How do we get energy: non-renewable and renewable energy

We get energy from many different sources. The first source is called non-renewable energy like coal, petroleum, natural gas and nuclear. Another method is by renewable energy like solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and hydro.

Ultimately, all energy sources we use, non-renewable and renewable energy comes from the sun energy. Some are in a form of coal, petroleum, or natural gas that were dead organisms and had been trap underneath the earth for millions of years as well as uranium. Solar energy is energy from sunlight; the sun creates wind when it warms the oceans. Geothermal energy is one of the results of the sun’s rays heating the land surface and biomass is organic materials like plants.

We use coal, petroleum, and natural gas as energy. Coal, petroleum, natural gas are fossil fuels created naturally from dead organisms and buried underground. These dead organisms turn into fossil fuels after several million years. These fossil fuels contain high percentage of carbon and hydrocarbons.

Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources because they take millions of years to form, and they are being depleted much faster than new ones are being formed.

Fossil fuels are burn to produce great amount of energy. Burning fossil fuels generate heat to boil water; boiling water produce steam and the steam spin the steam turbine that generates energy.

How we use fossil fuels to get energy:

Burn fossil fuels –> heat water to make steam –> steam spin turbines –> turbine turn generators into electricity

Nuclear power produces energy in control non–explosive nuclear reactions. Nuclear power use Uranium for the nuclear reactions to produce energy.

How we use nuclear power to get energy:

Nuclear fission –> heat water to make steam –> steam spin turbines –> turbine turn generators into electricity

As you can see, getting energy from nuclear is just like getting energy from burning fossil fuels. Instead of burning fossil fuels, the nuclear reactor is use to generate heat. The reactor use Uranium rods as fuels and that generated by nuclear fission to produce heat. Nuclear fission is neutrons smashing into the nucleus of the Uranium atoms and release energy in a form of heat.

The heat is use to heat water to make stream. The stream spins the turbines, which drive the generator to produce electricity.

Solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and hydro are renewable energy. Renewable energy is energy that comes from natural resources, which are naturally replenished and abundant all year around the world.

How we use solar to get energy:

Sunlight/solar radiation –> Solar panel –> Eclectic current –> Battery system –> Electricity

How we use wind to get energy:

Air flow –> Air flow spin rotor and blades of wind turbine –> which spins the generator –> Electricity

There are three types of geothermal energy: dry steam, flash, and binary.

How we use geothermal to get energy:

Dry steam plants take steam out of fractures in the ground and use it to directly drive a turbine that spins a generator to produce electricity.

Flash plants take hot water, usually at temperatures over 200 °C, out of the ground, and allows it to boil as it rises to the surface then separates the steam phase in steam/water separators and then runs the steam through a turbine to produce electricity.

Binary plants, the hot water flows through heat exchangers, boiling an organic fluid that spins the turbine to produce electricity.

The condensed steam and remaining geothermal fluid from all three types of plants are injected back into the hot rock to pick up more heat.

How we use biomass to get energy:

Biomass are organic materials like plants. Plants use photosynthesis to capture the sun’s energy to grow. When plants are burn, it releases that energy. As long as biomass is produced sustainably, with only as much used as is grown, the battery will last indefinitely.

How we use hydro to get energy:

Dams are built to trap water –> water flow through the dam –> the water flow spin the turbine inside the dam –> the turbine spin the generator to produce electricity