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One of the most studied topics in today's world is that of forms of energy that can replace the ones we currently use, which in addition to producing harmful effects on our planet, are beginning to threaten to run out. Currently we could not imagine our lives without electricity. That is why, at Ecologista Verde, we have considered it interesting to tell you what other alternatives exist and are beginning to be developed, the so-called renewable energies; as well as tell you a bit about these non-renewable energies that we are exploiting excessively. Keep reading if you want to know more about the renewable and non-renewable energies, with examples and summary. Take note!
What are renewable energies
When we talk about renewable energies, we refer to those energies from natural and almost inexhaustible sources, either because of the amount of energy they contain or because of their ability to regenerate naturally. We say "almost" because these energy sources are subject to a renewal period, so their exploitation must respect these periods so that they truly function as unlimited energy sources.
These types of energies were considered as alternative energies around the decade of the 70's. However, today they are still more expensive than conventional energies. Another drawback is that in order to take advantage of these energy sources, very large spaces are needed, and for this reason the possibility of having these extensive lands is not always guaranteed.
But at this point, a detail should be highlighted. That they are renewable energies does not mean that they are not polluting. It is therefore that renewable energy sources They are classified as pollutant and non-polluting or clean.
Between the non-polluting or clean sources we find the following:
- The wind, which generates wind power.
- The heat coming from inside the earth is geothermal energy.
- Rivers and freshwater streams generate hydraulic or hydroelectric energy.
- The Sun produces solar energy.
- The seas and oceans generate tidal energy.
- The waves give wave energy.
- The union of bodies of fresh water and bodies of salt water is blue energy.
On the other hand, polluting renewable energies are those that come from biomass or organic matter. These can be used directly as fuel by burning them or can be used once converted into bioethanol or biodiesel. As they are polluting energies, the problem that these types of energies have is the same as the problem that polluting energies have: the emission of carbon dioxide by combustion.
In addition, we recommend reading this other article by Green Ecologist on Are renewable energies viable alternatives?
Examples of renewable energies
Now that we know what are renewable energies and what types are thereLet's go into some examples of these forms of energies, which, as we have seen, vary depending on the source that generates them.
- Wind power: that obtained from the force of the wind or air currents. Wind turbines transform the energy from the movement of these currents into electrical energy.
- Geothermal energy: The source of energy is inside the Earth, since the thermal phenomena that occur under the earth's crust are used.
- Solar energy: the best known, the one obtained from solar radiation and collected through solar panels.
- Hydroelectric or hydraulic energy: It comes from the energy created by the "waterfalls" that occur in rivers, which operate certain turbines that produce the movement of an electrical generator that generates energy.
- Blue energy: Also called osmotic power, this energy is obtained due to the difference that exists between the salt concentrations of river water and sea water. It is especially useful in regions where the rivers are very large, as greater amounts of energy will be produced. The only waste generated is brackish water.
- Seawater energy: This type of energy takes advantage of the energy produced by waves (wave energy), tides, salinity gradients (osmotic energy) or differences in ocean temperature.
- Biomass: This type of energy takes advantage of the organic matter that is formed due to biological processes of living beings such as plants or animals, as well as their remains and waste. These generated products can be burned (combustion) and obtain energy or transform them into other substances such as fuel or food that can be used later.
- Biofuels: These would be derived from the previous form of energy discussed. They are mixtures of substances of organic origin that are used as fuels. These biofuels can be obtained from different types of plants such as corn, soybeans, sunflowers, palm trees, and even eucalyptus and pine trees.
What are non-renewable energies
Non-renewable energies, as we discussed earlier, refer to the conventional forms of energy, those whose resources from which they are obtained are limited, that is, that they do not regenerate themselves like renewable energies.
The most common thing is that to generate these energy sources they are burned above all fossil fuels, which in their combustion cause the emission of a large amount of greenhouse gases. These gases today are one of the main responsible for climate change, as their amount in the atmosphere is increasing very rapidly.
Examples of non-renewable energies
Within this type of nonrenewable energy we can find two main groups:
Fossil fuels
Fossil fuels, such as oil (liquid form), coal (solid), and natural gas (gas). These fossil fuels come from the biomass generated millions of years ago that have been converted into these fuels after undergoing adequate pressure and temperature conditions.
- Petroleum: Petroleum is an organic compound that is made up of a mixture of hydrocarbons that are insoluble in water and that was formed from the transformation of organic matter that accumulated in the form of sediments.
- Coal: Coal is a sedimentary rock, again, of organic origin formed from plant remains that decompose and accumulate in swampy areas.
- Natural gas: In this case, it is a hydrocarbon resulting from the mixture of gases of natural origin, mainly methane, and that is formed by the decomposition of several layers of plants and matter of animal origin exposed to intense heat and pressure for millions of years .
The nuclear energy
The other group of non-renewable energies is that corresponding to nuclear energy. Matter is made up of atoms, which are made up of a nucleus and one or more electrons distributed in shells (electron cloud) on the nucleus, which in turn is made up of one or more protons and an equal number of neutrons.
But what does all this have to do with nuclear power? The atomic nucleus of some elements such as uranium, can be disintegrated and release energy, which is used by thermonuclear power plants to produce electricity, that is, nuclear energy is obtained from breaking atoms of some radioactive minerals (fission). However, the nuclear waste that is produced takes time to lose its radioactive properties, and it can take time for many to disappear.
Summary of renewable and non-renewable energies
To conclude this article, below, we are going to summarize all the information presented in the previous sections.
As we said, The renewable energies They are those that come from almost unlimited natural sources, but that need a period of renewal to be able to recover. There are non-polluting or clean renewable energies and polluting renewable energies.
Between the clean renewable energy We highlighted wind energy, solar energy, hydroelectric energy, geothermal energy, tidal energy, wave energy or blue energy. What polluting renewable energies we highlighted those whose source is biomass or organic matter. Its problem is that, as in conventional energies, its combustion produces carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
On the other hand, of the nonrenewable energy We said that, unlike renewables, they are obtained from resources that are limited and do not have the capacity to regenerate themselves. The most common is that these energies are obtained, above all, from the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, coal or natural gas. The combustion of these materials contributes to current climate change by emitting a large amount of greenhouse gases.
There is another group of non-renewable energies, that of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy comes from the fission process, the process by which the atomic nucleus of atoms disintegrates to later release energy, used by thermonuclear power plants for the production of electricity. The great drawback of nuclear energy is that nuclear waste takes a long time to disappear and lose its radioactivity.
If you want to read more articles similar to Renewable and non-renewable energies: examples and summary, we recommend that you enter our category of Renewable Energies.
