SCHOOL OF BIOPROCESS ENGINEERING

ERT 353 - ENERGY AND POWER IN BIOSYSTEMS

ASSIGNMENT 1
RENEWABLE VS NON-RENWABLE ENERGY

NAME

: TAY SEE YEE

MATRIC NUMBER

: 131192709

LECTURERS NAME

: Pn. RASHIDAH RUSLAN

DATE OF SUBMISSION

: 15 / 9 / 2015

Nowadays, energy consumption is rising rapidly due to industrialization and progress

in the standards of living. Fossil fuel such as natural gas, petroleum and coal which are
mentioned as the most important energy sources in the world are depleted day by day and
these non-renewable resources become rare soon. Therefore, there are many scientists are
exploring the potential renewable energy resource for the future.
Generally, renewable energy is considered as any energy resource that is available
naturally on a continuous basis or can be continually generated over a short period of time;
which may be on a daily basis, or over several days, or several years. The renewable energy
sources are derived directly from the sun (such as thermal, photochemical, and photoelectric),
indirectly from the sun (such as wind, hydropower, and photosynthetic energy stored in
biomass), or from other natural phenomena of the environment (such as geothermal and tidal
energy). Firstly, solar energy is known as photovoltaic system and it is estimated to be four
times the world fossil fuel resources in Malaysia. The climatic conditions are favourable for
the development of solar energy due to the abundant sunshine throughout the year. Besides,
solar energy has several advantages such as the absence of polluting agents, the possibility of
direct conversion into electric power, a practically unlimited duration as well as a global
quantity available far higher than human kinds energy needs. Next, wind energy means the
kinetic energy owned by air mass moving in the Earths atmosphere. The wind and its main
characteristics, namely intensity and direction, depend upon several factors acting at a local
and global scale which are solar radiation and its different intensity as well as the circulation
of winds. Then, biomass refers to any woody based material from plant that store energy
through photosynthesis. In fact, through photosynthesis, plants containing chlorophyll
convert water and CO2 into organic matter during their growth, that is to say they use solar
energy to create long chains mainly made up of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Biomass is
considered one of the renewable energy sources with the highest potential to contribute to the
energy needs of modern society for both the industrialized and developing countries. Lastly,
geothermal energy is the energy contained inside of the Earth in the form of heat. The origin
of this heat relates to the inner nature of our planet and to the physical processes taking place
in it.
While, a non-renewable energy source can be defined as a resource that is not
replaced on a continuous basis or is replaced only very slowly, but dependent completely on
natural processes. Fossil fuels that are considered non-renewable may continually be
produced by the decay of plant and animal matter, but the rate of their production is so slow

that they are not going to be replaced in the next hundred million years, therefore, should be
considered used up, not available to us again. The energy sources are considered nonrenewable which are oil (petroleum), coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy (uranium and
thorium). In general, each non-renewable energy source is indissolubly linked to an
environmental impact cycle, more or less critical and dangerous. Nuclear power is released,
in huge quantities, by reactions that determine transmutations of given elements. Nuclear
power can be exploited in two ways which is through the fission of the uranium atom or
fusion of two hydrogen atoms. Nuclear energy is a popular way of generating electricity
around the world. The disadvantage of nuclear energy is it will produce radioactive material.
Radioactive waste can be extremely toxic, causing burns and increasing the risk for cancers,
blood diseases, and bone decay among people who are exposed to it. Next, fossil fuels are a
valuable source of energy. They are relatively inexpensive to extract. However, burning fossil
fuels is harmful for the environment. When coal and oil are burned, they release particles that
can pollute the air, water, and land. Some of these particles are caught and set aside, but many
of them are released into the air. Burning fossil fuels also upsets Earths carbon budget,
which balances the carbon in the ocean, earth, and air. When fossil fuels are combusted, they
release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which causes greenhouse effect. Besides, the
carbon in fossil fuels has been sequestered, or stored, underground for millions of years. By
removing this sequestered carbon from the earth and releasing it into the atmosphere, Earths
carbon budget is out of balance. This contributes to temperatures rising faster than organisms
can adapt.
In conclusion, the non-renewable energy systems are ecologically problematic and
must be replaced by clean alternative energy systems. The life of fossil fuels is limited and
the policy to burn them for their heat should be replaced by programs to save or utilize them
towards achieving a sustainable development. Countries with abundant oil and gas reserves
should not only rely on these resources and with no further delay should adopt a
comprehensive mix energy policy and must plan for the development of all kind of
alternative sources of energy. In order to avoid future energy crises, a secured energy prospect
should clearly determine the short, medium and long term contributively share of each source
of energy both renewable and non-renewable.

References:
[1]

F. Orecchini and V. Naso, Energy Systems in the Era of Energy Vectors; A Key to
Define, Analyze and Design Energy Systems Beyond Fossil Fuels. NY: Springer,
2012. [E-book]. Available: Tunku Syed Faizuddin Putra Library Official Website,
http://mylibrary.unimap.edu.my/ [Accessed Sept, 12, 2015].

[2]

T. K. Ghosh and M. A. Prelas, Energy Resources and Systems; Volume 1:

Fundamental and Non-Renewable Resources. NY: Springer, 2009. [E-book].
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[3]

G. Destouni and H. Frank. (2010,June.). Renewable Energy. [Online]. pp. 20-21.

Available:

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Faizuddin Putra Library Official Website, http://mylibrary.unimap.edu.my/ [Accessed
Sept, 11, 2015].