SOURCES OF ENERGY

There are various energy sources found on Earth. These are called natural energy sources.
Example of natural sources of energy are Sun (solar), wind, water (seas and rivers), geothermal,
fuel, petroleum and coal. Some energy sources are renewable and will not run out. Others are
non-renewable and will deplete with use. Therefore, we can group the various sources of energy
into renewable and non-renewable as shown in the following diagram.

SOURCES OF ENERGY

Renewable energy is energy which is generated from natural sources such as sunlight, wind, rain,
tides and geothermal heat, which can be generated again and again as and when required. In
other words the energy from these sources can be replenished when used up and will not be

totally used up in the future. While non-renewable energy is a natural energy resource in limited
supply that gets used up and cannot be replenished in a short period of time as quickly as they
are consumed.
Renewable energy resources include solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy from inside
the Earth, biomass from plants, and hydropower from water stores in reservoirs and oceans in the
form of waves. Wind and biomass energy have been an energy source for a very long time.
Wind was used by the Chinese about 4000 years ago to pump water for their crops and by sailors
to sail around the world. Biomass energy has been used for thousands of years, ever since
people started burning wood to cook food or to keep warm. Hydroelectric power station, with
generate electricity from flowing water, produce the most energy. While, geothermal energy is
power extracted from heat stored under the earths crust. Historically, geothermal energy
extraction has been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries. Today, people are trying to
use the Suns energy for many other purposes. Besides its continuous supply and advantages, the
use of solar energy is increasing.
However, we get most of our energy from non-renewable energy resources, which include crude
oil, natural gas, coal and nuclear. Coal, oil and natural gas are fossil fuels. They are called fossil
fuels because they are thought to have been formed many millions of years ago by geological
processes acting on dead animals and plants, just like fossils. While, nuclear fuel is made from
naturally occurring radioactive materials, such as uranium, found in rocks. These materials are
extracted and concentrated. They are formed into 'fuel rods'. When placed close together, the fuel
rods set off nuclear reactions that generate heat. This heat is used to turn water into steam and
generate electricity.
Worldwide there is a range of energy resources available to us. Our daily activities involve
extensive use of energy. So, it is important for us to use energy wisely in order to protect our
environment from drastic changes and to save the depleting resources for our future generations.