Energy sources are divided into renewable and nonrenewable sources.
Renewable sources are energy sources that can be easily replenished. Nonrenewable sources are energy sources that we are using up and cannot recreate. Renewable and nonrenewable energy sources can be used to produce secondary energy sources including electricity and hydrogen.
Renewable energy sources include:
Nonrenewable energy sources include:
Renewable and nonrenewable energy sources are used to generate electricity for our homes, businesses, schools, and factories. Electricity powers our various electrical appliances, including computers, refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners, to name a few.
Most of the gasoline and the diesel fuel used to power our vehicles is made from petroleum oil, a nonrenewable resource. Natural gas, used to heat homes, dry clothes, and cook food, is nonrenewable. The propane that fuels outdoor grills is made from oil and natural gas, both nonrenewable.
Above text adapted from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA)
TEDxWarwick - David MacKay - How the Laws of Physics Constrain Our Sustainable Energy Options
Professor David MacKay is Professor of Natural Philosophy in the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge. David is the author of the book, Sustainable Energy — Without the Hot Air, which is intended to help people understand the numbers around sustainable energy.
