Learning Experience 1.2 Renewable Energy The following information is taken from BP Energy Business Booklet (2007): Gas, Power and Renewable Energy. Renewable energy The evidence that links climate change with greenhouse gas emissions means many people believe that the world needs to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels, especially coal and oil, and turn to energy supplies from renewable sources, such as the sun and wind. In the longer term, these offer the possibility of sustainable energy resources without damage to the environment. For the present, however, the world will have to rely on fossil fuels for most of its energy needs. Natural gas produces lower carbon dioxide emissions than coal or oil and will become more important in the world’s energy balance for several decades to come, along with other low-carbon fuels. At the same time, we need to ensure that the technology to produce lower-cost renewable energy will continue to be developed. Around 90% of the world’s energy needs are met by fossil fuels. Currently, the only renewable energy source of any significance is hydroelectric power. The chart does not include the contribution made by fuels such as peat, wood and animal wastes, which, though important in many countries, have no reliable figures for consumption. What is renewable energy? Sources of renewable energy will never run out because they can always be replaced. Renewable energy resources include sunlight or solar energy and other sources such as wind and wave energy, which indirectly come from solar energy. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas come from the remains of plants and animals that were produced millions of years ago and which have been transformed into fuels by geological changes. Because the world’s reserves of fossil fuels are not endless (therefore finite) and are being used up, they are called nonrenewable energy resources. Of course, the processes that produced crude oil are still taking place very slowly but it will take millions of years to replace the fossil fuels we are burning today. Uranium, which is used to produce nuclear energy, is not a fossil fuel, but requires the extraction of finite physical reserves, so it is also considered a non-renewable energy source. Renewable energy covers a number of energy sources. The main ones are: • solar • water • biomass • wind • geothermal. Each of these renewable energy sources depends on different technologies, which are at different stages of development. Wind, water and solar are dependent on location or climatic conditions. Some renewable sources, including solar and wind, can be classed as ‘clean energies’, because they have very little effect on the environment and could do much to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Biomass, when burnt as a fuel, produces carbon dioxide, which is a major greenhouse gas. However, the impact of this is reduced by the fact that growing biomass absorbs CO2 during growth. Using the information you have just read complete the following questions using full sentence answers… 1. Why do we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for producing our energy supplies? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ 2. Explain in your own words the term ‘sustainable energy resources’. In your explanation provide some specific examples. ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ 3. Why do you believe for now the world will have to continue to rely on fossil fuels to produce its energy supplies? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ 4. To what extent are fossil fuels currently used to produce the world’s energy supplies? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ 5. Study the graph, ‘World Primary Energy Consumption 1979 – 2004’. Write 5 sentences that could be used to describe the patterns of renewable and non-renewable energy resource consumption. a. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ b. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ c. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ d. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ e. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ 6. Why will renewable energy sources never run out? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ 7. Explain the origin of both renewable and non-renewable energy resources. Provide examples of each. Renewable: ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ Non-Renewable: ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ 8. Although not a fossil fuel, explain why uranium is considered a nonrenewable resource. ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ 9. Name some energy resources known as ‘clean energies’ and explain why they are classified this way. ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ 10. Respond to the following statement: “Although a never ending supply of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and water is guaranteed, for now the world has no choice but to maintain its dependence on fossil fuels; especially oil and coal, to meet its energy needs.” _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________