The world uses a variety of different sources of energy. Fossil fuels — including natural gas, petroleum and coal accounted for more than 81 percent of all energy consumed in 2018. Renewable energy sources like wind power, solar energy biomass, hydroelectricity, and biomass are responsible for 14 percent. Nuclear energy accounts for another five percent. Different countries have different description sources of energy to meet environmental and economic requirements.
Nature provides energy in many forms: sunlight and wind, waves, oceans, and more. When harnessed, and transformed into more efficient forms of energy, like electricity or heat, these are referred to as primary sources. These sources are non-renewable resources of energy when they are exhausted.
The environment is harmed by many fossil fuels, and also other non-renewable sources of energy. For example mining for oil could take away the planet’s forests. Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) can cause earthquakes as well as water pollution. Carbon dioxide is released when coal is burned, which contributes to global warming.
Fortunately, a lot of the most promising sources of energy are sustainable and renewable. Wind, solar and hydropower, for example, generate electricity without having to dig for new sources.
Tidal and Wave Power are two more sustainable energy sources that are emerging. To be used at an extensive scale, these technologies require efficient distribution networks. These need to be built and operate with the use of non-renewable energy sources. As a result, these sources aren’t able to provide the bulk of our energy requirements. It is important to keep in mind that costs for renewable energy equipment have decreased dramatically over the past few years, and efficiency is growing quickly.