Clean Energy – Global Petroleum Equipment distributors and Engineering Association

Natural resources

The resources that are available in the environment and develop independent of human interference are called natural resources. They are used to support life and meet human needs.

The major natural resources which we can not live without are air, water, sunlight and soil. Some other examples of natural resources are coal, natural gas, oil, gas, metals, stone etc. We can even consider animals, birds and plants as natural resources too.

Natural resources are the raw materials for every product we use in our daily life. We use natural resources for food, fuel, furniture etc. All the natural resources are used with some modifications and those raw materials are considered as valuable in their natural form. The primary activities to obtain natural resources are extraction and purification.

Natural resources can be used directly by humans or it can be processed and used. According to the renewability of the resources there are two types of natural resources. They are as follows:

Renewable resources
Non-renewable resources

Both the environment and humans benefit equally from these resources. Let's discuss more about this.

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Robert Omondi

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Samaah Wek

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Jamal Wadih

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Juma Pondamali

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xiao Huan

Renewable resources

The resources that are responsible for the production of renewable energy are called renewable resources. They can be replenished at the same rate at which they are used.

They are natural resources like solar energy, wind energy, water, biomass, geothermal etc. These resources are available continuously and not affected noticeably by the consumption of humans. But these resources can be depleted if we are not conserving or managing them properly. Renewable resources can be easily replenished when compared to the non renewable resources.

Now we are going to discuss some of the different types of renewable resources and they are as follows:

Solar energy
Wind
Geothermal
Hydropower
Bioenergy

Solar energy

The energy obtained from the sun is called solar energy. This can be captured to generate heat or electricity. This is done with the help of solar panels or mirrors. Solar panels are composed of solar cells and they can convert sunlight directly into electricity. This heat absorption panel is used by the solar thermal collectors for generating electricity. Solar panels can be fixed in houses or in public places. Solar cookers, solar energy driven street lights are some examples of the uses of solar energy in daily life.

Geothermal

The energy obtained from the thermal energy which is stored inside the earth is called geothermal energy. This energy originated by the formation of planet Earth and radioactive decay of materials. Electricity is generated from geothermal energy. This resource is more than adequate to supply the needs of humans.ig: Geothermal power plant

Bioenergy

The waste of animals and plants are used for making bioenergy. Chemical energy is present in the biomass of animals and plants. When it is burnt then it can produce bioenergy. The heat generated is used to produce electricity and also to run generators. The combustion of wood and animal waste is considered a traditional use of bioenergy. Biogas produced through anaerobic digestion of residues and bio-refineries is an example of modern bioenergy technology.

Wind

Wind energy is the energy obtained from wind. It is used to generate electricity through wind turbines. It has only a smaller impact on the environment. Windmills have blades that can convert the energy carried by wind into rotational energy in the turbines of the AC generator which can further be converted into electrical energy.

Hydropower

The energy which is generated from the kinetic energy of flowing water is called hydropower or water power. The falling of water or fast running water is used to generate electricity or to power machines. Here the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of water is converted into electrical energy. The energy generated is called hydroelectric power. Energy can be generated from ocean tides and it is known as tidal energy and wave energy is generated from the waves of the ocean surface. Dams are built to generate power by altering the natural flow of rivers or other water bodies.

Non renewable resources

The natural resources that are formed over a long period of time in the environment and are impossible to renew easily are called non renewable resources. These resources can be depleted more quickly than they can be regenerated.

The most common non-renewable resource is minerals. Oils and natural gases are obtained from fossil fuels which is also a nonrenewable resource and the time period which they take to generate is over millions of years.

Hence, once we mine these resources and use them, then they can not be replenished. Some other examples of non-renewable resources are coal, compressed natural gas or CNG, uranium, gold, other rare earth elements etc.

Most of the non-renewable resources are present in limited quantities, since they take a long time to form. Non renewable resources are depleted mainly by the use of humans, but they can also be depleted naturally. One of the examples for this is the natural decay of radioactive elements such as uranium.

Types of non-renewable resources

Non renewable energy resources can be classified broadly into two types. These are as follows:

Fossil fuels
Nuclear energy

Fossil fuels

The fuels formed as a result of the continuous heating and compressing of organic matter under the earth's surface are called fossil fuels. The fossil remains of animals and plants are the major organic matters that make the fossil fuel. The fuel can be mined or drilled in the form of solid, liquid or gas. Examples of fossil fuels are as follows:Crude oil Natural gas Coal

Natural gas

The gaseous non-renewable resource found below the earth crust is called natural gas. Methane is the primary component of natural gas. It also contains other forms such as propane, ethane and butane. The odourless methane is mixed with a special additive to give an odour. This will help to find the leakage. Propane and butane are removed in the processing plants and this is used as liquefied petroleum gas or LPG. The major uses of natural gas are cooking, heating homes etc.

Nuclear energy

The non-renewable energy obtained from the mining and refining of uranium ore is known as nuclear energy. Uranium is a naturally occurring radioactive element below the surface of the earth. Nuclear fusion is the process by which the power is generated. This power has enough pressure to run turbines and generate nuclear power. Nuclear power is providing 13 to 14 percent of world electricity and six percent of the total energy.

