Fossil Fuels versus Renewable Energy

Fossil Fuels versus Renewable Energy
Name
Institution

Scientific and Technical Concepts of Electricity Production
Electricity is produced from fossil fuels in a fossil fuel power plant. The fuels such oil, natural gas or coal are burned in the fossil fuel plant to generate steam which drives large turbines that produce electricity (Larcher & Tarascon, 2015). The turbines generate electricity by rotating coils in a magnetic field. The main renewable sources of electricity include geothermal energy, wave power, hydroelectric power and wind turbines. Hydroelectric power is produced by the use of the force of flowing water to rotate the electricity-producing turbines. Wind energy is produced through the use of the force of wind to turn electricity-producing turbines. Wave energy is drawn from the kinetic energy of waves by using it to turn electricity-producing turbines (Larcher & Tarascon, 2015). Electricity is produced from geothermal energy by using the heat energy from the earth’s crust to produce steam that turns electricity-producing turbines.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy Sources
The advantages of fossil fuels in electricity production include the capacity to generate large amounts of electricity in a single location, the cost-effectiveness of some like coal as well as the possibility of constructing fossil fuel power plants in any location (Abas, Kalair & Khan, 2015). They are however needed in large amounts and also contribute significantly to the pollution of the environment.

Renewable sources of energy, on the other hand, have the advantage of sustainability, minimum harm to the environment and less maintenance. They, however, have the disadvantages unreliable supply and low capacity of electricity generation (Abas et al., 2015).
Examples of the Uses of Both Energy Resources
Gasoline which is a fossil fuel is used daily to power automobiles and production of electricity from domestic power generators. Wind power is used to generate electricity for domestic use. Hydroelectric power, another renewable source of energy is used in producing electricity for both domestic and industrial use.
References
Abas, N., Kalair, A., & Khan, N. (2015). Review of fossil fuels and future energy technologies. Futures, 69, 31-49.
Larcher, D., & Tarascon, J. M. (2015). Towards greener and more sustainable batteries for electrical energy storage. Nature chemistry, 7(1), 19.