Natural Resource DescriptionRenewable/ Perpetual/ Nonrenewable AdvantagesDisadvantages

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

Geothermal -Geo means –

Thermal means -

Earth

heat

Geothermal -uses heat from the Earth to turn water into steam. The steam spins the turbines, which runs the generator, which produces electricity.

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal Heat from Earth’scenter renewable

• There are not many places where

you can put a geothermal power station

GEOTHERMAL

It does not produce any pollutionOnce you’ve built a geothermal power station, the energy is almost free

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal

solar

Heat from Earth’scenter renewable

No pollutionFree

Can’t be placedeverywhere

Solar Energy

On the sun, nuclear fusion is occurring. Solar panels can convert solar energy into electrical energy.

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal

solar

Heat from Earth’scenter renewable

No pollutionFree

Can’t be placedeverywhere

perpetualSun (nuclear fusion)

Advantages• Will not be depleted (won’t run out)• Doesn’t produce waste or pollution• Solar energy is free

Won’t work at night or cloudy days, so not as reliable.Very expensive to build solar panels.

Disadvantages

SOLAR

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal

solar Sun (nuclear fusion)

nuclear

Heat from Earth’scenter renewable

No pollutionFree

Can’t be placedeverywhere

perpetualNon pollutingFree

Not reliable(cloudy, night)

Nuclear energy can be transformed into electrical energy. To make the electricity, the atom is split (fission) which produces a large amount of heat.

We use this thermal energy to heat water to create steam. The steam turns the turbines, which drives the generator to make electricity.

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal

solar Sun (nuclear fusion)

nuclear Heat released whenatoms split/fused

Heat from Earth’scenter renewable

No pollutionFree

Can’t be placedeverywhere

perpetualNon pollutingFree

Not reliable(cloudy, night)

nonrenewable

Advantages• Costs about the same as coal, which is not

very expensive• Is not burned, so it does not produce green

house gases to pollute the air• Produces large amounts of energy from small

amounts of fuelDisadvantages

Waste material is radioactive and so is deadlyIf the plant has a meltdown or leak, it can make the area unlivable for many, many years

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal

solar Sun (nuclear fusion)

nuclear Heat released whenatoms split/fused

wind

Heat from Earth’scenter renewable

No pollutionFree

Can’t be placedeverywhere

perpetualNon pollutingFree

Not reliable(cloudy, night)

nonrenewableNot expensiveNonpolluting air

Waste isradioactive

Wind spins the turbines, which moves the shaft to power the generator which produces electricity.

Caused by uneven heating of the Earth

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal

solar Sun (nuclear fusion)

nuclear Heat released whenatoms split/fused

wind

Heat from Earth’scenter renewable

No pollutionFree

Can’t be placedeverywhere

perpetualNon pollutingFree

Not reliable(cloudy, night)

nonrenewableNot expensiveNonpolluting air

Waste isradioactive

Uneven heating of Earth

perpetual

Wind is free!!!Wind produces no waste!Wind will not be depleted.

• The wind is unpredictable. Some days you can have wind other days you don’t.

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal

solar Sun (nuclear fusion)

nuclear Heat released whenatoms split/fused

wind Free energyNon polluting

Not always wind, not reliable

biomass

Heat from Earth’scenter renewable

No pollutionFree

Can’t be placedeverywhere

perpetualNon pollutingFree

Not reliable(cloudy, night)

nonrenewableNot expensiveNonpolluting air

Waste isradioactive

Uneven heating of Earth

perpetual

Biomass

Plant material that we can burn to heat water, to make steam, to turn turbines, to run the generator.

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal

solar Sun (nuclear fusion)

nuclear Heat released whenatoms split/fused

wind Free energyNon polluting

Not always wind, not reliable

biomass Plant waste burned to release energy.

Heat from Earth’scenter renewable

No pollutionFree

Can’t be placedeverywhere

perpetualNon pollutingFree

Not reliable(cloudy, night)

nonrenewableNot expensiveNonpolluting air

Waste isradioactive

Uneven heating of Earth

perpetual

renewable

Advantages• Free!• Renewable• Available most

places

Disadvantages* Is burned, so produces greenhouse gases that pollute the atmosphere

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal

solar Sun (nuclear fusion)

nuclear Heat released whenatoms split/fused

wind Free energyNon polluting

Not always wind, not reliable

biomass Plant waste burned to release energy.

