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Facts you Should Know about Non Renewable Energy Resources
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Energy has become one of the most important commodities in our lives. We need energy to generate electricity which is used to run our appliances and provides us light when evening comes. We need energy to run cars, buses, and other means of transportation. In other words, energy is synonymous to development. After all, who in this world wants to live in the era before energy was discovered?
Thanks to different energy specialists, we can utilize the Earth’s resources to produce the energy that we need. Presently, there are two genres of energy resources that we are using. First are the renewable energy resources, which are developed in the latter years of the 21st century. It comes from Earth’s sources that can replenish itself naturally such as solar, wind, water, and biomass.
The second are the non-renewable energy resources which will be discussed in this article. Continue reading and learn what the different non-renewable energy resources are. You can also find out how these resources sustained our energy needs before the advent of renewable energy.
Non-Renewable Energy Resources Defined
It is defined as natural resources that cannot be recycled or re-grown. Fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas are considered to be classified into this energy category as they do not replenish itself in a quicker rate. It also includes mined resources such as the elements used in the production of electricity (uranium and plutonium, for instance).
Different non-renewable energy resources are discussed thoroughly in the preceding sections.
Fossil Fuels
It is the most common non-renewable resources that we are using to produce energy. Also known as mineral fuels, fossil fuels contains hydrocarbon. It is generally used to energize large-scale industries and largely-supplanted water-driven mills. It also aids in the combustion of wood or peat for producing heat.
In order to generate electricity, fossil fuels are burned through the process of combustion. The energy produced from the combustion process is used to power a turbine. The turbine is responsible for the conversion of energy produced from combusted fossil fuels into electricity.
Coal
One type of fossil fuel is the coal, which is extracted from the ground through underground mining or open-pit mining, or also known as surface mining method. It is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock which contains carbon and other assorted elements such as sulfur. It is considered to be an important fuel and widely-used source of electricity worldwide. In the United States, for instance, the combustion of coal produces 50 percent of the country’s electricity consumption.
Petroleum
Also known as crude oil, petroleum has a thick, dark brown or greenish color characteristic composed of a complex mixture of different hydrocarbons. It is mostly used to produce fuel oil and gasoline which is used to run different industrial machines. It is also a raw material for most chemical products like solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, and plastics.
Petroleum is extracted by drilling into an underground deposit. The underground pressure in this deposit will forced the extracted oil to the surface. In case the pressure in the deposit is not sufficient, petroleum is extracted using secondary oil recovery methods which include usage of beam pumps and electrical submersible pumps (ESP) and by injecting air, carbon dioxide, and other gas.
Natural Gas
Natural gas is composed primarily of methane. It can be found in oil fields, natural gas fields, and in coal beds. It is considered to be a major source in generating electricity by means of gas turbines and steam turbines. Combustion of natural gas emits less percentage of greenhouse gases than other fossil fuels like petroleum and coil.
Presently, it is now used as an automobile fuel on different countries like Argentina, Brazil, Pakistan, Italy, and India. The automobiles in these countries make use of compressed natural gas as a good alternative to carbon-based fuels because of its high energy efficiency as against to gasoline-based motor engines.
Non-renewable energy played a long-term role in terms of energy production. But remember we need to consume energy wisely, since sources for non-renewable are limited.
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