Energy Resources
Energy Resources and their Uses in Producing Electricity Renewable energy is energy drawn from natural processes that are restored quicker than they are used up, some renewable energy resources are biomass, food, wind, waves, flowing water, solar and geothermal. The sun however, is known to be the ultimate energy resource since almost all energy resources originate from the sun’s energy. This is possible according to the law of conservation of energy which states that energy can’t be destroyed or formed but can be changed from one form to the other. The sun is the ultimate energy source for biomass, food, wind, waves and flowing water because: Plants and animals obtain their energy from the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is where light energy from the sun is converted into chemical energy. Plants are usually the organisms which do the photosynthesizing to produce food (energy) for themselves and the animals consume the plants and get food (energy) as well. Energy resources which obtain energy from plant and animal material such as fossil fuels; coal, gas, oil, biomass and food get their energy through this process. Due to the uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun, the cooler air mass is the cooler air mass is forced under the warmer air which rises; this is air flowing from high pressure to low pressure and since wind is simply air in motion wind is produced. Waves however are produced due to wind blowing over the ocean’s surface. Wind blows and friction causes the water on the surface to move at different speeds than the water below causing a rotating motion and undulations in the water known as waves. The water cycle is made up of combined processes which allow water to be continuously available on earth. Evaporation is a process in the water cycle in which the sun’s heat causes water to change state to water vapour after this the water returns to the earth’s surface after condensation and precipitation. Due to these