Comparison of fossil fuels and renewables

The theme of fossil fuels and renewable energies is undoubtedly the most important theme on the agenda of any ecological party. The last decade has indeed seen the emergence of civil and political movements totally dedicated to this issue, and which call on governments to accelerate energy reforms, to tax polluting companies or to completely change the way electricity is generated for energy. make it less harmful to the environment. But one question remains: What kind of energy is truly the best for the environment and our wallet?

In this article, we will define fossil fuels and renewable energies, and subsequently explain the types of each energy and their industrial applications.

Fossil energy
Scientifically speaking, fossil energy is a term that refers to energy produced from rocks resulting from the decomposition (fossilization) of living creatures that have been dead for millions of years. Specifically, fossil energy today refers to coal, oil and natural gas.

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline

Fossil energy is a non-renewable energy, that is, it is supposed to be exhausted one day. Today, we estimate the fossil energy reserves ...

worldwide at 965 billion tonnes of oil equivalent (toe). At the current rate of production, these reserves will be exhausted at the dawn of the 22nd century.
Thus, the countries that are actively seeking to do without fossil fuels are the countries that have the least, and who know that their economy must evolve in order to no longer depend on these energies.

Fossil energy is also very polluting, and is suspected to be the cause of all the climatic disturbances that have occurred since the 1990s (tsunamis, storms, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, etc.).

The coal
Coal is the energy that has allowed many parts of the world to industrialize and create their modern economies. It is still the most used fossil fuel in countries like China, Poland or Australia.

Oil
Black gold is one of the pillars of the modern economy. Every country in the world, without exception, consumes in one form or another: industrial production, fuel for transport, electricity, etc.

Natural gas
Cleaner than oil or coal, natural gas is used primarily to generate electricity, as well as for domestic use (cooking, heating, hot water, etc.). Natural gas is today the most used energy in countries like Russia and Argentina.

Other types of unconventional fossil fuels exist, such as shale gas, tar sands, and so on.

Carbon emissions
Fossil Carbon Emissions Since 1800 - GNU Toony

Renewable energies
Renewable energy is a term for all non-exhaustible energy. The sun, the wind, and the sea are the main sources of renewable energy.

Aeolian Farm
Aeolian Farm, Estinnes Belgium - Creative Commons Diliff

The sun
The sun's radiation allows us to have two types of energy: thermal energy used for cooking and heating water, and photovoltaic energy for the generation of electricity.

The wind
Wind is the source of wind energy. This energy uses the movements of the air to turn turbines, which, in turn, will generate electricity.

The sea
The sea is the source of several types of hydraulic energies: wave energy, thermal energy of the seas, underwater currents, osmotic energy, etc. Hydraulic energies are mainly used to generate electricity.

Other sources of renewable energy exist, such as biomass and geothermal energy. The common factors among these sources are: cleanliness, respect for the environment, wide availability (almost all countries have some form of renewable energy), and high production costs.

Conclusion
It is clear that renewable energies are cleaner and safer for domestic and industrial consumption. However, several questions remain unanswered: what solutions can be considered to make the renewable more attractive in terms of price-quality ratio (or cleanliness-price)? Can we envisage an industrial fabric developed with 0 emission of greenhouse gases?

Renewable electricity generation
Fossil, Nuclear and Renewable Electricity Generation Worldwide - GNU Lery007

While waiting for concrete and practical answers, the fight between ecologists and industrialists continues. Both are lobbying politicians, and for the moment, industrialists, with their hold on the economies of developed countries, lead the battle.