Today we are going to talk about the sources of energy that exist all over the world. We mainly classify them into renewable and non-renewable energy sources. The former is also called green or clean energies. They are the most important over the years as non-renewable energy comes from fossil fuels and is polluting the planet and causing serious damage and effects such as climate change.
We are going to show you all the types of energy sources that exist in the world and their main uses.
Renewable energy sources
These are energy sources obtained from natural sources. They are energy inexhaustible in the time since their renewal rates far exceed that of consumption. They can be regenerated by means of natural actions. These sources include the sun, wind, water, tides, etc.. They are sources that are not exhausted and that will always be available.
We are going to describe them briefly one by one.
Solar energy
It is produced through the sun. It is clean and does not pollute. It works from solar panels and thanks to the photovoltaic effect. It can supply everything from small installations such as a domestic home to powering power plants. In spite of the potential that it has here in Spain by the climate and the quantity of hours of sun is not the well-taken advantage of.
They are also used for astronomy and observation. The satellites are equipped with solar panels that help you to be continuously self-sufficient so that you can always work and obtain the necessary data.
Wind energy
It's produced through the wind. It has behind it years of history since ancient times was used the force of the winds in the mills to grind wheat. Nowadays, wind energy works through wind turbines. Although they have a high installation cost they are capable of producing large amounts of energy. One of the advantages it has is that it does not need too much maintenance and can be placed in many places.
On the other hand, it also has some disadvantages. The main one is that it causes a great impact on the landscape when there are wind farms. In addition, it interferes with numerous routes of migratory birds of high ecological value or that are in danger of extinction. It also depends a lot on the location of the wind turbines. It should be placed in a place where there is wind and is not influenced or slowed down by other constructions such as buildings or by mountains and valleys.
Hydropower
Hydraulic energy is that which is produced thanks to water. It is carried out in a hydraulic power station. It can produce heat or electricity through the energy that can provide the movement of water through turbines.
Geothermal energy
Geothermal energy uses the Earth's energy and its heat. This type of energy is more secondary because it depends on the activity of the soil and the thickness of the continental crust in each place. Cold countries such as Iceland are fortunate to have geothermal energy as the main source of supply. The deeper we can extract in the earth's crust, the more heat we can use as a source of energy.
The main disadvantage of this type of energy is the high cost of the infrastructure needed to extract heat from the continental crust.
Energy from biomass
This energy employs all the organic waste that can serve. For example, pellets, pruning waste, olive pits, logging waste, etc. It is increasingly used because it helps to keep the mountains better managed and takes advantage of this type of waste. It is used as heating thanks to the creation of biomass boilers.
Non-renewable energy sources
Also called fossil fuels. They are those that nature has generated but that have limited time in their use. This is because their regeneration is very slow compared to the human scale and speed at which they are used. In other words, oil or coal will eventually disappear or, at least, cannot be used to produce energy on a large scale.
We analyze the main sources of non-renewable energy
Fossil fuels
They are those generated by oil, coal, natural gas, and its derivatives. These are the resources most used worldwide to produce energy. Therefore, they are the first reason why disasters such as the hole in the ozone layer, global warming, and climate change are becoming more pronounced. All this is the result of the pollution they generate both in their production and in their use.
Nuclear energy
It is energy whose main fuel is uranium. There are defenders of nuclear energy as well as detractors. It is an energy that does not emit polluting substances but leaves highly dangerous nuclear waste and it is necessary to build a nuclear cemetery. There is also fear of the strongest nuclear disasters in history, such as Chernobyl and Fukushima.
Uses of energy sources
As we mentioned earlier, non-renewables have become the engine of the whole planet. More than 60% of the world is powered by energy from coal or oil. It is used to power industrial machines, trains, transport, electricity, steam, etc.
Oil is used to make an infinite number of things that we use every day, including plastic, apart from all industry, petrochemicals and for any type of transport, including electricity generation.
Most renewable energy is reduced to solar and wind since they are the most widespread and have the highest rates of energy return. Their development and research are improving over the years and each time production costs fall, making them are becoming truly competitive in international markets.
Let's hope that in the not too distant future, renewable energies can open the way to remain the first in supply and we can reduce all impacts on the environment and pollution.