Is Non-Renewable Better Than Renewable?

Table of Contents

Introducing Non-renewable and Renewable Energy

Non-renewable energy comes from sources that will run out or won’t be replenished in our lifetimes—or even for generations. Non-renewable energy sources include:

Fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal
Nuclear energy

Fossil fuels come from organic materials that have been transformed into fuel over millions of years. Nuclear energy comes from radioactive materials like uranium and plutonium. Once we use these fuels, they’re gone.

In contrast, renewable energy comes from sources that are naturally replenished. Renewable energy sources include:

Solar energy from the sun

Hydropower from flowing water
Wind energy
Geothermal energy from heat inside the earth

Biomass from plants and organic waste

These energy sources are considered renewable because they are restored naturally in a relatively short time. We can harness energy from the sun, wind, water, plants, and geothermal heat over and over again.

Current Reliance on Non-renewable Energy

Fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas currently make up over 80% of global energy consumption. This heavy reliance on non-renewable sources developed historically because they have been abundant, available and offer reliable base load power. Coal fueled the industrial revolution and oil helped enable mass transportation networks. Even as late as 2000, just 13% of global energy came from renewables. On a regional level, OECD countries generated over 75% of their electricity from fossil fuels in 2018. Rapidly developing countries like India and China still rely on coal for about 70% of their energy needs. Overall, our modern way of life has been built on the backbone of non-renewable energy. This dependence will likely continue for decades more as existing infrastructure biases countries against rapid transitions.

Advantages of Non-renewable Energy

Non-renewable energy sources like coal, oil and natural gas have some key advantages that have made them the dominant sources of energy production globally:

Cheap: Non-renewables like coal and natural gas are plentiful and relatively inexpensive to extract and process. The upfront capital costs for fossil fuel power plants are lower compared to renewable power plants. This makes the cost per kWh of electricity generated from fossil fuels competitive and affordable.

Reliable: Non-renewables can provide consistent, reliable baseload power 24/7 unlike some renewables like solar and wind which are intermittent. Fossil fuel plants have high availability and capacity factors in the range of 70-90%. The established infrastructure also ensures steady supply and distribution.

High energy density: Fossil fuels like coal and oil have very high energy densities measuring in the range of 30-40 MJ/kg. This means small quantities can produce massive amounts of energy. Renewables like solar and wind have energy densities 100x lower requiring large surface areas for equivalent energy production.

Disadvantages of Non-renewable Energy

Non-renewable energy sources like coal, oil and natural gas have some major drawbacks that need to be considered:

Finite Sources: By definition, non-renewables are available in limited supplies. Fossil fuels like oil and gas took millions of years to form, and reserves are being depleted much faster than new ones are being created. At current consumption rates, oil supplies are projected to run out in 50 years and natural gas in 54 years.

Environmental Impact: Burning of fossil fuels produces air pollutants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, which contribute to acid rain, smog and respiratory illnesses. It also produces large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions that accelerate climate change. Coal power plants are the biggest emitters.

Price Volatility: As finite supplies dwindle, fossil fuels are subject to major price swings and supply disruptions. Gasoline prices at the pump, for example, changed by 52% between 2020 and 2022. Such unpredictability makes budgeting and planning difficult for both suppliers and consumers.

Advantages of Renewable Energy

Renewable energy sources like solar, wind, geothermal and hydropower offer several important benefits over traditional non-renewable energy sources like coal, oil and natural gas. Some key advantages of renewables include:

Inexhaustible: Renewables like sunlight, wind, and geothermal heat are constantly replenished and will never run out. This provides energy security and reduces dependence on imported fossil fuels. The US Department of Energy reports that renewable energy has the potential to provide 100% of US electricity generation.

Cleaner: Renewable energy produces little to no global warming emissions. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, life-cycle global warming emissions from renewables range from 1-50 grams of CO2 equivalent per kWh, whereas estimates for natural gas range from 400-500 gCO2e/kWh. Widespread adoption of renewables can significantly reduce air pollution and related health effects.

Energy Independence: Developing renewable energy sources domestically reduces reliance on foreign oil imports. The US imported about 7.86 million barrels of petroleum per day in 2019. Increasing renewable energy production enhances America’s energy independence and security.

Disadvantages of Renewable Energy

While renewable energy sources like solar and wind offer environmental benefits, they also come with some key drawbacks compared to non-renewable sources like fossil fuels:

Higher cost – The upfront capital costs of building solar farms, wind turbines, hydropower dams etc. is still higher than building fossil fuel power plants. Renewables have become much more cost competitive in the last decade, but they still require substantial initial investment. This gets passed onto consumers through higher electricity prices.

Intermittency – The availability of renewable sources like sunlight and wind varies based on weather and time of day. This means renewable energy generation is intermittent and inconsistent, whereas fossil fuels can provide steady baseload power 24/7.

