What Is Non-Renewable Energy Dictionary?
What is non-renewable energy?
Non-renewable energy refers to energy sources that cannot be replenished in a short period of time. Once non-renewable energy sources are depleted, they cannot be readily replaced. The most common types of non-renewable energy include:
- Fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas
- Nuclear energy from uranium
These energy sources take hundreds of thousands to millions of years to form naturally. So while they are available in limited quantities on Earth, once used up they are gone for practical purposes. That’s why they are considered non-renewable.
Non-renewable energy has powered the growth of human civilization for over a century. Burning fossil fuels generates electricity, heats homes, powers transportation, and enables modern life. But extracting and consuming non-renewable energy has raised concerns about pollution, climate change, and finite supplies.
Overall, non-renewable energy refers to powerful but limited energy sources that cannot be easily replenished once depleted. Society faces the challenge of using them responsibly while shifting to renewable energy options for the future.
Types of non-renewable energy
The main types of non-renewable energy are:
Coal
Coal is a fossil fuel formed from the remains of plants that lived and died hundreds of millions of years ago. It’s considered non-renewable because it takes millions of years to form. Coal is burned to generate electricity, provide heat, and produce steel. Coal-fired power plants produce large amounts of emissions that contribute to air pollution and climate change.
Oil
Oil, also known as petroleum, is a liquid fossil fuel that formed underground millions of years ago from the remains of tiny plants and animals. Oil can be refined into various products like gasoline, diesel, heating oil, and many chemicals. It powers most vehicles and generates electricity. Extracting, transporting, and burning oil leads to environmental issues.
Natural Gas
Natural gas is a fossil fuel composed mainly of methane. It was created over millions of years from decaying plants and animals buried underground. Natural gas is used to generate electricity, heat buildings, produce chemicals, and fuel vehicles and appliances. Burning natural gas produces air pollutants, but lower CO2 emissions compared to coal and oil.
Nuclear Energy
Nuclear energy comes from the splitting of uranium atoms in a process called nuclear fission. Uranium is considered nonrenewable because only a finite amount exists worldwide. Nuclear power plants use uranium as fuel to boil water, produce steam, and generate electricity without emitting air pollution or carbon dioxide. However, nuclear waste disposal and safety issues remain a concern.
How non-renewable energy is generated
Non-renewable energy sources like coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear energy are converted into electricity through various processes at power plants. Here’s an overview of how the most common non-renewable sources generate electricity:
Coal
Coal is burned to heat water, producing high-pressure steam that spins turbines and generates electricity. Coal is pulverized into a fine powder before burning so that it has more surface area and can burn more efficiently.
Natural gas
Natural gas can be used to directly spin turbines or to produce steam that drives turbines. It is piped into the power plant from gas fields and burned in a combustion chamber. The gas heats water to create steam that turns the turbine blades.
Nuclear power
Nuclear fission (splitting of uranium atoms) generates intense heat that is used to create steam and spin turbines. The steam drives generators to produce electricity. Nuclear plants require highly pressurized water to transfer heat and ferry steam to the turbines.
Oil
Oil is heated and sprayed into boiler tubes at a power plant. The hot oil vaporizes water to create high-pressure steam that spins turbine blades. While oil is not commonly used, some power plants are designed to run on oil or oil derivatives.
Pros of non-renewable energy
There are several benefits that make non-renewable energy sources attractive. Some of the main pros of non-renewable energy are:
Reliability
Non-renewable energy sources provide very consistent and reliable energy output. Sources like coal, oil, and natural gas can provide a steady stream of electricity when needed. This makes the grid more stable and helps avoid disruptions to power services.
Affordability
In many parts of the world, non-renewable sources like fossil fuels are still some of the most affordable options for energy generation. The infrastructure, equipment, and processes involved in fossil fuel energy production are well-established and optimized over decades of use. This makes non-renewables cheap, especially compared to newer renewables.
High energy density
Fossil fuels have very high energy density, meaning they pack a lot of energy in a small amount of fuel. Oil, coal, and natural gas are densely concentrated forms of stored chemical energy that can release very large amounts of power when burned. This inherent energy density makes them convenient and effective fuels.
Cons of non-renewable energy
While non-renewable energy sources like oil, coal, and natural gas currently make up a majority of the world’s energy supply, they come with some significant downsides. Some of the main cons of our heavy reliance on non-renewable energy sources include:
Pollution and environmental damage: The extraction, processing, and combustion of fossil fuels produces a wide range of emissions and pollutants that harm public health and the environment. Burning coal releases toxins like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury, lead and other heavy metals. Oil spills can devastate ecosystems. Extracting fossil fuels also destroys habitats and can release methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Finite resources: By definition, non-renewable energy sources are finite and will eventually run out. Coal, oil and natural gas reserves are being depleted much faster than new ones are being formed. As supplies dwindle, accessing remaining reserves becomes more environmentally destructive and more expensive.
Reliance on non-renewable energy is clearly unsustainable in the long run. Even in the shorter term, the environmental and health consequences of extracting and burning massive amounts of coal, oil and gas are increasingly apparent. The pollution, habitat destruction, resource depletion and climate impacts make shifting to renewable energy critical.
