ACADEMIA SYSTEM GLOBAL COLLEGES

V.Rama Ave. Corner Tres de Abril Street Cebu,

Philippines
Subject Code: CORE04B Subject Title: Earth Science
Module No: 4 Topic: Various Sources of Energy (Fossil fuels,
geothermal, and hydroelectric)

Our world is being light or powered by mixtures of energy resources. The electricity we received in our
individual homes are the by product specifically the second end of the energy source. Energy source can
be classified as renewable energy sources and non-renewable energy sources.

Renewable energy sources are any natural resources that can replace itself quickly and dependably.
Examples of renewable sources of energy are: Solar energy, geothermal energy, wind energy, biomass,
hydropower and tidal energy. Non-renewable sources are source with a finite supply (in other words,
it'll eventually run out). Examples of non-renewable sources of energy are: Natural gas, coal, petroleum,
nuclear energy and hydrocarbon gas liquids.

Since the early industrial era until now, Fossil fuels is still the known non-renewable energy sources that
is 80% above is consumed around the world regardless of its tremendous effects on our environment
such as greenhouse effects and large carbon footprint.

In this module, you will discover the importance of non-renewable energy specifically the fossil fuels
and its tremendous effects and contribution on global warming. Moreover, Alternative sources that are
renewable will give us awareness that it is much safer however, its accompanied cost is the reason why
most countries neglect it as a main source of energy. Understanding this module will developed
awareness towards our non-renewable resources and renewable resources which greatly affects the
condition of our world today. appreciation to natural resources. It will also help us assess our actions
and behaviors regarding the consumption of energy.

I. OVERVIEW
A. Learning Competencies

The learners will be able to:

(1) describe how fossil fuels are formed; and

(2) explain how heat from inside the Earth (geothermal) and from flowing water (hydroelectric)
is tapped as a source of energy for human use.

B. Specific Learning Objectives

The learners will be able to:

(1) Differentiate fossil fuels, geothermal and hydroelectric;

(2) Explain how various energy resources is classified and make use in daily life; and
(3) Create Venn diagram of the three sources of energy.

EARTH SCIENCE MODULE 3 Page 1

II. LET’S BEGIN

EARTH SCIENCE MODULE 3 Page 2

 Did you ever wonder why we have lights at home? What is the reason we can charge our
phones? We pay monthly bills to the electric company just to have lights at home, charge our
gadgets and electrically power our appliances. In the past five months, the bills we are paying
to electric companies such as VECO have continuously increased, but do we know what
sources the electric company used in order to provide electricity?

GUIDE QUESTIONS:
1. Where does the energy we use come from?
2. What do we know about theses energy resources?
3. Is the energy utilized are all the same?
 III. LET’S DIG DEEPER

Our homes are being light due to the distribution of electricity. Electricity is the
secondary energy source that we get from the conversion of other sources of energy.
The Sun is the main source of energy on Earth. There are other sources of energy like the
most known fossil fuels, geothermal and hydroelectric. Energy is classified into various
types based on sustainability as renewable sources of energy and non-renewable sources
of energy. Let us know more about various sources of energy.

What is energy?

The energy we use to power our homes, appliances and streets comes from many different sources. Energy
is the ability of a system to perform work. In human being relation we get energy from the food we eat and when
getting energy, we are able to work which is a chemical energy. Energy is a property of an object which can be
transferred from an object to another object or converted to different forms but cannot be created or destroyed.
Energy has various sources and every electric company has varying sources of energy being used. Such sources
include fossil fuels, geothermal and hydroelectric. Thus, Energy is an important element at all levels of society.

How energy source is classified?

We live in a very interdependent world, and access to adequate and reliable energy resources is crucial for
economic growth and for maintaining the quality of our lives. Energy resources we utilized are classified based
on the rate of consumption versus how fast it replenishes. Various source of energy are being classified into
renewable and non-renewable.

• Renewable sources are energy sources that are replenished through naturally occurring, ongoing
processes, on a time scale that is much shorter than the anticipated lifetime of the civilization using
the source. In other words, renewable energy source is any natural resources that can replace itself
quickly and dependably.

Examples of renewable sources of energy are: Solar energy, geothermal energy, wind energy,
biomass, hydropower and tidal energy.

• Non-renewable sources are depleted once some of the energy they contain is extracted and
converted into other kinds of energy. The natural processes by which non-renewable sources are
formed typically take place over geological time scales. In other words, non-renewable energy
source is a source with a finite supply (in other words, it'll eventually run out).

Examples of non-renewable sources of energy are: Natural gas, coal, petroleum, nuclear energy and
hydrocarbon gas liquids.
Which energy source (renewable or non-renewable) is largely consumed by the world?

The figure distinguishes between two major types of energy sources: renewable and non-renewable, and
further divides each type into a few more specific kinds. It also depicts what classification of energy
resources is largely consumed by the world. Based on the figure, fossil fuel which is a non-renewable
source of energy is largely consumed than the renewable energy sources.
What are Fossil Fuels?

Human societies are dependent on energy for infrastructure, transportation, food, and most other types
of human activities and 80% of the energy resource used solely focused on non-renewable energy. Our
most important non-renewable energy sources are fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas.
Fossil fuels are formed when died plants and animals died were gradually buried by layers of rock. Over
millions of years, the decomposition of the dead plants and animals which consist organic matter will be
affected by temperature, pressure conditions and how long it is buried which will form different types of
fossil fuels.

