion of chemical energy to yield heat and light energy happens through burning. Burning is
a process of converting chemical energy to heat energy and sometimes light too.

 Renewable Sources
A renewable source is the natural resources that cause no impact to nature. Renewable sources
of energy are available plentiful in nature and are sustainable. These resources of energy can be
naturally replenished and are safe to the environment.
Examples of renewable sources of energy are: Solar energy, geothermal energy, Wind energy,
biomass, Hydropower and tidal energy.
Non-renewable sources of energy cause impact to nature and are a limited supply source. Non-
renewable sources can be extracted from the earth, and will run out as time passes.
Examples of non-renewable sources of energy are: Natural gas, coal, petroleum, Nuclear
energy and hydrocarbon gas liquids.
 Non-Renewable Sources
A non-renewable resource is a natural resource that cannot be readily replaced by natural means
at a pace quick enough to keep up with consumption.
An example of non-renewable source is carbon-based fossil fuels. The original organic matter,
with the aid of heat and pressure, becomes a fuel such as oil or gas

Difference Between Renewable and Non-renewable sources of Energy

Renewable Non-renewable

The resources that can be renewed or The resources that cannot be renewed
replaced are called renewable sources of once they are consumed are called non-
energy. renewable sources of energy.

These resources do not cause any These resources cause pollution to the
pollution to the environment. environment.

Non- Renewable resources are

Renewable resources are inexhaustible.
exhaustible.

Renewable resources are not affected by Non- Renewable resources are affected
human activities. by human activities.

Examples of Renewable resources- Air, Examples of Renewable resources-

water and solar energy Mineral, oil, and Coal

1
Natural Sources of Energy

The natural resources around us provide a variety of sources of energy around us. During the
stone age, it was wood. During the iron age, we had coal. In the modern age, we have fossil
fuels like petroleum and natural gas. So how do we choose sources of energy?
Good sources of energy should have the following qualities:
 Optimum heat production per unit of volume/mass used
 Easy to transport
 Least Polluting
 Economical
Earlier coal was used pretty much everywhere, from domestic used to steam engines all the way
to Titanic. One problem that coal faced was transporting large amounts of coal needed all around
the world. Hence, now the world over energy use is shifting towards either diesel or electricity. This
example shows how petroleum is better against coal on all the above parameters.
Types of Natural Sources of Energy
There are two types of Natural Sources of Energy classified by their popularity and use,
 Conventional Sources of Energy
 Non-Conventional Sources of Energy

Difference Between Conventional and Non-Conventional Sources of Energy

Conventional Non-conventional

The resources which are yet in the

The resources which have been in use
process of development over the past
for a long time.
few years.

These resources are exhaustible. These resources are inexhaustible.

These resources cause pollution as they These resources are usually pollution-
emit smoke and ash. free.

These resources are less expensive due

These resources are very expensive to
to local use and can easily be
be maintained, stored and transmitted.
maintained.

Examples- coal, natural gas, petroleum, Examples- solar, biomass, wind, biogas,
and water power. and tidal, geothermal.

Most of our energy is nonrenewable

In India and many other countries, most energy sources for doing work are nonrenewable energy
sources:
 Petroleum
 Hydrocarbon gas liquids
 Natural gas
 Coal
 Nuclear energy
These energy sources are called nonrenewable because their supplies are limited to the amounts
that we can mine or extract from the earth. Coal, natural gas, and petroleum formed over
thousands of years from the buried remains of ancient sea plants and animals that lived millions of
years ago. That is why we also call those energy sources fossil fuels.
Most of the petroleum products consumed in the United States are made from crude oil, but
petroleum liquids can also be made from natural gas and coal.
Nuclear energy is produced from uranium, a nonrenewable energy source whose atoms are split
(through a process called nuclear fission) to create heat and, eventually, electricity. Scientists think
2
uranium was created billions of years ago when stars formed. Uranium is found throughout the
earth’s crust, but most of it is too difficult or too expensive to mine and process into fuel for nuclear
power plants.
There are five major renewable energy sources
The major types or sources of renewable energy are:
 Solar energy from the sun
 Geothermal energy from heat inside the earth
 Wind energy
 Biomass from plants
 Hydropower from flowing water
They are called renewable energy sources because they are naturally replenished. Day after day,
the sun shines, plants grow, wind blows, and rivers flow.Renewable energy was the main energy
source for most of human history. Throughout most of human history, biomass from plants was the
main energy source, which was burned for heat and to feed animals used for transportation and
plowing.

Nonrenewable sources began replacing most of renewable energy use in the India in the early
1800s, and by the early-1900s, fossil fuels were the main sources of energy. Use of biomass for
heating homes remained a source of energy but mainly in rural areas and for supplemental heat in
urban areas. In the mid-1980s, use of biomass and other forms of renewable energy began
increasing largely because of incentives for their use, especially for electricity generation. Many
countries are working to increase renewable energy use as a way to help reduce and avoid carbon
dioxide emissions.