Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy

These days most people are familiar with the concept of sustainable development, which on broad terms refers to the type of development that takes into the account the impacts that human enterprise has on the Earth, trying to mitigate it as much as possible. It means that the planet’s vulnerability to human activity is factored in. Another equally important concept is the one that differentiates between renewable and non-renewable energy. Since the early days of the Industrial Revolution, renewable and non-renewable energy have been powering the world’s economies. In the developed countries in the northern hemisphere, non-renewable energy has played a more significant role since modern machines were designed to be powered by coal and fossil fuels. These non-renewable sources of power have been the main sources of heat-trapping greenhouse gases that cause climate change.

In America, oil (fossil fuel) remains the biggest source of energy, supplying more than 40% of the total. Besides, more than 99% of cars and trucks in the country run on oil. Apart from pollution, oil resources are finite (hence, non-renewable), therefore finding cleaner, renewable alternatives is not only environmentally correct, but also necessary. Since the 1980s we have grown more acutely aware of the need to shift the economy to renewable energy, that is, energy that relies on sources that reproduce themselves in self-perpetuating cycles, such as water, sun power, wind and plant- and waste-based energy.

Hydropower is the largest source of renewable energy currently in place. In Norway, for instance, it accounts for 99% of the country’s energy matrix. In the United States it produces enough power for 28 million households. Bioenergy is also very popular. This generic term refers to any type of renewable energy that is made out of raw materials such as agricultural crops, crop wastes or residues, wood wastes, municipal wastes etc. It’s more commonly available as part of a fuel blend (for instance, ethanol and gas). Wind and solar are also much-talked about sources of renewable energy, although they still account for a relatively small portion of the electricity being produced worldwide. But it’s growing. In Denmark, for instance, wind accounted for 18.9% of electricity production in 2008.

Geothermal is also growing in popularity. Geothermal refers to the energy tapped from the heat of the Earth. It is extracted from shallow ground, hot water or hot rock that exists a few miles beneath the Earth’s surface. It can be explored anywhere. Hydrogen is also a much coveted source of renewable energy. It can be made from other renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal as well as more traditional sources such as nuclear power and fossil fuels. There is considerable research into the use of hydrogen to power passenger vehicles, but storage remains a technical challenge to be overcome. At present renewable and non-renewable energy co-exist in unequal proportions, with the latter still ruling the world. But as technology develops and renewable energy becomes more scalable and sustainable, the balance will start to tip in its favor.