Crude oil

The only liquid non-renewable resource that can be extracted from the layers of earth crust is called crude oil. It is also called petroleum oil. It can also be found in between the rocks. A vertical well into the ground and ocean floor is drilled to get the crude oil. Gasoline and diesel which powers the motor vehicles are obtained from crude oil. It is used up more quickly and very less oil fields are now available, hence scientists predict that this resource may not last beyond the middle of the 21st century.

Coal

The compressed organic matter which contains carbon and hydrocarbon matter are called coal. It is formed by taking millions of years, when the plant filled swamps that are covered by sediments. The solid coal is dug from the soil and processed to form the energy. Anthracite, lignite, bituminous coal etc are some examples of coal. Bituminous coal is used for making steel and iron. Anthracite has the highest heating value. Heating value is the amount of heat released during combustion of a specific amount.

Difference between renewable and non-renewable resources

We have discussed many things about renewable energy resources and non-renewable energy resources. So now we will see what are the major differences between renewable and non-renewable resources.

Renewable resources	Non-renewable resources
It can not be changed over time	It will deplete with time
It releases only less carbon	It releases more carbon
Cost is very high	Cost is very low
Infrastructure is expensive and not easily formed in most countries	Infrastructure is cost-effective
Require a large area for resources	Require large area for storing energy
Examples: Sun, water, wind etc	Examples: Fossil fuels and nuclear energy

Practice Problems

Q1. Which of the following statements are true about renewable resources?

i) The resources that are responsible for the production of renewable energy are called renewable resources.
ii) These resources are not available continuously.
iii)Renewable resources can be easily replenished when compared to the non renewable resources.
iv) Solar energy, wind energy, bioenergy, nuclear energy etc are examples of renewable energy.

a. i, ii, iii, iv
b. i, iii, iv
c. i and iii
d. i and iv

Solution: The resources that are responsible for the production of renewable energy are called renewable resources. They can be replenished at the same rate at which they are used. They are natural resources like solar energy, wind energy, water, biomass, geothermal etc. These resources are available continuously and not affected noticeably by the consumption of humans. But it can be depleted if we are not conserving or managing it properly. Renewable resources can be easily replenished when compared to the non renewable resources. There are different types of renewable resources and they are solar energy, wind, geothermal, hydropower and bioenergy. The non-renewable energy obtained from the mining and refining of uranium ore is known as nuclear energy. Hence the correct option is c.

Q2. Assertion: Fossil fuels are not easily replenished.

Reason: Fossil fuels are formed over a million of years.

Which of the following statements are correct about the given assertion and reason?

A. Both assertion and reason are correct and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
B. Both assertion and reason are correct and reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
C. The assertion is true, but the reason is false.
D. Both assertion and reason are false.

Solution: The resources that are available in the environment and are developed independently by humans are called natural resources. Natural resources can be used directly by humans or it can be processed and used. According to the renewability of the resources there are two types of natural resources. They are renewable resources and non-renewable resources. The resources that are responsible for the production of renewable energy are called renewable resources. They can be replenished at the same rate at which they are used. The natural resources that formed over a long period of time in the environment and are impossible to renew easily are called non renewable resources. These resources can be depleted more quickly than they can be regenerated. The most common non-renewable resource is minerals. Oils and natural gases are obtained from fossil fuels which is a nonrenewable resource and the time period which they take to generate is over millions of years. Hence, once we mined those resources and used it, then it can not be replenished. Most of the non-renewable resources are present in limited quantities, since they take a long time to form. So here the assertion is correct and the reason is also correct. The reason is the correct explanation of the assertion. Hence the correct option is a.

Q3. Which of the following renewable resources are used for the production of biogas?

a. Geothermal energy
b. Tidal energy
c. Solar energy
d. Bioenergy

Solution: The resources that are responsible for the production of renewable energy are called renewable resources. They can be replenished at the same rate at which they are used. They are natural resources like solar energy, wind energy, water, biomass, geothermal etc. The waste of animals and plants are used for making bioenergy. Chemical energy is present in the biomass of animals and plants. When it is burnt then it can produce bioenergy. The heat generated is used to produce electricity and also to run generators. The combustion of wood and animal waste is considered a traditional use of bioenergy. Biogas produced through anaerobic digestion of residues and bio-refineries are examples of modern bioenergy technologies. Hence the correct option is d.

Q4. What are the advantages of non-renewable energy resources?

Answer: The natural resources that formed over a long period of time in the environment and are impossible to renew easily are called non renewable resources. These resources can be depleted more quickly than they can be regenerated. There are many advantages to renewable energy resources. They are:

The non-renewable energy resources like diesel and oil are affordable.
These resources are easily accessible and compatible and are abundant.
The storage of non-renewable resources is easy.
It can provide more energy when compared with renewable resources.
The rate of profit generated in mining and selling of coal is more.