Non Renewable Energy​: Advantages & Disadvantages

Non renewable energy is a limited source of energy that takes millions of years to form. It includes energy sources such as coal, oil, and natural gas that are often used in activities such as industrial production, home heating, etc. To learn more about this energy source and its advantages and disadvantages, let’s refer to this article with Alternō!

1. What is non renewable energy?

Non-renewable energy is energy that is formed from limited resources and cannot be renewed in a short time compared to the current rate of consumption. These energy sources include coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear. They are formed in the earth’s crust and usually take hundreds to millions of years to form.

These energy sources are widely used in industry, electricity generation, and transportation, but they will gradually be depleted over time. Moreover, the process of exploiting and using non-renewable energy sources often causes environmental pollution, climate change, and public health problems.

2. Types of non renewable energy sources

Below are the types of non-renewable energy, details as follows:

2.1. Coal

Coal is one of the most common non-renewable energy sources in the world, formed from the remains of plants over millions of years under the influence of high temperature and pressure. It is mainly used in power generation, metallurgy, and other heavy industries.

Although coal is cheap, reliable, and easy to mine, burning coal to generate energy causes large CO2 emissions and increasingly serious global climate change. In addition, coal mining also has negative impacts on the environment, such as destroying ecosystems and polluting the soil as well as affecting workers’ health, with risks of tunnel collapse and explosion at mining sites.

2.2. Natural gas

Natural gas is a major energy source made up of methane (CH4) and some other gases. It is formed from the decomposition of organic matter and matter in the ground millions of years ago. Natural gas is exploited by techniques such as fracking (hydraulic drilling), hydrofracking, etc.

Natural gas is widely used in electricity production, cooking, chemical industry and as fuel for vehicles. Although it does not produce as much smoke or toxic gases as oil and coal, natural gas is not 100% clean, emitting less CO2. During the exploitation process, natural gas can be harmful to the environment and increase the risk of earthquakes.

2.3. Petroleum

Petroleum is formed from the decomposition of organic organisms under the influence of temperature and pressure over millions of years. Petroleum is widely used in the transportation industry (such as gasoline, diesel), electricity generation, chemical industry, and many other products such as plastics, fertilizers, and medicines.

Although petroleum has the advantage of being easy to move and use, its exploitation causes many environmental problems such as air pollution, oil spills into the sea, and toxic waste. In addition, gas from petroleum also affects human health, causing respiratory diseases.

2.4. Nuclear energy

Nuclear energy is created from the fission reactions of atoms such as uranium or plutonium in nuclear reactors. When these atoms fission, they release a huge amount of heat, which is used for production. Although nuclear energy does not emit CO2 during the electricity production process, the construction of nuclear plants requires a lot of costs and must be strictly managed and protected to avoid radioactive waste being released, causing diseases related to blood, skin and lung cancer, etc.

3. Advantages of non-renewable energy

Non renewable energy, despite its many negative impacts on the environment, still has some important advantages:

• Non renewable energy sources are often readily available, easily exploited, and affordable, meeting energy needs efficiently.
• Due to abundant supply and developed mining technology, the initial cost of non-renewable energy sources is lower than that of renewable energy sources. This helps to reduce the cost of electricity and fuel production.
• Non-renewable energy is easily available all over the world, making it easier to transport, especially in remote areas where access to non-renewable energy is possible.
• Non renewable resources also create many job opportunities in the process of mining, manufacturing, transportation.
• Fossil fuels can be built anywhere, as long as there are resources and enough fuel to generate electricity.
• Non-renewable resources are easy to store and can be used for a long time.

4. Disadvantages of non-renewable energy

Although non-renewable energy has many advantages in providing energy, it also has some disadvantages that must be mentioned such as:

• Environmental pollution: Burning non-renewable energy sources releases carbon dioxide and other pollutants, contributing to climate change, extreme weather, air and water pollution, causing negative impacts on human health.

• Depletion over time: Non-renewable energy sources are finite resources. Once they are exploited and used up, they cannot be renewed in a short period of time compared to the increasing demand for energy, leading to their gradual depletion over time.
• Negative impacts on the ecosystem: They cause acid rain, which affects crops. The extraction of oil or natural gas also leads to oil spills, which destroy marine and land environments.
• Causes public health problems: Non-renewable energy causes air pollution, which in turn leads to increasing respiratory diseases and cancer.
• Price fluctuations: The prices of non-renewable energy sources are often strongly influenced by global markets. This can cause volatility in fuel prices, especially in countries that rely on energy imports.
• Safety risks: Large oil tankers sometimes spill oil into the sea, harming marine life. In addition, nuclear energy also has many risks related to nuclear accidents and radioactive waste disposal.

In conclusion, although non renewable energy still plays an important role in providing energy for the global economy, there are major disadvantages in terms of environmental pollution, resource depletion and impacts on climate change. Therefore, switching to renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, hydropower is necessary and we need to join hands to protect the planet and a green future.