Various types of energy sources are there that can be divided into different parts. The sun is not only the source of energy. Geothermal energy, nuclear energy, biomass, wind energy, and petrol are some of the other important sources from which energy can be extracted. Based on the characteristic of sustainability, energy is classified into two main types of energy sources. Energy can be extracted from both renewable and non-renewable sources. Conventional and non-conventional sources of energy are two other types of energy sources that play an important role in the consumption and usage of energy.
Energy can be classified as the core ability to do any work. The ability of a particular system to perform any task is regarded as energy. Energy is such a property, present in an object that can be transferred into various objects (Leung et al. 2020).
Energy can also be converted into different forms. Another example of chemical energy is a candle in which the energy is stored as a form of chemical energy and it has to be burnt to extract this energy (Golubev et al. 2021).
Burning is such a process with which any kind of chemical energy can be converted into heat energy.
The two most important sources of energy are renewable and non-renewable energy. Natural resources of energy such as geothermal, solar, wind, tidal, hydropower, and biomass energies are renewable energies that are sustainable in nature (Babenko et al. 2019). These energy sources are safe for the environment.
Figure 1: Energy Sources
Non-renewable sources of energy are limited in supply. This type of source of energy is mainly based on earth and possesses a limitation with which it can be finished (Afrah et al. 2019). Natural gas, hydrocarbon gas liquids, petroleum, coal, and nuclear energy are some important examples of non-renewable energy.
Figure 2: Generation of renewable energy globally
In recent times, the global usage of renewable energy has increased very much. Wind power and hydropower consumption and generation have also increased from before.
| Renewable energy sources | Non-renewable energy sources |
|---|---|
| These energy resources are not impacted by any human activity | Human activities, directly impact non-renewable energy sources |
| These sources can be replaced and renewed. | Once consumed, these sources cannot be renewed. |
| Sources are inexhaustible in nature | These sources are exhaustible in nature. |
Table 1: Difference between renewable and non-renewable sources
| Name of the energy source | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Wave energy | Less damage to the land, widely available and abundant | Suitable for a certain location, visual pollution and noise, dependent
on the length of wave that can differ from time to time |
| Solar energy | Enhahcne technological development, reduce maintenance costs and
electricity bill | Dependent on weather, spacious, expensive |
| Tidal energy | Predictable, longevity and continuous supply | High cost in construction and negative impacts of EMF emission |
| Wind energy | Cost-effective and environment-friendly | Threat to wildlife and aesthetic pollution |
| Nuclear power energy | Lessen emission of greenhouse gases and less expensive | High-risk pollutant for water and harmful for animal lives and trees |
| Biomass energy | A great revenue source for manufacturers, carbon-neutral | High chances of deforestation |
| Hydrogen energy | Reduces harmful emissions and fuel-efficient | Storage difficulty, high flammable and expensive |
| Geothermal energy | Highly efficient and easy maintenance | Lack of sustainability and high investment cost |
| Hydroelectric energy | Adjustable and reliable with emission-free | High risk of flood with high initial cost and high emission of methane
and carbon |
Table 2: Different sources of energy with advantages and disadvantages
As time moves forward, the natural sources of energy have been changed accordingly. Good sources of energy may consist of some significant characteristics among which easy transportation, high economic value, and less polluting attributes are important (Malav et al. 2020). Natural sources of energy are divided into two types, conventional and non-conventional energy sources. Conventional energy sources are being used for a long time and these are well-known and introduced sources of energy (Ranjith & Naik, 2018). Non-conventional sources of energy are introduced just a few years back and are developing day by day. Petroleum, coal, and natural gas are examples of conventional sources. Biogas, solar and geothermal are examples of non-conventional energy sources.
Figure 3: Conventional source of energy
| Conventional energy source | Non-conventional energy source |
|---|---|
| Exhaustible in nature | Non-exhaustible in nature |
| Expensive for proper maintenance and transmission | Less expensive and easy to maintain |
| Prone to pollution | Pollution-free and environment-friendly |
Table 3: Difference between conventional and non-conventional energy sources
One most important characteristic of energy is that it cannot be created as well as destroyed. Different sources of energy may include thermal energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy, and electrical energy. Energy can also be get as a form of electromagnetic radiation such as light. In food, the energy is stored as chemical energy and the human body collects this energy by consuming food.
Q1. Which sources of energy are regarded as helpful for commercial purposes?
Natural gas, coal, and petroleum oil are three main energy sources, used for commercial purposes. The usage of these sources is developing day by day.
Q2. What are the four most important non-renewable sources of energy?
Mineral oil, coal, natural gas, and thermal energy are four important sources of non-renewable energy. These sources are limited in nature that cannot be fulfilled after some time.
Q3. What is the significance of non-conventional energy sources?
This type of energy source is pollution-free and renewable is one of the most important requirements of recent times. These are easily available and another advantage of non-conventional energy sources is.
Q4. Which source of energy is considered the largest energy source all over the world?
Oil is the most important and largest source of energy all over the world. This source is a dominant source as well that plays an important role in transporting system.
Afrah, B. D., Riady, M. I., Thereza, N., Widhaningtyas, H., & Siregar, M. (2019, November). Sustainability of Using Low-Rank Coal as Energy Source through The Upgrading Brown Coal (UBC) Process by Adding Waste Cooking Oil. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 396, No. 1, p. 012001). IOP Publishing. Retrieved from: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/396/1/012001/pdf
Babenko, V., Sidorov, V., Koniaieva, Y., & Kysliuk, L. (2019). Features in scientific and technical cooperation in the field of non-conventional renewable energy. Global Journal of Environmental Science and Management, 5(Special Issue), 105-112. Retrieved from: https://www.gjesm.net
Golubev, V. A., Verbnikova, V. A., Lopyrev, I. A., Voznesenskaya, D. D., Alimov, R. N., Novikova, O. V., & Konnikov, E. A. (2021). Energy Evolution: Forecasting the Development of Non-Conventional Renewable Energy Sources and Their Impact on the Conventional Electricity System. Sustainability, 13(22), 12919. Retrieved from: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/22/12919/pdf
Leung, S. F., Fu, H. C., Zhang, M., Hassan, A. H., Jiang, T., Salama, K. N., ... & He, J. H. (2020). Blue energy fuels: converting ocean wave energy to carbon-based liquid fuels via CO 2 reduction. Energy & Environmental Science, 13(5), 1300-1308. Retrieved from: http://www.binn.cas.cn
Malav, L. C., Yadav, K. K., Gupta, N., Kumar, S., Sharma, G. K., Krishnan, S., ... & Bach, Q. V. (2020). A review on municipal solid waste as a renewable source for the waste-to-energy project in India: Current practices, challenges, and future opportunities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 277, 123227. Retrieved from: https://www.academia.edu/download/68024473/1_s2.0_S0959652620332728_main.pdf
Ranjith , Y., & Naik, T. P. (2018). Biodiesel production: Freshwater algae as a renewable source of energy. International Journal of Applied and Advanced Scientific Research, 3(1), 199-200. Retrieved from: http://ijaasr.dvpublication.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/183.pdf
Ourworldindata (2022). About Renewable Energy. Retrieved from: https://ourworldindata.org/renewable-energy [Retrieved on: 17th June 2022]
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