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Non-renewable energy resources

 

Generating electricity


Electricity is the main source of energy that we use in our homes. Electricity can be produced from different energy resources.

 

Energy resources are systems that can store a lot of energy. Energy resources can be classified into two types:

 

  • Renewable resources - energy resources that can be restored. They do not run out even if we use them.
  • Non-renewable resources - energy resources that cannot be restored. These resources will run out someday because we use them.

 

Different energy resources have different availability, advantages and disadvantages.

 

The image you sent is a pie chart showing different types of energy resources. It illustrates how energy can be obtained from various sources such as solar, biomass, fossil fuels, nuclear, wind, wave, and geothermal.

 

Renewable and non-renewable energy resources

 

Non-renewable energy resources


Non-renewable energy resources include coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear energy. Once these resources are used up, they cannot be replaced.


Coal, oil and gas are all examples of fossil fuels. Coal is made from the remains of dead plants that have been fossilised. Oil and gas are made from the fossilised remains of dead sea creatures over millions of years. These fossil fuels form over millions of years, which means that once we’ve used them all, we will not be able to replace them. This is why they are called non-renewable resources.

 

How are fossil fuels formed?

 

 

Fossil fuels were formed from dead plants and animals.  All the energy that is stored in fossil fuels, as chemical energy, originally came from the Sun.

 

Coal


About 300 million years ago, the Earth surface was overrun with plant life. Plants died and fell into swampy water and were covered by mud, which stopped them from rotting.
Precambrian forest animation.

As the mud piled up, it compressed the plants.


After millions of years of pressure the mud became rock and the plants turned into coal.  


 

As coal is found deep underground, to reach it, miners dig deep shafts and tunnels.  It is estimated that there is enough coal to last us 300 years.  Fossils of plants are sometimes found in layers of coal.

 

 

 

A detailed, 3D computer-generated cross-section diagram illustrating the inner workings of a coal power plant. The image features a realistic, industrial art style with textured metals, glowing fire, and fluid water. Bold, metallic 3D text at the top reads "Coal Power Electrical Station." The diagram flows from left to right, detailing the power generation process with corresponding text labels: Fuel Supply: On the far left, a tall, weathered metal silo labeled "coal supply" holds black coal. The coal feeds onto an angled conveyor belt. Conveyor & Stack: The conveyor belt carries the "coal" downward and across into the main building. Behind the conveyor stands a tall, tapered smokestack labeled "stack," which is emitting a plume of thick grey smoke into the sky. Combustion: The coal drops off the conveyor into the bottom of a large chamber labeled "boiler (furnace)." A bright, glowing fire burns the coal at the base. Steam Generation: Above the fire inside the furnace, a serpentine metal pipe heats up. The heated pipe travels into the next chamber, where it generates thick white vapor labeled "steam." Power Generation: The steam flows through a multi-bladed "turbine," which sits on a central horizontal rotating shaft. This shaft connects directly into a cylindrical "generator" to the right. Cooling System: Below the turbine, the steam enters a "condenser." Pipes cycle down into a cross-sectioned pool of blue "water" at the bottom right of the image, illustrating the cooling process that turns the steam back into liquid. Power Distribution: To the right of the generator, conduits lead out to a boxy electrical transformer. From the transformer, wires extend up to a classic wooden utility pole, labeled "transmission lines."Diagram of a Coal Power Electrical Station

 

 

 

Crude Oil and Natural Gas


Crude oil and natural gas were formed under similar circumstances as coal. Many parts of the Earth were under water which contained many animals. These animals died and were immediately covered by sediments on the seabed. The dead sea creatures were buried under many layers of mud and sand. They did not decay.


Precambrian Sea. Natural gas animation
After many millions of years of pressure and heat (90°C to 120°C) this process turned the mud and sand into rock and dead animals into  crude oil and natural gas. These two are found very deep underground between layers of impermeable rock. These rocks prevents the oil from seeping through.  


Natural gas is found in pockets on top of the crude oil under a layer of non-porous rock.  The gas is a mixture of compounds made up of hydrogen and carbon only. These are small molecules with a low molecular mass.


This gas is used on a large scale as a fuel. It is also used for the manufacture of more complex organic substances.

 

 


This is a detailed cross-section diagram of a landmass transitioning into the sea. The image shows several distinct rock layers or strata beneath a grassy landscape with a few trees and people. A large, circular, multi-tiered open-pit mine is visible on the left, labeled with an arrow as "Coal Seam Location" pointing to a thick, black layer of "COAL" running horizontally through the bedrock. On the right, an offshore oil platform is positioned in the ocean, with its drilling rig extending down through the water and deep into a large, folded geological structure (an anticline) where a pool of black liquid is trapped, labeled with an arrow as "Oil Trap Location" and text "OIL." A third arrow on the far right points to various rock types and is labeled "Geological Context," illustrating the stratification of sandstone, shale, limestone, and other sedimentary rocks. The diagram effectively contrasts the shallow coal seam with the deep-sea oil reservoir, all within a layered geological framework.

 

Cross-Section of Coal and Oil Formations

 


Oil is usually found approximately 2 to 3 miles beneath the ground.  It is trapped in rocks as shown on the diagram opposite.  To get at the oil, a hole is bored, either in the ground or sea bed, using giant drills.  The drill is hung from a giant metal frame, like the one on the left or from a  drilling platform in the case of over water, like the one on the right.

 

Once the oil is discovered,  it is usually under pressure and comes up by it self.  The next step is that the hole is lined with steel pipes.  Then the oil is pumped through them.  It is carried ashore, to an oil refinery, in pipes that run along the land or sea bed.


Oil rig pump animation.

 

Coal, natural gas and crude oil are fossil fuels. They are an extremely valuable resource and must be used carefully and efficiently because we have a very limited supply of them and the fact that they are non-renewable resources.

 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Fossil Fuels

 

Advantages

 

  • Fossil fuels are a cost-effective way to generate large amounts of energy.
  • Fossil fuels can be found quite easily.
  • Fossil fuels have become safer over the years.
  • More fossil fuel reserves can be accessed as technology improves.

 

Disadvantages

 

  • Fossil fuels have a limited supply, which makes finding new ones more challenging.
  • Fossil fuels emit carbon dioxide when they combust, which contributes the greenhouse effect and climate change.
  • Oil leaks can harm the environment.
  • Mining can be very dangerous.
  • Fossil fuels produce solid particles when they burn, which reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth.

 

🔬 Knowledge Check: Non-renewable Energy

Test your knowledge on fossil fuels and nuclear energy resources.

1. Why is nuclear energy considered a non-renewable resource?

2. Which of the following was formed from the remains of tiny sea creatures?

3. Coal was originally formed millions of years ago from:

4. What is a significant environmental disadvantage of burning fossil fuels?

5. Which statement about nuclear power stations is true?

Click to Reveal Answers
1. Finite amount of uranium (Once used, it cannot be replaced).
2. Crude Oil and Gas (Formed from sea organisms buried in sediment).
3. Ancient swamp plants and trees (Buried millions of years ago).
4. Release carbon dioxide (This contributes to global warming via the greenhouse effect).
5. Produce large amounts of energy from small fuel amounts (This is an advantage of nuclear power).

 

Summary:

 

  • Energy resources are used to generate electricity.
  • Energy resources are renewable or non-renewable.

 

 

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