Nonrenewable and Renewable Energy Resources | QUEST | KQED Science 13.03.2017, 6*13 p.m.

ENERGY (HTTPS://WW2.KQED.ORG/QUEST/COLLECTIONS/RENEWABLE-ENERGY-CAREERS/)

Nonrenewable and Renewable Energy Resources

By Andrea Aust (https://ww2.kqed.org/quest/author/andrea-swensrud/) ! (http://twitter.com/KQEDaust)
FEB. 13, 2014
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There are nine major areas of energy resources. They fall into two categories: nonrenewable and renewable. Nonrenewable
energy resources, like coal, nuclear, oil, and natural gas, are available in limited supplies. This is usually due to the long time it
takes for them to be replenished. Renewable resources are replenished naturally and over relatively short periods of time. The
five major renewable energy resources are solar, wind, water (hydro), biomass, and geothermal.

Since the dawn of humanity people have used renewable sources of energy to survive wood for cooking and heating, wind and
water for milling grain, and solar for lighting fires. A little more than 150 years ago people created the technology to extract
energy from the ancient fossilized remains of plants and animals. These super-rich but limited sources of energy (coal, oil, and
natural gas) quickly replaced wood, wind, solar, and water as the main sources of fuel.

Fossil fuels make up a large portion of todays energy market, although promising new renewable technologies are emerging.
Careers in both the renewable and nonrenewable energy industries are growing; however, there are differences between the two
sectors. They each have benefits and challenges, and relate to unique technologies that play a role in our current energy system.
For a range of reasons, from the limited amount of fossil fuels available to their effects on the environment, there is increased
interest in using renewable forms of energy and developing technologies to increase their efficiency. This growing industry calls
for a new workforce.

This infographic is part of our Energy (http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/collections/renewable-energy-careers/) collection.

Discussion Questions for Exploring Careers in Renewable Energy

What are some ways that humans used renewable resources for energy centuries or even millennia ago?
Research what kind(s) of renewable energy your state produces. Why is your state an optimal location for that form of
renewable energy?

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Nonrenewable and Renewable Energy Resources | QUEST | KQED Science 13.03.2017, 6*13 p.m.

Choose a renewable energy resource. Brainstorm three to five types of jobs in that field.
Research a new and innovative technology in each of the renewable energy categories. What are the benefits of the new
technologies? What are the risks? Which area (solar, wind, etc.) sounds the most exciting to you? Why?
Take a look at the pie chart of our national energy consumption by source in 2011
(http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/annual/perspectives.cfm). Which renewable do you think has the potential for the most
growth as a source of energy for the U.S.? Why? What factors are involved?

Links to Learn More

Energy Education and Workforce Development (http://www1.eere.energy.gov/education/index.html), U.S. Department of
Energy website The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy supports education and workforce development.
Find out about clean energy jobs, explore careers, and find internships in the renewable energy industry.
Renewable Energy (http://green360careers.net/category/renewable-energy/), Green 360 website Get an insider view from
people who work in the field of renewable energy. Hear about what a typical day is like for someone in the industry, learn
about up-and-coming careers, find opportunities to get involved, and more with this blog.
The United States of Energy (http://usofenergy.com/), Saxum infographics A series of infographics provides insight on our
countrys energy production and consumption of both renewable and nonrenewable energy sources.
PBS LearningMedia (http://pbslearningmedia.org/search/?q=renewable+energy) Find hundreds of digital media resources
about renewable energy for use in the classroom from public media stations across the country.

NGSS Correlations
Performance Expectation: Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources,
occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity. HS-ESS3-1
Disciplinary Core Idea: Resource availability has guided the development of human society. HS-ESS3.A: Natural Resources
Science & Engineering Practices: Constructing explanations and designing solutions

EXPLORE: ENERGY (HTTPS://WW2.KQED.ORG/QUEST/CATEGORY/ENERGY/), CAREERS

(HTTPS://WW2.KQED.ORG/QUEST/TAG/CAREERS/), ENERGY
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AUTHOR
ANDREA AUST
Andrea is the Senior Manager of Science Education for KQED. In addition to QUEST (http://ww2.kqed.org/quest/), she's had the
pleasure of coordinating education and outreach for the public television series Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures
(http://www.pbs.org/oceanadventures/) and the four-hour documentary Saving the Bay (http://www.savingthebay.org/). Andrea
graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Environmental Science and earned her M.A. in Teaching and Multiple Subject

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Nonrenewable and Renewable Energy Resources | QUEST | KQED Science 13.03.2017, 6*13 p.m.

Teaching Credential from the University of San Francisco. Prior to KQED, she taught, developed,
and managed marine science and environmental education programs in Aspen, Catalina Island
and the Bay Area. Follow her on Twitter at @KQEDaust (https://twitter.com/KQEDaust).

VIEW ALL POSTS BY THIS AUTHOR (https://ww2.kqed.org/quest/author/andrea-swensrud/)

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Nonrenewable and Renewable Energy Resources | QUEST | KQED Science 13.03.2017, 6*13 p.m.

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