Most Used Non-Renewable Energy Sources
Coal, natural gas and petroleum dominate global non-renewable energy usage. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2019 fossil fuels accounted for 84% of total world energy consumption. Coal makes up 27% of world energy consumption, natural gas 24% and petroleum 33%. The majority of coal is used for electricity generation while natural gas and petroleum are used more broadly across the power, industry, residential and transportation sectors. While renewable energy is growing rapidly, non-renewable fossil fuels still provide the bulk of the world’s energy needs.
The world’s largest producers and consumers of coal are China, India, the United States and Australia. China accounted for over 50% of global coal consumption in 2018. The United States and Russia lead in natural gas production and consumption. Saudi Arabia and Russia lead in petroleum production while the U.S. and China lead in petroleum consumption. While many nations are working to transition to renewable energy, non-renewable fossil fuels continue to dominate the global energy landscape.
Countries most dependent on non-renewable energy
Many countries around the world depend heavily on non-renewable sources for energy generation. Some of the countries that rely most on fossil fuels include:
Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia gets over 90% of its electricity from non-renewables, primarily oil and natural gas. It has the world’s second largest proven petroleum reserves and is the largest exporter of petroleum globally.
Australia – Around 84% of Australia’s electricity comes from coal and natural gas. It is one of the largest exporters of coal in the world, with coal accounting for over 50% of its energy mix.
South Africa – Around 89% of South Africa’s energy needs are met through coal-fired plants. It is among the top seven coal producing nations in the world.
United States – Although the renewable share is rising, over 60% of electricity in the US still comes from fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. The US is the largest producer of oil and second largest producer of natural gas.
China – Nearly 72% of China’s electricity is generated from coal. China consumes over half of global coal production annually and relies on coal to meet majority of its energy needs.
These countries demonstrate a heavy dependence on fossil fuel reserves like coal, oil and natural gas for energy generation currently. Developing renewable alternatives can help reduce their carbon footprints and environmental impact going forward.
Non-renewable energy outlook
The outlook for non-renewable energy sources in the future is mixed. On one hand, global demand for energy continues to rise, especially in developing countries. This growing demand will require increased supply from all sources, including non-renewables like oil, natural gas, and coal.
However, experts project that many critical non-renewable resources may start facing depletion within the next 50-100 years if current consumption rates continue. Coal is expected to be the first fossil fuel to peak in production, followed by oil and natural gas. This could lead to supply challenges and price volatility if alternatives are not scaled up quickly enough.
The costs of extracting non-renewable resources are also increasing over time as easier to access reserves are depleted first. Technologies like hydraulic fracturing have unlocked new oil and gas reserves, but at a higher cost than conventional drilling. As depletion continues, it will take more advanced technologies and higher prices to sustain production levels.
Many analysts argue that the world needs to transition its energy mix towards renewable sources before non-renewable reserves start rapidly declining. This transition is already underway in some countries, but will require substantial investments in clean energy infrastructure globally. Relying too much on non-renewables is not sustainable in the long run.
Alternatives to Non-Renewable Energy
As concerns grow over the environmental impacts and long-term viability of fossil fuels, many countries are shifting focus to renewable energy sources as alternatives. Renewable energy comes from naturally replenished sources like sunlight, wind, water, plants, and geothermal heat. Here is an overview of the main renewable energy alternatives:
Solar Energy
Solar power harnesses energy from the sun through technologies like photovoltaic panels to generate electricity. Solar energy is clean, renewable, widely available and has become more affordable in recent years. Solar power capacity and generation continues to grow rapidly worldwide.
Wind Energy
Wind turbines convert kinetic energy from wind into mechanical power or electricity. Wind power is one of the lowest priced and fastest growing renewable energy sources globally. Advances in turbine technology have enabled large-scale wind farms across many regions.
Hydropower
Hydropower utilizes the movement of water to generate electricity through turbines and generators. Hydroelectric dams provide a stable baseload power source in many countries. However, large hydro projects can impact local ecosystems.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal power taps into underground reservoirs of hot water to produce steam and turn electricity generating turbines. While geographically limited, geothermal offers a consistent clean energy source and doesn’t rely on weather conditions.
Bioenergy
Bioenergy encompasses biomass, biogas and biofuels derived from organic matter. Common sources include forestry/agricultural residues, municipal waste, and crops like corn and sugarcane. Concerns exist around land use changes and lifecycle emissions.
Non-renewable energy and climate change
The environmental impacts and climate effects of relying heavily on non-renewable energy sources like coal, oil and natural gas are significant. Burning these fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, which trap heat and cause global warming. According to the EPA, the combustion of fossil fuels accounted for over 76% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2019.
Increased emissions from the use of non-renewables can lead to a host of issues including sea level rise from melting glaciers and ice sheets, more extreme weather events like storms and droughts, habitat destruction, and species extinction. Even renewable energy infrastructure like dams and solar arrays can fail during severe weather disasters caused by climate change.
Many scientists say we must keep global warming below 1.5°C to avoid catastrophic climate impacts. To reach this goal, most models indicate a rapid transition from non-renewables to clean energy sources is needed in coming decades. Some nations have adopted policies to curb emissions and incentivize renewable energy, but a global effort is required for meaningful progress.
Continued dependence on abundant yet dirty fossil fuels could severely damage ecosystems and human societies. Phasing out non-renewables for wind, solar and other climate-friendly energy will be challenging but necessary for building a sustainable future.
