It is a very important question in Environmental science to ask “what is a renewable resources and their examples”. Nature gave us two types of resources on our planet Earth. There are so many examples of renewable resources available in nature. But most people use them without any awareness about. Why do we need to get the basic awareness about our environment and its surroundings?
Here is the basic reason. We are not the only species living on this planet Earth. Along with us so many other plants, small and big animals living together in the different food web or food chain. We, humans, are continuously exploiting natural resources.
What is a renewable resources in our planet?
As told in above, these two types of renewable resources in our planet named as follows
- Renewable resources
- Non renewable resources
But here we are going to discuss only the resources in this blog post. Renewable means, you can use again and again these resources. These resources will never end by continuously using them for a long period of time.
First of all, Why these renewable resources are not going to end? Why nature designed in such a unique way? still scientists are looking for the best answers for these questions. But we need to understand there is the cycle and periodicity in these natural resources.
What is a renewable resources list?
Here, we can easily list out renewable resources in following way.
- Solar Energy form
- Wind Energy Form
- Hydropower form
- Tidal Energy form
- Ocean Thermal Energy (OTE)
- Geothermal Energy
- Biomass Energy
- Biogas
- Biofuels
- Hydrogen as a fuel
Now let see them in details one by one.
what is solar energy
It is very essential energy in our planet. This energy originated from the sun as a form of light and thermal heat energy. But the question is ” How Sun produce this energy?”
Sun produce this energy by the nuclear reaction. There are two types of nuclear reactions in the nature. They are listed as follows
- Nuclear fusion reaction
- Nuclear fission reaction
What is nuclear fusion?
When two atoms combine and fuse together in high energy field gives higher atomic masses. This type of reaction is called as nuclear fusion reaction. We are getting sun light by this reaction only. This reaction takes place in the sun.
What is nuclear fission reaction?
When atomic masses increases, then atom become unstable. This higher atomic mass atom undergoes splitting with the trigger of external agent. Generally, neutrinos are used as triggering agent. We need fast moving and highly accelerated neutrinos to split the unstable higher mass atoms into many smaller mass fragments.
But, nuclear fission reaction is not the natural process. Till date, there is no evident about the nuclear fission reaction in this entire universe. It is completely made by humans.
Nuclear fusion reaction is responsible for sun’s energy source. It was giving millions of years and will give many million years. But no scientists know when it will end. That is the reason, it always come up in the list of renewable energy sources.
It is essential for our life in this beautiful planet earth. We can’t imagine any life without this energy form. Plants grow and synthesis their food with solar energy. Do you know, how plants synthesis their food?
Plant’s food synthesis and solar energy:
Plants are the primary producer of energy in our entire food chain. But do you know how? This is essential question. What are the things required to synthesis the food? The main substances for the food synthesis are water and carbon dioxide. But, if you combine water and carbon dioxide, it gives nothing but carbonic acid under high pressure.
Water is a substance from the hydrosphere. Carbon dioxide gas is from the atmosphere. These two substances are from the different phases. What is phase?. In nature, there are three phases. They are called gas, liquid and solid phases. But there are exceptional always.
There is some high energy plasma matter and low energy condensed matter. These low energy condensed matter are available in the distance space of the universe. Low energy condensed matter is available in planet earth. But, we can make them extremely low temperature at zero Kelvin.
The example for high energy plasma matter is Sun. Another example is thunder storm lightning. From the sun, we get light energy. This is very important energy source for our planet. When light goes on combine with water and carbon dioxide in the presence of chlorophylls as a catalyst, it will give carbohydrate. That is the reason, why plants are called as primary producer in the food chain.
Wind Energy:
This is another renewable source of energy. It is available freely in nature. Do you know the source of this energy? The source is our atmosphere. It will fill with so many gases. More percentage goes to nitrogen gas. It is the type of inert gas. But it connected with plants and trees directly. This gas from the atmosphere creates nitrogen cycle. It is essential for the growth and metabolism of the plants and trees.
