Energy Resource Classification
Some energy resources will run out, and some never will. Learn to sort them into renewable, non-renewable and recyclable, and to weigh the environmental cost of getting them out of the ground.
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Powering our world
Everything we do, from charging a phone to running a factory, needs energy. But not all energy resources are the same: some will run out, and some never will. Learning to classify them is the first step.
Three classes
Geographers sort energy resources into groups:
Will it run out?
The big divide is whether a resource can be replaced.
Which is renewable?
Which of these is a renewable energy resource?
- Wind power
- Coal
- Oil
- Natural gas
Match the class
- Renewable
- Non-renewable
- Recyclable
- Fossil fuel
- Will not run out, as it is naturally replaced
- Finite, so it runs out once it is used
- Can be reprocessed and used again
- Coal, oil or gas made from ancient remains
The cost of extraction
Getting energy out of the ground harms the environment. Coal mining scars the land, oil drilling risks spills at sea, and fracking for shale gas can pollute groundwater. Even renewable projects have impacts, such as flooding land for a hydroelectric dam.
Renewable resources
Which THREE are renewable energy resources?
- Solar power
- Wind power
- Hydroelectric power
- Coal
- Oil
How coal forms
Put the steps of how a fossil fuel like coal forms in the right order.
- Dead plants build up in a swamp
- They are buried under layers of sediment
- Heat and pressure act over millions of years
- The remains slowly turn into coal
- People mine the coal to burn it
Complete the idea
A _____ resource, like wind, will not run out because it is naturally replaced. A _____ resource, like coal, is finite and runs out once used. Coal, oil and gas are _____ fuels made over millions of years. A _____ resource can be reprocessed and used again. Getting fuel out of the ground can cause _____ damage.
True or not?
Tap the TWO statements that are true about energy resources.
- Solar and wind power are renewable resources.
- Coal, oil and gas are non-renewable fossil fuels.
- Renewable resources will run out within a few years.
- Extracting fossil fuels has no effect on the environment.
- Oil is a renewable resource that is quickly replaced.
Extraction and impact
- Coal mining
- Oil drilling
- Fracking for shale gas
- Building a hydroelectric dam
- Scars the land and leaves spoil heaps
- Risks spills that harm the sea
- Can pollute underground water
- Floods land and moves people from their homes
Which class?
Classify each energy resource.
- Sunlight captured by solar panels. Which class is it?
- Coal burned in a power station. Which class is it?
- Nuclear fuel that is reprocessed and used again. Which class is it?
From wind to home
Put the steps of making electricity from wind in the right order.
- The wind blows and turns the blades
- The blades spin a generator
- The generator makes electricity
- The electricity travels along the grid
- Homes use the clean energy
Compare the resources
Compare renewable and non-renewable energy resources.
- Explain what renewable means, with an example
- Explain what non-renewable means, with an example
- Give one environmental impact of using fossil fuels
- Explain one advantage of using renewable energy