Nonrenewable resources are those who are used faster than they can be replaced by natural resources. Fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, and uranium which is used in nuclear reactions, are both nonrenewable energy resources.

Renewable resources are those that can be replaced by natural resources in a relatively short amount of time. Solar energy is an example of a renewable energy resource

Coal, oil (petroleum), and natural gas are fossil fuels. They are nonrenewable resources because formed over millions of years. The fossil fuels used today formed from the remains of prehistoric organisms.

300 million years ago, plants, such as ferns and trees, grew in prehistoric swamps. The first step of coal formation occured when those plants died.
Bacteria, extreme temperatures, and pressure acted on the plant remains over time. Eventually, a brownish material, called peat, formed.

Oil and natural gas formed millions of years ago. Scientists theorize that oil and natural gas formed from the remains of microscopic marine organisms called plankton. The plankton died and fell onto the ocean floor. There, layers of sediments burried their remains. Bacteria decomposed the organic matter, and then pressure and extreme temperatures acted on the sediments.

Fossil fuels are relatively inexpensive and easy to transport