Advantages and Disadvantages of Non-Renewable Energy
Non-renewable energy sources like oil and coal pack a serious punch when it comes to power output. They give us loads more energy compared to things like solar panels or wind turbines, which is why we've relied on them for so long.
These energy sources are also brilliant for storage - you can stockpile coal or oil for ages without worrying about it going off. Plus, they're dead cheap to buy, which explains why your parents might choose petrol cars over electric ones.
But here's where things get dodgy. Fossil fuels are proper time-consuming to extract and process. Worse still, when we burn coal, oil, and natural gas, they pump out carbon dioxide and other nasty gases that mess with our lungs and damage the ozone layer.
Think About It: Every time you see a power station's chimney smoking, that's carbon dioxide heading straight into our atmosphere.
The biggest headache is that power stations need absolutely massive amounts of fuel delivered by lorry loads, making electricity generation expensive. All that air pollution also causes serious health problems like asthma and lung disease.