Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy Sources: A Comprehensive Overview, Schemes and Mind Maps of Environmental Science

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RENEWABLE AND NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY

SOURCES

SIDDHI SACHIN DESHMUKH, FYBA-B, 2401445, 230

INDEX

NUMBER TOPIC

1. (^) RENEWABLE V/S NON-RENEWABLE SOURCES 2. (^) RENEWABLE SOURCES 3. (^) SOLAR ENERGY 4. (^) WIND ENERGY 5. (^) HYDROPOWER 6. (^) BIOMASS ENERGY

RENEWABLE V/S NON-RENEWABLE SOURCES

Energy that is generated from natural , sustainable sources that are replenished easily as they are abundant. For example - the sun, wind, and water. Renewable energy produces less emissions, leaving little to no impact on the environment. It is much cleaner and environment friendly. The cost of renewable energy is higher, however, it is expected to reduce in time. Energy that is generated from finite sources. For example - coal, oil, and natural gas. Non-Renewable energy pollutes the environment by harmful emissions. Hence, they have a negative impact on the environment. The cost of non-renewable energy is lower than that of renewable energy.

RENEWABLE SOURCES NON-RENEWABLE SOURCES

RENEWABLE SOURCES

The UN defines renewable energy as “ Renewable energy is energy derived from natural sources

that are replenished at a higher rate than they are consumed.”

Renewable energy is defined as energy produced from natural sources that replenish themselves

faster than they are depleted. Sunlight and wind, for example, are constant sources of replenishment.

Renewable energy sources are abundant and all around us.

Renewable energy generates much fewer emissions than burning fossil fuels. The shift from fossil fuels,

which now account for the majority of emissions, to renewable energy is critical to addressing the

current climate crisis.

Renewable energy is currently affordable in most nations and creates three times as many

employment as fossil fuels.

WIND ENERGY

Wind energy harnesses the kinetic energy of moving air via enormous wind turbines either on land (onshore) or in sea- or freshwater (offshore). Though average wind speeds vary greatly by location, the world's technical potential for wind energy exceeds worldwide electricity production, and there is sufficient potential in most regions of the world to permit major wind energy deployment. Many sections of the world experience strong winds, yet the best places to generate wind power are often remote. Offshore wind power holds huge potential. Advantages - Decreases use of non-renewable sources, energy independence, low maintenance. Limitations - High costs, dependence on sunlight, environmental impacts on manufacturing. MUPPANDAL WIND FARM IN TAMIL NADU

HYRDROPOWER

KOYNA HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT,

MAHARASHTRA

Hydropower harnesses the energy of flowing water. It can be produced from reservoirs and rivers which utilise the river's available flow to generate energy. Hydropower is currently the primary source of renewable energy in the electricity sector. Hydropower reservoirs frequently serve numerous purposes, including drinking water, irrigation, flood and drought control, navigation services, and energy delivery. It is dependent on typically steady rainfall patterns and can be poorly impacted by climate-induced droughts or changes in ecosystems that affect rainfall patterns. Advantages - Reliable, emission free, adjustable Limitations - High costs, loss of environment, risk of floods.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

Geothermal energy harnesses thermal energy from the Earth's interior. Heat is recovered from geothermal reservoirs using wells or other methods. Hydrothermal reservoirs are naturally hot and permeable reservoirs, whereas enhanced geothermal systems are suitably hot reservoirs that have been improved by hydraulic stimulation. Once at the surface, fluids with varying temperatures can be exploited to generate power. The technique for generating power from hydrothermal reservoirs is mature and reliable, having been in use for over a century. Advantages - Massive potential, environmentally friendly, renewable. Disadvantages - High costs, location specific, in extreme cases it can cause earthquakes.

NON-RENEWABLE SOURCES

Non-renewable energy refers to energy sources that are finite and cannot be renewed or

regenerated naturally. These energy resources are created by natural processes such as organic matter

decomposition or nuclear reactions in the Earth's core. Nonrenewable energy is important in addressing

our current energy demands, but it is limited and has a negative impact on the environment.

For millennia, nonrenewable energy has served as the foundation of contemporary industrialization,

driving economic progress. However, the scarcity of these resources necessitates the investigation and

development of sustainable alternatives, such as renewable energy sources like solar and wind.

Non-renewable sources are finite, and inexpensive, however, the advantages are overshadowed by its

worst disadvantage - non-renewable sources are extremely environmentally damaging.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

KUDANKULAM NUCLEAR POWER PLANT, TAMIL

NADU

Nuclear power plants use materials that are not

renewable, despite nuclear energy being a

renewable energy source in and of itself.

