ENERGY RESOURCES

By: Reba Ann Paul

 Wind

Geothermal
Resources are the producers
Renewable
of energy.
Renewable resources are Hydroelectricit
resources that can be y
generated again
Non- renewable resources
cannot be replaced Resources Solar Energy

Fossil Fuels
Non-
Renewable
Nuclear Power

Advantages
Clean Source of Power
The production of wind energy is
clean. Creating energy from the
wind doesntpollute the airor function at about 30% capacity or
require any destructive chemicals.
As a result, wind energy lessens air
pollution.
Rapid Growth and Huge Potential
Wind energy has seen enormous
growth in last decade. Wind energy
accounts for about 2.5% of the total
worldwide electricity production.
Wind turbines are available in
various sizes which means
businesses can take advantage of it
to produce power for them or sell it
to utility to reap some profits.
Wind
Energy
Disadvantages
Wind Reliability
Wind doesnt generally blow
reliably, and turbines usually
so. In the event that the weather is
not going to support you, you may
wind up without power Serious
storms or high winds may cause
harm to your wind turbine.
Expensive to Set Up
Wind turbines and other supplies
needed to make wind energy could
be extremely costly in advance, and
relying upon where you live, it
might be hard to find someone to
sell them to you and somebody who
can maintain it over time.

Advantages
Massive Potential
Worldwide energy consumption
about 15 terawatts (TW) is not
anywhere near the amount of
energy stored in earth.However,
most geothermal reservoirs are not
profitable and we can only utilize a
small portion of the total potential.
Realistic estimates for the potential
of geothermal power plants vary
between 0.035 to 2 TW.
Stable
Harnessing geothermal energy
does not involve any fuels, which
means less cost fluctuations and
stable electricity prices.
Geothermal Energy
Disadvantages
Environmental Issues
There is an abundance of
greenhouse gases below the
surface of the earth, some of which
moves towards the surface and
into the atmosphere. These
emissions tend to be higher near
geothermal power plants.
Geothermal power plants are
associated with sulfur dioxide and
silica emissions.
Expensive
There are heavy upfront costs
associated with both geothermal
power plants and geothermal
heating/cooling systems.

Advantages
Green
Generating electricity with hydro
energy is not polluting itself. The
only pollution occurs during the
construction of these massive
power plants.
Large source of energy
Hydroelectricity is the largest
source of energy for electricity
production. Example the
Akosombo Dam supplies about
1020 megawatts of electricity to
the entire country. There are
very little fluctuations due to
seasonal rainfall patterns. As long
as there is water in the reservoir,
electricity can be generated.
Hydroelectrici
ty Disadvantages
Droughts
Electricity generation and energy
prices are directly related to how
much water is available. A drought
could potentially affect this.
Displacement of inhabitants
Creation of hydro dams cause people
to relocate and struggle to adapt to a
new environment. Lives, properties,
Food crops and animals are lost.
It results in change in biological
diversity of living organisms in the
water bodies

Advantages
Abundant
The potential of solar energy is
beyond imagination.The surface
of the earth receives 120,000
terawatts of solar radiation
(sunlight) 20,000 times more
power than what is needed to
supply the entire world.
Available and renewable
Solar energy is available all over
the world.Not only the countries
that are closest to the Equator
can put solar energy to use
Germany, for example, has by far
the highest capacity of solar
power in the world.
Solar
Energy
Disadvantages
Weather Dependent
Although solar energy can still be
collected during cloudy and rainy
days, the efficiency of the solar
system drops. Solar panels are
dependent on sunlight to
effectively gather solar energy.
Therefore, a few cloudy, rainy days
can have a noticeable effect on the
energy system.
Energy Storage is Expensive
Energy storage systems such as
batteries will help smoothen out
demand and load, making solar
power more stable, but these
technologies are also expensive.

Advantages
Well Developed
The technology we use to harness
the energy in fossil fuels is well
developed.The main reason for this
is that fossil fuels have been used
to power our world for many
decades.
Extremely Efficient
Fossil fuels are extremely efficient.
This means that they can generate
huge amounts of energy, even if we
just use a small amount of, for
instance, oil or coal. Nothing else
norenewable energies, at least
even comes close to generating the
same amount of energy that fossil
fuels do.
Fossil Fuels
Disadvantages
Environmental Degradation
The main disadvantage of using
fossil fuels, of course, is
thepollutionthat they cause.
Carbon dioxide is released into the
air when fossil fuels are burned.
This has been directly linked
toglobal warming, making fossil
fuels very dangerous to the general
health of our planet.
Finite energy resource
We are spending our fossil fuel
reserves in a non-sustainable
manner. Luckily, this forces us to
think different when it comes to
energy, which results in the growth
of renewable and green sources of
energy.

Advantages
More Proficient Than Fossil Fuels
They have high energy density as
compared to fossil fuels. The
amount of fuel required by nuclear
power plant is comparatively less
than what is required by other
power plants as energy released by
nuclear fission is approximately ten
million times greater than the
amount of energy released by fossil
fuel atom.
Low Pollution:
It releases few greenhouse
emissions. It has been determined
that the amount of greenhouse
gases have decreased by almost
half because of the prevalence in
the utilization of nuclear power.
Nuclear energy has the least effect
on nature since it doesnt discharge
methane and carbon dioxide
Nuclear Power
Disadvantages
Uranium is Finite
Uranium is finite and exists in few
of the countries. It is pretty
expensive to mine, refine and
transport uranium. It produces
considerable amount of waste
during all these activities and can
result in environmental
contamination and serous health
effects, if not handled properly.
Nuclear Accidents
The radioactive waste produced
can pose serious health effects on
the lives of people as well as the
environment.
 Conclusion:

Hydroelectricity is considered to be the largest source of energy for

Ghana, very economical and efficient. It makes electricity accessible
to the rural folks. Its associated costs per customer or household is
very economical. It also provides a backbone to the functioning and
existence of industries that require electricity.
 References
ADB(African development bank).(2012)Renewable energy in africa
Web: https://www.afdb.org (accessed 21/08/2017)
Thank
You!