Three types of Fossil Fuels

Coal Oil Natural gas

✓ Comes from the remains of
plants that died hundreds of
millions of years ago
✓ Has the highest level of
carbon of all fossil fuels
✓ Comes from the remains of
plants that died hundreds of
millions of years ago
✓ Can be extracted and refined
to make gasoline, diesel and
jet fuel
✓ Formed from the remains of
tiny sea plants and animals
that died millions of years ago
✓ Mainly composed of methane

Burning fossil fuels creates chemical reactions that transform potential energy into thermal energy and products. This
thermal energy can be used to heat buildings or to operate steam-driven machinery. Internal combustion and jet
engines convert some of the energy of rapidly expanding gases, released from burning gasoline, into mechanical work.
Electrical power generation is mostly derived from transferring energy in expanding steam, via turbines, into
mechanical work, which rotates coils of wire in magnetic fields to generate electricity.
What are the negative effects of using fossil fuel?

• The combustion of fossil fuels is the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and its contribution to
global warming.
• The reserves of non-renewable sources of energy specifically fossil fuels are limited and, given the rapidly
growing rate of world energy consumption, may not last for more than a few hundred years.
• The extraction of fossil fuels disrupts the environment especially the biotic on lands and marine lives.

The other major types of renewable energy sources are hydroelectric, and geothermal

Geothermal and hydroelectric power plant which are other sources of energy are considered safer to the
environment as it produces less emission of carbon dioxide. However, with its less production of carbon emission,
both renewable sources of energy still contain carbon footprint. Carbon foot print is the total greenhouse gas
emission caused by an individual or entity that is expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent. With its regards to the
expenses, renewable energy sources are much expensive compare to coal and other fossil fuels. It requires large
equipment, large area to be station and most importantly large presence of the main resource being used such as
water, and Earth surface steam.

Hydroelectric
Hydroelectric energy is a form of renewable energy that uses the power of moving water to generate electricity. It is
produced by converting the gravitational potential energy of falling or flowing water into kinetic energy and then
into work to run electric generators or machinery.

Is Hydroelectric power plant better than Fossil Fuel?

Hydroelectric power plant is much safer than the fossil fuels in terms of its extraction as it will not disrupt
deeper earth surface and not entirely destroy the land masses, and less emission of carbon dioxide.
Although, hydroelectric produces less carbon emission but it contains carbon footprint. Carbon Footprint
is all the carbon consumed of the entity. For example, the transportation of the materials needed in order
to build the dam is being transported. Transportation release carbon. The carbon release during the
transportation is the carbon footprint of hydroelectric power plant.
Geothermal

Geothermal energy is produced by the heat of Earth’s molten interior. Geothermal is the type of energy that
solely focus on the earth surface or land masses. Earth’s surface linkage produces hot temperature, when hot
temperature is present in the reservoir, steam is being created. The steams allow the turbine to rotate creating an
electricity. The interior of the Earth has a great deal of thermal energy, part of which is left over from its original
formation (gravitational potential energy converted into thermal energy). It will take a very long time for this
geothermal energy to escape into space, so people generally regard it as renewable source, when actually, it’s just
inexhaustible on human time scales.
 IV. WE’RE ON OUR WAY

Fill in the Blanks.

Complete the notion of the paragraph by filling in the blanks. Use the words inside the box.

NATURAL RESOURCES SOLAR ENERGY FOSSIL FUELS

LAW OF CONVERSATION OF ENERGY NON-RENEWABLE

RESOURCES CARBON EMISSION CRUDE OIL

MAN-MADE RESOURCES COAL

RENEWABLE FOOT PRINT HYDROELECTRIC

ENERGY PRESSURE EARTH SURFACE

Our world is dependent on natural__________. Lights of our homes, charging of phones, lights in the street
to the use of appliances are all the end product of ________. Energy is the ability of a system to perform work. It is a
property that is not created, destroyed or generated. Its specific property is called ______________________. The
law simply depicts that energy can be transformed and modify but not created. Energy resources are mostly
composed of ____________ and _________________. Natural resources are classified into renewable energy and
non-renewable energy. ______________ energy resources are the type of energy that can be easily replenished in a
short period of time regardless of the consumption rate. On the other hand, _________________ energy resources
are the type of energy source that cannot be replaced immediately when consumed. It needs a million years to
develop or formed. The most common non-renewable energy source is _____________. Fossil fuels are composed of
three types namely the: natural gas, ______________, and ______________. All fossil fuels are made up of dead
plants and animals that is associated with temperature and pressure buried in million years. Burning of fossil fuels
comes with negative effects on the environment as it develops ______________. Other major source of energy is
hydroelectric energy and geothermal. Both energy source are renewable energy resources. Geothermal is the type of
energy that solely focus on the _______________ or land masses. Earth’s surface linkage produces hot temperature,
when hot temperature is present in the reservoir, steam is being created. The steams allow the turbine to rotate
creating an electricity. The ________________ power plant is a type of energy source that solely depends on the
water currents and _______.
The strong pressure and currents of water falling down generates a mechanical energy which is converted to
electricity. Both renewable energy resources are safer to the environment. However, both energy sources still
contains carbon ________________.

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 B. What I have learned
Venn Diagram.
Compare and contrast fossil fuels, geothermal and hydroelectric as the major source of electricity using
a Venn diagram. Create your Venn diagram in a clean sheet of paper

FOSSIL FUELS

HYDROELECTRIC
GEOTHERMAL

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V. HOW FAR HAVE WE GONE?

ESSAY
In a clean sheet of paper, compose and essay consisting of minimum of 5 sentences and maximum of 10
sentences tackling about how renewable and non-renewable energy resources are used during Odette.

VI. REFERENCES

(1) Brennan, L., & Owende, P. (2010). Fuels- a review of technologies for production, processing, and
extractions of fuels and co-products. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews 14, no. 2 (2010): 557-
577.
(2) Hubbert, M.K. (2000). Energy from fossil fuels. Science, 109(2823), 103-109.
(3) Energy Information Administration. (2022). What is Energy. Energy Information Administration.
Retrieved from https://www.eia.gov

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