Nuclear energy is the process of extracting the

potent energy found in an atom's nucleus, or

core. Nuclear fission is the process by which an

atom's nucleus splits, releasing nuclear energy.

Complex devices called nuclear power plants are

capable of controlling nuclear fission to generate

energy.

Uranium is the material most frequently used in

nuclear power plants. While uranium can be found

in rocks all over the world, U-235, an extremely

rare variety of uranium, is typically used in nuclear

power plants. A nonrenewable resource is uranium.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

THE CHERNOBYL DISASTER, 1986

There is no air pollution or greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear power plants. They don't harm the surrounding environment and can be constructed in both urban and rural locations. However, Nuclear power plants are extremely difficult to construct and maintain. The radioactive waste produces is also extremely toxic, and there have been various incidents of nuclear power-plant disasters. Example - Chernobyl in Ukraine.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF NON-RENEWABLE SOURCES

OIL SLICKS EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH

Oil slicks are one of the most significant and widespread environmental disasters caused by human activity. Since 2014, almost 400 settlements in Peru's Amazon have been contaminated with lead, cadmium, mercury, and other heavy metals. Spills damage food, water, and the air. The rainforest of Sucumbíos in Ecuador's Amazon is littered with mecheros, massive chimneys that burn exhaust fumes from oil extraction while also polluting rainwater, the principal source of water for the area's residents.

ll the impacts of non-renewable sources above

have adverse effects on people's health.

However, according to a research conducted by

Greenpeace and the Centre for Research on

Energy and Clean Air (CREA), air pollution

caused by the combustion of fossil fuels kills 4.

million people globally each year. Not to mention

that, according to WHO estimates, about 4.

million deaths occur each year from exposure to

metal particles connected to the burning of

fossil fuels

FUTURE OF ENERGY

The Nature study warns that if we continue to use non-renewable energy sources, our planet will experience irreversible changes such as increased heat waves, longer warm seasons, shorter cold seasons, and an increase in extreme weather events. The energy revolution is the only path ahead if we want to fulfil the Paris Agreement's most ambitious goal: to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels, which, according to the IPCC, would entail reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. Every country must work together to build a stable, sustainable, and economical global energy system. A world powered by renewable energies is crucial to ensuring our and the planet's futures. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the renewable energy transition is "the pathway towards a transformation of the global energy sector from fossil fuels based to renewable 'net zero carbon' energy by 2050." Along within the IREA to advocate a swift transition to Renewable sources, the International Energy Agency (IEA), also urges investment in renewable energy to triple by the end of this decade to meet the world's climate pledges.

REFERENCES

CHAPTER 1. RENEWABLE ENERGY OVERVIEW. (n.d.-b). https://www.oas.org/dsd/publications/Unit/oea79e/ch05.htm Gritsevskyi, A. & IAEA. (n.d.). Renewable vs. non-renewable energy sources, forms and technologies. https://unstats.un.org/oslogroup/meetings/og-04/docs/oslo-group-meeting-04-comments-issue-3.2-iaea.pdf Crail, C. (2024, June 24). Solar Energy Pros And Cons: What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages? Forbes Home. https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/solar/solar-energy-pros-and-cons/ United Nations. (n.d.). What is renewable energy? | United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-renewable-energy Wind energy. (n.d.). https://www.irena.org/Energy-Transition/Technology/Wind-energy How Hydropower Works. (n.d.). Energy.gov. https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/how-hydropower- works#:~:text=Hydropower%2C%20or%20hydroelectric%20power%2C%20is,or%20other%20body%20of%20wat er.

REFERENCES

_Biomass explained - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). (n.d.). https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/biomass/#:~:text=Biomass%E2%80%94renewable%20energy%20from% 20plants,gaseous%20fuels%20through%20various%20processes Geothermal Basics. (n.d.). Energy.gov. https://www.energy.gov/eere/geothermal/geothermal- basics#:~:text=Geothermal%20energy%20is%20heat%20energy,depths%20below%20the%20earth's%20surface The environmental impact of non-renewable energies: climate change and more. (n.d.). https://www.activesustainability.com/renewable-energy/environmental-impact-of-non-renewable-energies/? adin= MA/The Renewable Energy Transition Explained. (2022, December 21). Trina Solar. https://www.trinasolar.com/en-glb/resources/newsroom/mathe-renewable-energy-transition- explained#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20renewable%20energy,carbon'%20energy%20by%202050.%E2%80%9D