Renewable and Non-renewable Sources
Non-renewable
Renewable
Nuclear fuel
Fossil fuel
Tidal power
Hydroelectric power
Solar power
Wind power
Cost: Uses cheap fuel but building the nuclear power station is expensive
Advantage: It is one of the main energy sources on the planet. Examples of this are coal, oil and natural gases. It can be used to manufacture a variety of products
Disadvantage: Burning fossil fuels can release CO2 into the atmosphere. CO2 is a greenhouse gas and will therefore cause global warming
Supply and Demand: Power stations that run on fossil fuels can be started quickly but it does take many hours for it to generate electricity. Coal-fired takes longer than oil-fired
Supply and Demand:The actual process of starting a fission reaction takes a long time which means they can't meet variations in demand
Advantage:The reservoirs are built on mountains which means the water can flow down to the power station below it
Disadvantage: Building reservoirs can damage the nature and landscape of areas
Supply and Demand: They can quickly respond to changes in the nationals demand for electricity
Advantage: It produces clean energy
Disadvantage: Wind power can only be produced in places where there is a great majority of wind blown with energy. It also causes noise pollution and kills birds
Supply and Demand: It can't be relied on to produce electricity at anytime as it depends on the wind power and the direction of the wind
Cost: Lower than the cost of building nuclear power station as there is also no fuel involved
Advantage: It uses less energy than non-renewable sources. The matt black surface of the panels receives the maximum amount of the suns energy. Its more efficient than the photovoltaic cells
Disadvantage: You cannot depend on solar power as sometimes it is not sunny
Advantage: It only uses a small fraction of the continuous supply of gravitational energy
Disadvantage: Not many areas in the world are suitable to build dams for tidal power