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Rounel Corpuz
Prof. Finn
English 115

Fossil Fuel vs. Renewable Energy

Without the sun, the Earth would be uninhabitable. The heat and energy that the Earth
consumes from the sun is where all of our energy comes from. As humans, we rely heavily on
the consumption of fossil fuels. These are sources of stored energy from the sun, they stem from
centuries ago and they represent a large portion of our energy today. Fossil fuels power 80% of
the worlds economy. Non-renewable resources - coal, oil, etc., resources that have a scarce
amount and cannot be replaced merely gives us 6% of total energy. This stems from the fact that
they cannot be restocked after use; leading to limited amounts of consumption. Renewable
resources - fusion, wood, Hydroelectric power, etc., however, offer a more prolonged duration of
use because they have the ability to restock themselves. Despite these seemingly different types
of resources, they each have their share of advantages and disadvantages. Oil and hydroelectric
powers are the most used resources in their selected groups. They each offer different uses and
possess not only advantages but also disadvantages.
Oil is the most used source for world energy. It is obtained from fossilized plants and
microorganisms that are compressed to a liquid and found in porous rocks. Oil is the source for
37% of the worlds energy. It is mostly used burnt directly in transport or to generate electricity.
The current price of an oil barrel is $45.89. This is a surprisingly low price considering how it
was 7 years ago. The consumption, however, has never been higher.

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Fig. 1. Graph illustrates the rising production of oil in the US throughout the years
In 2013, the US reached an all-time high in oil consumption reaching 557,000 barrels per
day. We are consuming more than we are producing and this can only lead to a problem in the
future. The reason why oil is the most used source of energy in the world is because it is one of
the most abundant energy resources.
In June, British Petroleum provided an intriguing update to its global oil reserves
estimates in the company's yearly review of energy statistics. It raised its reserve estimate by
1.1% to 1,687.9 billion barrels just enough oil to last the world 53.3 years at the current
production rates.
Two-thirds of oil reserves are in the Middle East. The majority of the rest is located in
Russia and the US. Another benefit of oil is that it is in liquid form, allowing for it to be easy to
transport and use. Other resources such as nuclear fission cannot be transported, foiling one of
the best aspects of oil. Along with that, oil has a high heating value enabling it to convert into
energy much easier. It has a high level of combustion meaning that it is much practical to obtain
energy from it. Once found, oil is very simple to mine. It is relatively inexpensive allowing for
high production rates with low costs. The grand luxury of oil is that it does not require new

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technology to use. Little money goes into research and development because it does not require
any sorts of innovation.
Just as there are advantages, there are many disadvantages concerning oil. The main
problem being that there is a limited supply of it. Oil will eventually run out in 50 years time
and this will cause a huge problem globally. With so many countries dependent on oil, humans as
a whole must discover an alternative source of energy that is just as efficient as oil. Coal is the
best alternative despite the difficulties in mining coal. Like coal, oil releases carbon dioxide
when burnt and this harms the environment in a negative way. Another disadvantage of oil is that
oil spills can occur when extracting it. This not only affects the waters in the ocean but it also
harms the ecosystem. These spills are detrimental to many sea creatures and can eventually result
in a large problem. Due to some oil pipelines being under water, many terrorists in an effort to
steal oil coordinate attacks towards the pipes. The countries spend money in providing for
security to ensure that this does not happen.

Hydroelectric power is energy that is obtained from the movement of water through
rivers, lakes and dams that power turbines and thus generating electricity (Rutherford, 2012).
They account for merely 3% of the world energy sources. This type of resource is said to be
renewable because there is an infinite supply. The flow of water through these locations are
never ending and thus allows for unlimited source of energy. It has a high quality energy output
compared with low quality energy input. Along with this, HEP creates water reserves as well as
energy supplies for humans to use in the future. The reservoirs used are for recreation, and
amenity.

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Hydroelectric power also contributes to the storage of drinking water. The reservoirs
collect rainwater that can later be used for irrigation or consumption. These power plants also do
not release dangerous gases or toxins. It does not produce a problem for the environment. It plays
a major role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The negative about this resource is that it is very expensive to build. Not only does it
require money, but it needs time and labor to be able to create a project as large as a
hydroelectric power plant. With a dam in place, it can cause flooding in surrounding areas and if
the dam were to ever break, it will cause a major flood in the community. It is a high risk, high
reward type of resource. The risk of it ever breaking can cause not only huge chaos but also
financial and social setbacks in nearby communities.
This resource may be costly, but it is very useful because of it being renewable. The
importance of this is crucial because it means that there is unlimited supply. The value this has is
undermined because eventually, when non-renewable resources have been used to it maximum
amount, we will need to use these as our main source of energy. Non-renewable resources are
much more efficient in providing energy. Oil, coal, and nuclear fission are faster and stronger in
producing energy. Yet, the downside of this is that this consumption will not last forever.
Eventually, the resource will diminish and we will have to adapt to not using the better resources.
Until we find a more efficient renewable resource, we must continue to primarily use the
non-renewable resources because they offer a better source of energy than renewable resources.

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Works Cited
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AuthorLastName, FirstName. Title of the Book Being Referenced. City Name: Name of
Publisher, Year. Type of Medium (e.g. Print).
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Works Cited
AuthorLastName, FirstName. Title of the Book Being Referenced. City Name: Name of
Publisher, Year. Type of Medium (e.g. Print).
LastName, First, Middle. "Article Title." Journal Title (Year): Pages From - To. Print.