Every day our earth rotates and undergoes day and night cycle. In the summer time, it comes near to the sun. In winter, it goes far away from the sun. These two things create pressure difference in the atmospheric gases. To make the equilibrium, gases move from high to low pressure region. This makes the wind flow.
Generally, Wind flow is higher in the sea sour region. Where gas moves from ocean to landscape, this makes huge pressure differences. In the landscape, gas moves from flat land surface to hill and mountain region. This creates very high pressure difference. That is the reason; most of our wind mills are located in the bottom of hills area and near the sea sour.
How electric power generated from Wind energy?
Wind has the energy due to the flow of air. But it is not same in the entire world. It varies place to place depends on the geological location. If the wind air flown in the smaller space, then its pressure goes up. That gives high velocity for the wind. In the opposite way, if wind air flown in the wider space, then its pressure goes down. This reduces the velocity of wind air. This is called Bernoulli theorem.
Wind mills are constructed by light weight turbines. But its strength is higher and will not break easily. When high energy wind flow through this turbine, it starts rotate them. It follows same dynamo concept. There is the coil and magnet. Change in the magnetic field flux due to the rotation of turbine creates electric energy.
This electric energy supplied through the electric lines for our domestic and industrial purposes. Now days, most of the countries in the world are moving towards renewable energy sources. This is the best alternative renewable energy source in the world.
Not only that, new types of innovation are made in this engineering. We can make pure water from the wind mills. It could be used in domestic and industrial needs. Pure water is the biggest demand in this world.
Hydropower Energy:
As word, Hydropower energy is generated from water resources. There are different types of water resources are available in the nature. Most of the water is in the sea and ocean. They are saline in nature. We can use them for domestic and industrial needs. Only residual amount of water is available in the land surface. That only we are using for domestic and industrial needs.
River water is originated from the glaciers and mountain hills. If it flows from the high top of the mountain, it increases the energy in the flowing water. We can’t use directly this water. River water takes all dead matters and slug things along the flow. But how can generate electric energy from this hydropower? We try to discuss that also.
How electricity generated from hydropower?
River water needs to be stored in the dams. It converts kinetic energy of river water into potential energy. Once the water level, in the dam have been reached to certain level. It can be released from the bottom of the dam. The water passes through varies filtering stages. This filtration removes most of the dead organic matters and Jung.
Now potential energy of the water is converted into kinetic energy. This fast flowing water then passes through the horizontally fixed turbines to rotate them. This rotation of turbine creates electric energy, as we discussed in the wind energy.
In this article, we discussed more three main types of renewable energies such as solar energy, wind energy, and hydropower. Science fair project ideas, quizzes, and worksheets are available in this blog.
What is a renewable resources (FAQ)
What are 5 renewable resources?
- Solar Energy form
- Wind Energy Form
- Hydropower form
- Tidal Energy form
- Ocean Thermal Energy (OTE)
- Geothermal Energy
- Biomass Energy
- Biogas
- Biofuels
- Hydrogen as a fuel
What are 3 non renewable resources?
Fossil fuels mainly comes under non renewable resources. If we you them continuously, it will go to end. The examples for fossil fuels are oil, natural gas, and crude oil. Fossil fuels were formed under the Earth from dead plants and animals over the period of millions of years.
Are trees renewable resources?
It depends the way of using them. If we cut trees continuously, but not planting single tree. It is called deforestation. If we cut one tree, we should plant three trees. It will conserve the nature in huge extend. It is called sustainable development along with the nature. In this way, trees are renewable resources.
Is water a renewable resources?
Yes, it is the renewable resources. But it purely depends on the usage of humans. If we overuse it without doing any rain water harvesting, then it become non renewable. That leads to drought one day in ground water.
Is solar renewable or nonrenewable?
Solar energy is the renewable resource. It will not end next millions of years.