Renewable Resources Examples

The backbone of our civilization are the natural resources. Natural resources include all living and non-living things that exist on this earth. But the continuous usage of all these resources have restricted the further usage. The natural resources available to us have been categorized into the following class: Agricultural land, forest land and its various services and products, natural land for scientific purpose and aesthetic recreation, salt and freshwater fisheries, minerals, renewable non-mineral energies, water resources and assimilative capability of waste from all parts of the environment. Some of these resources are natural renewable resources whereas, others are non-renewable. In this article, we will be concentrating on some examples.

Mineral ore and fossil fuels are the examples of non-renewable resources. However, the geological processes might generate more stock of the non-renewable resources with time, but artificially producing these resources is not possible. But what are these resources? The examples will be better to explain them in a more elaborate manner. If we go back to the history, we will find that fossil fuels were the main source of energy which were relatively inexpensive. But the scenario has changed in the modern world. The rising prices of fuel, increasing environmental and political concerns have deviated the mass toward the resources which can be renewed.

A Few Examples

Solar Energy
The energy derived from the sun is the solar energy. The sun has always been in the service of the earth. It heats the earth and the oceans and enables human daily activities. Nowadays, photovoltaic panels are used to convert light into energy. The best thing is that it requires very less maintenance once it is installed. Moreover, the solar panels do not contribute to pollution. But the manufacturing of the solar panel requires some toxic elements and also it is a little expensive affair.

Wind Energy
Windmills have been used for energy production for many years. Similar to solar energy, wind energy also does not contribute to pollution. The wind is converted into electric energy with the help of wind turbines. Windmills for electricity, no doubt, is a great invention, but the moving parts can be fatal for the flying creatures.

Hydropower
Like other resources mentioned above, hydropower has also been used to generate energy since ages and is known as hydroelectric power. As the name suggests, the energy is generated by churning water with the help of massive generators. But this too has an impact on the environment. It affects the aquatic animals and the aquatic ecosystem is disturbed.

Biofuels
Plants and trees contribute in creating biomass or biofuels. The residual plants from paper making, the methane gas obtained from the process of decomposition and plants grown specifically as a source of energy combine to create biomass energy. Biofuel is used for lighting and cooking. Nowadays, crops are cultivated specifically for generating energy.

Geothermal Energy
The earth has a huge store of heated energy known as geothermal energy. It can be in the form of a hot spring, steam reservoir or sun-heated crust of earth. The various sources of geothermal energy has given us technology like heat pumps.

The other examples are tidal electricity or energy that is extracted from the high tides and wave energy that we get from the waves. The advantages are innumerable. The best thing about using renewable energy is that these resources are not going to deplete. They will be naturally replenished and will go a long way for the future generations.

The knowledge of these examples is essential because once the non-renewable resources are exhausted, we will be totally dependent on these alternative energy sources. So let us join our hands together and take a pledge that we will do our best to conserve energy so that our coming generations can live in peace.