FreeEasily foundRenewable

Pollutes the air as it is burned.

coal

Heat from Earth’scenter renewable

No pollutionFree

Can’t be placedeverywhere

perpetualNon pollutingFree

Not reliable(cloudy, night)

nonrenewableNot expensiveNonpolluting air

Waste isradioactive

Uneven heating of Earth

perpetual

renewable

Coal – formed from plants that dies millions of years ago.

Coal is burned to heat water for steam to turn the turbines, to power the generator.

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal

solar Sun (nuclear fusion)

nuclear Heat released whenatoms split/fused

wind Free energyNon polluting

Not always wind, not reliable

biomass Plant waste burned to release energy.

FreeEasily foundRenewable

Pollutes the air as it is burned.

coal Plants from ancient times

Heat from Earth’scenter renewable

No pollutionFree

Can’t be placedeverywhere

perpetualNon pollutingFree

Not reliable(cloudy, night)

nonrenewableNot expensiveNonpolluting air

Waste isradioactive

Uneven heating of Earth

perpetual

renewable

nonrenewable

Advantages: * Price is relatively cheap * The US has a lot of it * Easy to find and remove from Earth.

Disadvantages:

* Pollutes the atmosphere with greenhouse gases because it is burned * Limited supply

Coal

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal

solar Sun (nuclear fusion)

nuclear Heat released whenatoms split/fused

wind Free energyNon polluting

Not always wind, not reliable

biomass Plant waste burned to release energy.

FreeEasily foundRenewable

Pollutes air with greenhouse gases when burned.

Coal and oil

Formed from ancient plants (coal) and animals

CheapLots of it in US

Pollutes airwhen burned

hydroelectric

Heat from Earth’scenter renewable

No pollutionFree

Can’t be placedeverywhere

perpetualNon pollutingFree

Not reliable(cloudy, night)

nonrenewableNot expensiveNonpolluting air

Waste isradioactive

Uneven heating of Earth

perpetual

renewable

nonrenewable

Hydroelectric

Dammed up water is released to spin turbines, which run the generator to produce electricity.

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal

solar Sun (nuclear fusion)

biomass Plant waste burned to release energy.

FreeEasily foundRenewable

Pollutes air with greenhouse gases when burned.

Coal and oil

Formed from ancient plants (coal) and animals

CheapLots of it in US

Pollutes airwhen burned

hydroelectric Dammed up water is released

Heat from Earth’scenter

No pollutionFree

Can’t be placedeverywhere

Not reliable(cloudy, night)

renewable

Once the dam is made, the energy is free.

No air pollution created

• Changes ecosystems as you must flood

an area when making the dam.

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal

solar Sun (nuclear fusion)

nuclear Heat released whenatoms split/fused

wind Free energyNon polluting

Not always wind, not reliable

hydroelectric

Dammed up water is released

Free waterNon polluting

Changeecosystems

Heat from Earth’scenter

renewable No pollutionFree

Can’t be placedeverywhere

perpetualNon pollutingFree

Not reliable(cloudy, night)

nonrenewableNot expensiveNonpolluting air

Waste isradioactive

Uneven heating of Earth

perpetual

renewable

Natural Resource

Description Renewable/Perpetual/ Nonrenewable

Advantages Disadvantages

geothermal

solar Sun (nuclear fusion)

nuclear Heat released whenatoms split/fused

wind Free energyNon polluting

Not always wind, not reliable

biomass Plant waste burned to release energy.

FreeEasily foundRenewable

Pollutes air with greenhouse gases when burned.

Coal and oil

Formed from ancient plants (coal) and animals

CheapLots of it in US

Pollutes airwhen burned

hydroelectric

Dammed up water is released

renewable Free waterNon polluting

Changeecosystems

Heat from Earth’scenter

renewable No pollutionFree

Can’t be placedeverywhere

perpetualNon pollutingFree

Not reliable(cloudy, night)

nonrenewableNot expensiveNonpolluting air

Waste isradioactive

Uneven heating of Earth

perpetual

renewable

nonrenewable