Renewable & Non-renewable Energy resources

Geography

Coal

• Advantage: Large reserves and reliable supply for electricity.

• Disadvantage: Produces large amounts of CO₂ → contributes to global warming.

Oil

• Advantage: Easy to transport and very efficient for many uses.

• Disadvantage: Risk of oil spills and air pollution.

Natural Gas

• Advantage: Cleanest fossil fuel (least air pollution).

• Disadvantage: Still produces greenhouse gases and can explode.

Nuclear

• Advantage: Produces huge amounts of electricity with very low CO₂ emissions.

• Disadvantage: Dangerous radioactive waste and risk of nuclear accidents

Fuelwood

• Advantage: Cheap and easily available in developing countries.

• Disadvantage: Causes deforestation if trees aren’t replanted.

Hydro (water)

• Advantage: Very clean and reliable electricity supply.

• Disadvantage: Floods large areas of land and destroys habitats.

Wind

• Advantage: No air pollution and cheap to run.

• Disadvantage: Unreliable because wind is not constant

Solar

• Advantage: Unlimited energy source and clean.

• Disadvantage: Depends on sunlight (reduced at night and in cloudy weather).

Tidal

• Advantage: Very reliable and predictable energy source.

• Disadvantage: Very expensive to build and few suitable sites.

Geothermal

• Advantage: Reliable and low emissions.

• Disadvantage: Expensive to develop and limited to volcanic areas.

Biofuels & Waste

• Advantage: Uses waste materials and renewable crops

• Disadvantage: Can cause pollution and waste cannot be recycled again