1. Is the Energy Source classified as non renewable, renewable or inexhaustible?

Fossil fuels are considered non renewable resources. These resources, while
found in abundance underground, are not replenished quickly enough to be
considered renewable. This means that, should we exhaust our supply of coal, we
will not see more coal form for millions of years.
2. How is the energy source made usable?
Most fossil fuels are heated to release energy. Some of these fuels, such as
coal are able to be burned for heat and energy in their raw form, with little to no
refining. Others such as oil and natural gas require a refining product to produce a
more efficient substance. An oil refinery uses heat to separate oil into multiple
different types of oils, fuels, and gasses each of which has its own specific purpose.

Figure 1: In this diagram, it can be seen how the crude oil, when heated, rises through the tower, and
the oil separates into various different products. Source: refiningreport.com

3. What are the infrastructure requirements for utilizing this energy source?

Fossil fuels form over many years, underground. Because of this, large
expensive equipment is required to extract the product. To get coal, for example,
expansive underground mines are needed so that the coal can be reached, and
extracted from the ground for use. Oil, on the other hand, is a liquid which requires
specialized equipment to be pumped from the ground. Oil rigs are often constructed
off of the shore of countries such as the U.S. to drill into the ground, then pump oil
out of the ground to a refinery. Over land, oil wells are common, especially in some
mountainous regions of Pennsylvania. Once oil is removed from the ground, it need
to be either shipped by boat, truck, or train to a refinery capable of turning it into
more useable forms, such as gasoline, kerosene, or propane. Oil-based gasoline is
used daily to create energy in consumer vehicles across the world. Natural gas is
extracted using piping which penetrates gas pockets deep in the earth's crust. The
gasses are able to be refined further after they are extracted so that they can be
used for power, or transportation. Natural gas is a much cleaner energy source than
coal, or oil, and is commonly used to fuel power grids.

4. What emerging technologies will make this energy source safer, more usable,
more efficient, cleaner... etc?
Fossil fuels are a very old source of energy. Over the years, companies and
industries altogether have tried to perfect their processes when it comes to the use,
and extraction of these valuable resources. Emerging technologies can help today
to improve this even more. For example, if someone is able to create a synthetic
type of coal or oil that consists of part real coal or oil, and part renewable synthetic
material, we can cut our coal or oil use in half. This would promote efficiency,
because there would be a slightly smaller demand for these resources, and the
displaced industry could be devoted to creating synthetics that can replace that,
and other non-renewable sources. Synthetics would have to possess the same
characteristics of the material they are being combined with/replacing. Therefore,
this would not necessarily promote safety as far as handling the fossil fuels. This
could reduce mining danger by creating a smaller demand for mined, or otherwise
extracted goods, and the people previously holding those jobs could be employed
elsewhere is new fields developed by advanced technology. Synthetics could also
help fossil fuels to give off less pollution when burned.

Resources:
http://www.eesi.org/topics/fossil-fuels/description
http://instituteforenergyresearch.org/topics/encyclopedia/fossil-fuels/
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter08.html

http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp/what-we-do/making-fuels-andproducts/how-refining-works.html
http://www.eia.gov/