Energy Resources

Descriptions & Forms

● Energy resources are large banks of energy that can be transferred into a form that can
be used by society, such as electrical energy
● The table below gives a brief description of the main energy resources, along with the
form of energy contained in that resource

Advantages and Disadvantages

All energy resources have advantages and disadvantages associated with them
● Some points to note:
○ A renewable energy resource is one that is replenished at a faster rate than
the rate at which it is being used
As a result of this, renewable energy resources cannot run out
○ A reliable energy resource is one that can produce energy at any time
Non-reliable resources can only produce energy some of the time (e.g. when
it’s windy)

The Sun
● Most of our energy resources on the Earth come from the Sun: ○ The Sun
heats up the atmosphere, creating wind and producing waves ○ Water
evaporated by the Sun falls as rain, filling up reservoirs
○ Plants grown using sunlight form the basis for fuels – both biofuels and fossil
fuels
● The Sun’s energy is produced by through the process of nuclear fusion in its core ○
Nuclear fusion involves the collision (and bonding) of hydrogen nuclei to form helium
nuclei, releasing nuclear energy in the process
● Some forms of energy, however, do not come from the Sun
These include:
○ Geothermal – this comes from heat produced in the Earth’s core ○ Nuclear –
this comes from elements which make up a small proportion of the Earth’s crust
○ Tidal – this comes (mainly) from the gravitational attraction of the moon