Renewable and non -renewable energies: examples and summary

When we talk about renewable energies we refer to those energies from natural and almost inexhaustible sources, either because of the amount of energy they contain either because of their ability to regenerate naturally. We say “almost” because these energy sources are subject to a time of renewal, so their exploitation must respect these periods so that they truly work as Unlimited energy sources.

This type of energies were considered as alternative energies On the 1970s, however, they are currently more expensive than conventional energies. Another inconvenience is that in order to take advantage of these energy sources, very large spaces are needed, and for this reason the possibility of having these extensive lands is not always guaranteed.

But at this point, a detail is highlighted. That they are renewable energies does not mean that they are not polluting. It is therefore that renewable energy sources They are classified as pollutants and non -polluting or clean.

Among the non -polluting or clean sources We find the following:

• The wind, which generates wind energy.
• Heat from the interior of the earth is geothermal energy.
• Rivers and fresh water currents generate hydraulic or hydroelectric energy.
• The sun produces solar energy.
• The seas and oceans generate mareomotor energy.
• The waves give eldimotric energy.
• The masses union of fresh water and salt water masses is blue energy.

On the other hand, pollutant renewable energies are those that come from biomass or organic matter. These can be used directly as fuels by means of burning or can be used once converted into bioethanol or biodiesel. Being polluting energies that this type of energy has is the same as the problem that polluting energies have: the emission of carbon dioxide due to their combustion.

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Now that we know What are renewable energies and what types are therewe will enter some examples of these forms of energies, which, as we have seen, vary depending on the source that generates them.

• Wind energy: that obtained from the force of the wind or the air currents. Wind turbines transform the energy of the movement of these currents into electrical energy.
• Geothermal energy: The energy source is inside the earth, as the thermal phenomena that occur under the earth’s crust are used.
• Solar energy: The best known, the one obtained from solar radiation and is collected through solar panels.
• Hydroelectric or hydraulic energy: It comes from the energy created by the “water jumps” that occur in rivers, which make certain turbines that produce the movement of an electric generator that generates energy.
• Blue energy: Also called osmotic power, this energy is obtained because of the difference between the concentrations of salt of rivers and sea water. It is especially useful in regions where rivers are very caudalous, as there will be greater amounts of energy. The only residue is brackish water.
• Mareomotor energy: This type of energy takes advantage of the energy that is produced by waves (undymootriz energy), tides, salinity gradients (osmotic energy) or the differences in oceanic temperature.
• Biomass: This type of energy takes advantage of the organic matter that is formed due to biological processes of living beings such as plants or animals, as well as their remains and waste. These products generated can burn (combustion) and obtain energy or transform them into other substances such as fuels or foods that can be used later.
• Biocarbons: These would be derived from the previous form of commented energy. They are mixtures of substances of organic origin that are used as fuels. These biocarbons can be obtained from different plant types such as corn, soybeans, sunflower, palm trees and even eucalyptus and pines.

Non -renewable energies, as we mentioned earlier, refer to conventional energy formsthose whose resources obtained are limited, that is, They are not self -employed as renewable energies.

The most common is that to generate these energy sources, they are burned above all fossil fuelswhich in their combustion cause the emission of a large amount of greenhouse gases. These gases today are one of the main responsible for climate change, as their amount in the atmosphere is being increased very quickly.

Within this type of non -renewable energy We can find two main groups:

Fossil fuels

Fossil fuels, such as oil (liquid form), coal (solid) and natural gas (soda). These fossil fuels come from the biomass generated millions of years ago that have become such fuels after suffering adequate pressure and temperature conditions.

• Oil: Oil is an organic compound that is composed of a mixture of hydrocarbons that are insoluble in water and that formed from the transformation of organic matter that accumulated in the form of sediments.
• Coal: Coal is a sedimentary rock, again, of organic origin formed from plant remains that decompose and accumulate in swampy areas.
• Natural gas: In this case, it is a hydrocarbon resulting from the mixture of natural gases, mainly methane, and is formed by the decomposition of several layers of plants and animal matter exposed to intense heat and pressure for millions of years.

Nuclear energy

The other non -renewable energy group is the one corresponding to nuclear energy. The matter is composed of atoms, which are formed by a nucleus and one or more electrons distributed in layers (electrons cloud) on the nucleus, which in turn is composed of one or more protons and an equal number of neutrons.

But what does all this have to do with nuclear energy? The atomic nucleus of some elements such as uranium can be disintegrated and release energy, which is used by thermonuclear plants to produce electricity, that is, that, Nuclear energy is obtained from breaking atoms of some radioactive minerals (fission). However, the nuclear waste that occurs takes time to lose their radioactive properties, and can take many to disappear.

To conclude this article, then we will summarize all the information presented in the previous sections.

As we said, Renewable energies They are those that come from almost unlimited natural sources, but that need a time of renewal to be able to recover. There are non -polluting or clean renewable energies and contaminating renewable energies.

Among the Clean renewable energy We highlighted wind energy, solar energy, hydroelectric energy, geothermal energy, mareomotor energy, undoingal energy or blue energy. As Pollutant renewable energies We highlighted those whose source is biomass or organic matter. His problem is that, as in conventional energies, its combustion produces carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere.

On the other hand, of the non -renewable energy We said that, unlike renewables, they are obtained from resources that are limited and that they do not have the ability to self -register. The most common is that these energies are obtained, above all, from burning fossil fuels such as oil, coal or natural gas. The combustion of these materials contributes to the current climate change by emitting a large amount of greenhouse gases.

There is another non -renewable energy group, that of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy comes from the fission process, the process by which the atomic nucleus of atoms is disintegrated to subsequently release energy, used by thermonuclear plants for electricity production. The great inconvenience of nuclear energy is that nuclear waste takes a long time to disappear and lose its radioactivity.

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