Almost all of the energy we use comes from non-renewable sources. They are by far the quickest and easiest method of generating the large amounts of energy, which keep the planet's richer human communities moving. But they have two insoluble problems associated with them: the large amounts of pollution and the eventual drying up of supplies. In contrast renewable energy sources have huge, but mainly untapped, potential.
Non-Renewable Energy Sources
All non-renewable energy sources create pollution, in part due to their extraction from the crust of our planet but mainly from their burning. Only two types exist: the fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) and nuclear fuels (uranium etc). Fossil fuels are useful to us only because they liberate heat energy when we burn the carbon they contain. "Burning" - combustion - is really oxidation; making carbon and oxygen combine to liberate heat. Unfortunately for us, the principal by-product is carbon dioxide, CO2. Most scientists believe that this is an important contributor to The heat from coal, gas and oil we can use either directly or indirectly to raise steam in boilers and generate electricity using steam turbines to drive .
