Fossil fuels and solar energy

Fossil fuels have been a major driver of man’s progress during the past century. Imagine a world without fossil fuels: Fossil fuels currently power the world, and with 86% of our energy needs met with fossil fuels, we can’t deny that human population is entirely reliant on coal, oil, and gas to meet its energy appetite. Environmental damage caused by these fuels and their limited quantity makes them a very poor investment for humanity.

What are fossil fuels?

Fuels that have been formed from the fossilized remains of prehistoric plants and animals are called fossil fuels. Energy resources can be broadly classified as:

Renewable resources
Non-Renewable resources.
Renewable resources
These energy resources are naturally replenished and can be renewed again and again. Examples include Geothermal Energy, Hydropower, Solar energy, Wind Energy and Tidal Energy.

As their name suggests, non-renewables, cannot be renewed again if exhausted. Examples include coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear energy, petrochemicals and others. Fossil fuels fall under the umbrella of non-renewable energy resources and hence, cannot be reproduced if exhausted. Though they are present in large quantities, all over the earth, they are still limited in quantity and should, therefore, be consumed thoughtfully.

Fossil fuel – we’re consuming as if there’s no tomorrow 
 

Coal

Coal is a hard, black colored rock-like substance made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and a varying amount of sulfur. Coal contributes to around 35% of the total energy produced in the world.

Oil

Oil was formed from the remains of sea animals that died millions of years ago. Oil is made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms. Oil contributes to around 23% of the total energy produced in the world.

Natural Gas

Natural Gas was formed from the remains of sea animals that died many years ago; the gas formed was trapped in the rocks undersea. Natural Gas contributes to around 21% of the total energy produced in the world. From these statistics, it is evident that most of the present day energy demand is met by consuming fossil fuels. In fact, almost 86% of the global demand is met by fossil fuels; another 8% is met by nuclear energy and the remaining 6% is met by renewable sources of energy. Clearly, there are disadvantages associated with the usage of fossil fuels. A brief summary:

When fossil fuels are burnt in an excess amount they give rise to the emission of greenhouse gas (CO2). Greenhouse gasses make the earth absorb more heat and therefore increasing the earth`s temperature above normal. This effect is called the Greenhouse effect. With ocean drilling for oil, there are chances of oil spills which could affect the aquatic life in the ocean. There have been numerous occasions of spills in the recent history. Fossil fuels also give birth to pollution which not only affects humans but the aquatic life as well.

There has never been a better time to install a solar energy system!

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For more information relating to going solar, don't forget to visit our solar blog section for more handy guides and articles.