TOPIC 2. Renewable Energy Sources

Today, most of the energy we use comes from fossil fuels. Coal, oil and natural gas are all fossil fuels. Over millions of years, plants, dinosaurs and other animals decayed to form into fossil fuels. These fuels lie buried between layers of earth and rock. The only way to get them out is to drill or mine for them. While fossil fuels are still being created today by underground heat and pressure, they are being consumed more rapidly than they are created. For that reason, fossil fuels are considered nonrenewable; that is, they are not replaced as quickly as we use them. So, we could run out of them sometime in the future. Or, we might someday use so much fossil fuel that we won't be able to drill or mine fast enough to keep up with the demand.

Because our world depends so much on energy, we need to find sources of energy that will last a long time. What if there was a type of energy that never ran out? There is. It is called renewable energy.

Renewable Energy Sources
What Is Renewable Energy?
Solar Energy
Photovoltaic Energy



Go to TOPIC 3. Environmental Costs of Energy