Energy nonrenewable sources

Nonrenewable energy sources include the fossil fuels (natural gas,... 

Continuing dependence on fossil fuels raises several major ethical issues. Ethical questions concerning our responsibilities to future generations arc raised by the fact that fossil fuels are a nonrenewable energy source, so that eveiy barrel of oil or ton of coal burned today is forever lost to future generations. Further, the by-products of fossil fuel combustion pose hazards to both present and future generations. 

For nonrenewable energy sources such as fossil fuels, expectations about the future price and interest rates influence the current quantity supplied. Expectations of higher future prices should cause less production today and more production tomorrow. 

Over 80 percent of the world s energy consumption comes from nonrenewable sources that cannot be sustained indefinitely under current practices. If technological advances continue to make conventional energy resources plentiful and affordable for many years to come, the transition to more sustainable energy sources can be smooth and minimally disruptive. 

Industrial civilization was built by the consumption of fossil fuels. Currently, well over 80% of world energy comes from the three main fossil fuels petroleum, natural gas, and coal. Because these are nonrenewable resources, there will come a time when these energy bank accounts are exhausted. Experts disagree on how soon the depletion of fossil fuels will occur, but eventually it will be necessary to find other energy sources. 

The transition from nonrenewable fossil fuel should consider the development of technologies that can use the available energy of the sun. It is reasonable to assume that solar energy will eventually serve as a primary energy source. As we attempt to use solar energy to replace the use of fossil and nuclear fuels, this relationship between solar energy and hydrogen returns and one may not effectively work without the other. 

Hydrocarbons are required in our modern-day life not only as energy sources, including convenient transportation fuels for our cars, tracks, airplanes (see Section 1.8.2) but also to produce commonly used products ranging from polymers to textiles to pharmaceuticals. At the beginning of the twenty-first century we can look back with substantial satisfaction at our technological and scientific achievements. We should, however, also realize that we continue to deplete the nonrenewable resources of our planet, particularly fossil fuels and hydrocarbons and at the same time create ecological and environmental problems. As mentioned earlier, dire predictions of the early exhaustion of our natural hydrocarbon sources by the... 

More efficient combustion is one possible future for coal. Another and more hopeful future involves treating coal with pressurized steam and oxygen, a process that produces clean-burning fuel gases such as hydrogen, H2. These futures for coal, however, are only short-term. Like all other fossil fuels, coal is a nonrenewable energy source, and it will not be with us for the long haul if we continue to burn it. 

Energy from petroleum is nonrenewable, and the remaining known oil reserves are limited. Given our dependence on petroleum, not only for fuel, but also for the many necessities of modern society, it becomes clear that we must both conserve what we have and find alternate energy sources. 

Energy sources Most often conventional nonrenewable energy sources coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear fission Most often renewable solar, thermal, or chemical... 

Table 2.2A, B C lists the non-fossil energy sources that are potential candidates to fill all or part of our future energy needs as defined in Table 2.1. They are divided into renewable sources, nonrenewable sources with relatively short lifetime and non-renewable sources with a long lifetime. In this context, a lifetime less than 100 years is considered short.

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