The world has a myriad of energy sources. Fossil fuels, including natural gas, petroleum and coal–accounted for more than 80 percent of the energy consumed in the year 2018. Renewables, including solar power, wind, hydroelectricity, and biomass, account for 14 percent. Nuclear energy accounts for another 5percent. Different countries use different sources of energy to meet economic needs and environmental concerns.
Nature is a rich source of energy in many forms, including sunlight and wind, waves, oceans and more. These primary sources can be transformed into more practical forms of energy, like heat or electricity, when they are harnessed. When the energy source is exhausted, they turn into non-renewable energy sources.
The environment is harmed by a variety of fossil fuels and also other sources of energy that are not renewable. For instance mining for oil could take away the planet’s forests. Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) can wikipedia reference cause earthquakes and pollute the water. The burning of coal releases carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming.
Fortunately, a majority of the most promising sources of energy are sustainable and renewable. Wind, solar and hydropower, for example, generate electricity without having to dig for new sources.
Other sources of sustainable energy are emerging, such as waves and tidal power. However, in order to be used at a large scale they must have effective distribution networks. These need to be built using a source of non-renewable energy. In the end, these sources are not yet sufficient to meet the majority of our energy requirements. It’s still important to remember that the cost of renewable energy equipment has dropped dramatically in recent years and the efficiency is rising.