Storage issues – Because of the intermittent nature of renewables, energy storage solutions like batteries are needed to store excess renewable energy when available and discharge it later when renewable sources are unavailable. However, large-scale energy storage is still expensive.

Recent Trends Towards Renewables

In recent years, there has been a major shift globally towards renewable energy sources like solar, wind, hydropower and geothermal. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), renewables accounted for over two-thirds of new power capacity added in 2020. The share of renewables in global electricity generation jumped to 29% in 2020 from 27% in 2019.

There are several key reasons driving this growth in renewable energy adoption:

Declining costs – The costs of renewable power generation have fallen sharply over the last decade, making renewables more competitive with fossil fuels. The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) from solar PV declined by 85% between 2010-2019, while onshore wind LCOE fell by 56% over the same period.
Supportive policies – Many governments have implemented policies like renewable portfolio standards, feed-in tariffs, tax credits and other incentives to drive renewable energy growth. As of 2019, targets for renewable energy adoption existed in 169 countries.

Technological improvements – Advances in solar, wind and battery storage technologies have made renewables more efficient, productive and reliable.
Corporate procurement – Many companies have made commitments to purchase renewables, with over 290 global corporations having a 100% renewable energy target.
Investor pressure – Institutional investors and shareholders have applied pressure on companies and developers to shift away from fossil fuel projects and towards renewable energy.

The ongoing trends show that renewables adoption will continue expanding in the coming years, driven by the strong policy support, declining costs, and environmental benefits of low-carbon energy sources.

Projections on Future Energy Mix

Experts project that the global energy mix will continue to shift towards increased renewable energy over the coming decades. Here are some key projections on the future renewable vs non-renewable energy mix:

The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects renewable energy will account for 30% of global electricity generation by 2024, up from 26% today. This includes significant growth in solar, wind, hydropower and bioenergy. Fossil fuels are expected to decline to just under 60% of the electricity mix by 2024.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts 72% of total global electricity generation will come from renewable energy sources by 2050, with solar accounting for over 50% alone. Fossil fuels would shrink to just 12% of electricity generation by 2050 in their projections.

The IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2018 forecast renewable energy will supply 40% of global electricity demand by 2040 under current policies. Under an accelerated sustainability scenario, renewables could reach 65% of global electricity by 2040.

Major oil companies like BP, Shell and Equinor have forecast peak oil demand occurring in the 2030s. This is driven by growth in renewable energy and electric vehicles. They project oil and gas will remain part of the energy mix but will decline as a share of total consumption.

The consensus among experts is renewable energy will continue its strong growth, accounting for an increasingly dominant share of electricity generation over the coming decades. Fossil fuels will remain part of the energy system in the medium-term but are projected to decline as a share of the total mix.

Balancing Renewables and Non-Renewables

While some argue renewable energy sources like solar and wind should completely replace non-renewable sources like coal and natural gas, experts emphasizes the importance of striking a balance between energy sources in order to maintain stability and reliability of the electrical grid. Both renewables and non-renewables have their pros and cons, so a balanced and diverse energy mix allows countries to capitalize on the benefits of each while minimizing drawbacks.

Renewable energy sources offer environmental benefits but can have reliability challenges due to intermittency and location constraints. Non-renewable sources provide consistent baseload power but generate greenhouse gas emissions. An energy portfolio incorporating both types of sources as well as energy storage can help address these challenges. For example, natural gas power plants can quickly ramp up to fill gaps when renewable output falls. Grid-scale batteries can store excess renewable energy for later use. Regional interconnections allow transmission of electricity from areas with the most cost-effective or available resources.

Policymakers and utilities must consider the optimal technology mix to provide affordable, sustainable electricity. Continued technological improvements and grid modernization will allow higher renewable penetration. However, completely phasing out fossil fuels is likely impractical in the near-term. Pursuing an “all of the above” strategy with a diverse mix of energy sources provides reliability and flexibility as we transition to a lower-carbon future.

Conclusions

In summary, both non-renewable and renewable energy sources have their advantages and disadvantages. Non-renewables like oil, gas and coal are abundant, reliable, and have powered society for over a century. However, they are finite resources that pollute the environment. Renewables like solar, wind and hydro are clean and sustainable, but currently more expensive and intermittent.

Going forward, a balanced approach is likely the best path. Renewables should continue to expand their share of the energy mix, aided by falling costs and energy storage advances. But non-renewables will remain important during the transition, especially for grid stability. The ideal mix depends on many factors like location, resource availability and existing infrastructure.

With wise policies and technological innovation, renewable energy can eventually become dominant. But non-renewables will likely play a major role for decades more due to economic and practical constraints. An “all of the above” strategy, combining investment in renewables and responsible use of non-renewables, can enable a stable power supply and cleaner future.