Renewable v. Nonrenewable Energy

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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Energy sources used for fuel and power, such as fossil fuels, solar, water, and wind, have become essential to life in the 21^st Century.

Although energy powers homes, businesses, and automobiles, not all energy sources are the same.

Renewable energy consists of energy sources that can be created over a relatively short period, and the source can be replenished, meaning there is always a way to produce more energy from this same source.

Examples of renewable energy include solar, wind, water, and geothermal energy as well as energy that is produced from biofuels.

Read this Guide to Renewable and Alternative Energy to learn more about each of these energy sources.

Nonrenewable energy is energy that cannot be created. Nonrenewable energy sources take a long time to form, and once they have been used, they are gone forever.

Examples of nonrenewable energy include fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, and natural gas) and nuclear power.

To learn more read about Nonrenewable energy.

• What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable energy?
• Which form of energy do you think humans use most often?
• Why would finding more renewable energy sources be important?

Think about what types of energy you use every day.

It is important to find more forms of renewable energy because most humans currently use nonrenewable energy sources to power everyday items, such as automobiles.

• What would happen if the world were to run out of nonrenewable energy sources, such as petroleum?

Continue to the Got It? section to see if you can tell the difference between renewable and nonrenewable energy sources!