Course Learning

Energy is what helps things work or move. In the same way as your body needs the energy that it gets from food to be able to move and function, machines and devices need energy to be able to work'

There are different types of energy that we can use to power things around us.

There are two types of energy:

Non-renewable energy sources include coal, gas and oil. These are called fossil fuels and are burned to create energy, which has a negative impact on the environment. Most cars, trains and planes use non-renewable energy

Renewable energy includes solar, hydro and wind energy. It uses things that cannot run out and are found naturally all around us to create energy, such as sunlight, water and wind. These types of energy are better and safer for the environment

Imagine you have a jar of sweets. If you eat all the sweets but someone keeps adding more sweets to your jar, you'll never run out of treats. That's how renewable energy works – it's a never-ending supply of energy that we can keep using.

Renewable energy is a sustainable energy, meaning it can be replaced.

• One wind turbine can produce enough electricity to power up to 1500 homes.
• Oil is still the largest source of primary energy worldwide.
• Solar energy is almost 200 years old, with the first solar panel created in 1883 by Charles Fritts.
• Carbon makes up most of our fossil fuels, which are non-renewable.
• We generate up-to 78% of our energy from non-renewable sources.
• Wind power is the largest source of renewable energy in the UK
• Iceland gets more than 75% of its energy from low-carbon sources. Most of this is from hydropower with other renewables – mainly geothermal energy from heat deep inside the Earth.

In 2023 it was estimated that we had around 1.6 trillion barrels of oil left before it runs out. As it's a non-renewable fuel it will never replenish itself and will run out eventually.