Energy Resources

Living organisms need the energy to perform life-sustaining “work” in order to survive. For nearly all living systems on Earth, the sun is the ultimate source of that energy. Over time, we humans have developed an understanding of energy that has allowed us to harness it for uses well beyond basic survival. The development and evolution of human society are largely attributed to our relationship with energy. The first major advancement in human understanding of energy was the mastery of fire for cooking and heating. Modern civilization is especially dependent on energy and some of its most distinct characteristics such as population growth, environmental impact, and climate change are all a consequence of energy use. We use energy to heat and light our homes; power our machinery; fuel our vehicles; produce plastics, pharmaceuticals, and synthetic fibers; and provide the comforts and conveniences to which we have grown accustomed in the industrial age. Societal complexity, affluence, and the gap between poor and rich peoples are all related to our level of energy consumption [6].

Energy sources that are more or less continuously made available in a time frame useful to people are called renewable energy. Renewable energy sources are often considered alternative sources because, in general, most industrialized countries do not rely on them as their main energy source. Instead, they tend to rely on conventional energy sources such as fossil fuels or nuclear power that are non renewable. B

Energy is an important ingredient in all phases of society. We live in a very interdependent world, and access to adequate and reliable energy resources is crucial for economic growth and for maintaining the quality of our lives. However, current levels of energy consumption and production are not sustainable because of the heavy reliance on non-renewable energy sources. The principal energy resources used in the world are shown in Figure 10.0. The fuel mix has changed over the years but now is dominated by oil, although natural gas and solar contributions are increasing. About 80 % of our energy comes from nonrenewable fossil fuels and nuclear. The link between global warming and fossil fuel use, with its production of carbon dioxide through combustion, has made, in the eyes of many scientists, a shift to non-fossil fuels of utmost importance – but it will not be easy. About 40 % of the world’s energy comes from oil, and much of that goes to transportation uses.

In this module, we will study the energy minerals, how they are formed, extracted, and what are the environmental impacts. Then we will study some of the alternative energy sources, their benefits, and limitations [6].