Renewable vs Non Renewable Energy

SCHOOL OF BIOPROCESS ENGINEERING

ERT 353 - ENERGY AND POWER IN BIOSYSTEMS

ASSIGNMENT 1 RENEWABLE VS NON-RENWABLE ENERGY

NAME

: TAY SEE YEE

MATRIC NUMBER

: 131192709

LECTURERS’ NAME

: Pn. RASHIDAH RUSLAN

DATE OF SUBMISSION

: 15 / 9 / 2015

Nowadays, energy consumption is rising rapidly due to industrialization and progress in the standards of living. Fossil fuel such as natural gas, petroleum and coal which are mentioned as the most important energy sources in the world are depleted day by day and these non-renewable resources become rare soon. Therefore, there are many scientists are exploring the potential renewable energy resource for the future. Generally, renewable energy is considered as any energy resource that is available naturally on a continuous basis or can be continually generated over a short period of time; which may be on a daily basis, or over several days, or several years. The renewable energy sources are derived directly from the sun (such as thermal, photochemical, and photoelectric), indirectly from the sun (such as wind, hydropower, and photosynthetic energy stored in biomass), or from other natural phenomena of the environment (such as geothermal and tidal energy). Firstly, solar energy is known as photovoltaic system and it is estimated to be four times the world fossil fuel resources in Malaysia. The climatic conditions are favourable for the development of solar energy due to the abundant sunshine throughout the year. Besides, solar energy has several advantages such as the absence of polluting agents, the possibility of direct conversion into electric power, a practically unlimited duration as well as a global quantity available far higher than human kind’s energy needs. Next, wind energy means the kinetic energy owned by air mass moving in the Earth’s atmosphere. The wind and its main characteristics, namely intensity and direction, depend upon several factors acting at a local and global scale which are solar radiation and its different intensity as well as the circulation of winds. Then, biomass refers to any woody based material from plant that store energy through photosynthesis. In fact, through photosynthesis, plants containing chlorophyll convert water and CO2 into organic matter during their growth, that is to say they use solar energy to create long chains mainly made up of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Biomass is considered one of the renewable energy sources with the highest potential to contribute to the energy needs of modern society for both the industrialized and developing countries. Lastly, geothermal energy is the energy contained inside of the Earth in the form of heat. The origin of this heat relates to the inner nature of our planet and to the physical processes taking place in it. While, a non-renewable energy source can be defined as a resource that is not replaced on a continuous basis or is replaced only very slowly, but dependent completely on natural processes. Fossil fuels that are considered non-renewable may continually be produced by the decay of plant and animal matter, but the rate of their production is so slow

that they are not going to be replaced in the next hundred million years, therefore, should be considered “used up”, not available to us again. The energy sources are considered nonrenewable which are oil (petroleum), coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy (uranium and thorium). In general, each non-renewable energy source is indissolubly linked to an environmental impact cycle, more or less critical and dangerous. Nuclear power is released, in huge quantities, by reactions that determine transmutations of given elements. Nuclear power can be exploited in two ways which is through the fission of the uranium atom or fusion of two hydrogen atoms. Nuclear energy is a popular way of generating electricity around the world. The disadvantage of nuclear energy is it will produce radioactive material. Radioactive waste can be extremely toxic, causing burns and increasing the risk for cancers, blood diseases, and bone decay among people who are exposed to it. Next, fossil fuels are a valuable source of energy. They are relatively inexpensive to extract. However, burning fossil fuels is harmful for the environment. When coal and oil are burned, they release particles that can pollute the air, water, and land. Some of these particles are caught and set aside, but many of them are released into the air. Burning fossil fuels also upsets Earth’s “carbon budget,” which balances the carbon in the ocean, earth, and air. When fossil fuels are combusted, they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which causes greenhouse effect. Besides, the carbon in fossil fuels has been sequestered, or stored, underground for millions of years. By removing this sequestered carbon from the earth and releasing it into the atmosphere, Earth’s carbon budget is out of balance. This contributes to temperatures rising faster than organisms can adapt. In conclusion, the non-renewable energy systems are ecologically problematic and must be replaced by clean alternative energy systems. The life of fossil fuels is limited and the policy to burn them for their heat should be replaced by programs to save or utilize them towards achieving a sustainable development. Countries with abundant oil and gas reserves should not only rely on these resources and with no further delay should adopt a comprehensive mix energy policy and must plan for the development of all kind of alternative sources of energy. In order to avoid future energy crises, a secured energy prospect should clearly determine the short, medium and long term contributively share of each source of energy both renewable and non-renewable.

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[2]

T. K. Ghosh and M. A. Prelas, Energy Resources and Systems; Volume 1: Fundamental and Non-Renewable Resources. NY: Springer, 2009. [E-book]. Available:

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