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Renewable vs Nonrenewable Resources

In: Science

Submitted By msjae2007
Words 394
Pages 2
July 7,2012 SCI/275

In this weeks Weily video it discussed all the different types of renewable energy that is used in our country. The three that were highlighted in this video is biomass fermentation, wind power, and solar power. The first form of renewable energy is biomass fermentation. This is when different materials such as corn are collected and turned in to ethanol. This form of energy is supposed to be a cleaner way to run gasoline driven machines such as cars. The problem with biomass fermentation is that in order to turn these materials into fuel they must first be collected by the farmers that harvest their crops. If farmers refuse to harvest these materials then they can’t be turned into fuel. The next form of renewable energy is solar power. Solar power is a technology that has been around for a long time. These solar panels give off energy buy turning the sunlight into a beam. The fault with this technology and the reason that it hasn’t taken off over the years is because the solar panels that are needed to generate solar power cost too much and the average person can’ t afford them. Secondly, if the sun doesn’t shine then the solar panels don’t get enough energy to power the home. Finally we have wind power, big wind turbines that spin as the wind blows to create energy produce wind power. The obvious problem with wind power is that if there is no wind then there is no power. Another form of renewable energy is waterpower or hydroelectricity. Hydroelectricity occurs when water falls into a reserve in a penstock and the current of the water moves the propeller to create energy. To address the issue with nonrenewable resources, the major problem is we are consuming these nonrenewable fossil fuels faster than we can replenish them. Fossil fuels like gasoline and coal can be gone faster than you can predict because you can never

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