What are our energy resources, and how do renewable and non-renewable sources compare?
Renewable and non-renewable energy resources; fossil fuels and nuclear power; renewable sources (solar, wind, hydro, wave, tidal, geothermal, biomass); and the advantages and disadvantages of each for sustainability.
An SQA National 5 Environmental Science answer on energy resources, covering the difference between renewable and non-renewable energy, fossil fuels and nuclear power, renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydro and biomass, and the advantages and disadvantages of each for sustainability.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to explain the difference between renewable and non-renewable energy resources, describe fossil fuels and nuclear power and the main renewable sources, and weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of each, including their impact on sustainability and the environment.
Renewable versus non-renewable
This distinction is central to sustainability: a supply built on finite resources cannot continue forever, so a sustainable system must shift towards renewables.
Non-renewable resources
Fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) formed from the remains of living organisms over millions of years.
- Advantages. They release a lot of energy, are currently relatively cheap, and provide a reliable supply that can be turned up on demand.
- Disadvantages. They are finite and will run out; burning them releases carbon dioxide, driving climate change, plus other pollutants (such as sulfur dioxide, which causes acid rain); and extracting them can damage the environment.
Nuclear power uses uranium as fuel.
- Advantages. It releases no carbon dioxide during generation and produces a very large amount of energy from a small amount of fuel.
- Disadvantages. It produces radioactive waste that stays dangerous for a very long time and is hard to store safely; there is a risk of serious accidents; and uranium itself is finite, so nuclear is non-renewable.
Renewable resources
Renewable sources are naturally replenished:
Solar. Energy from the Sun, captured by solar panels.
Wind. Wind turbines turned by moving air.
Hydro (hydroelectric). Falling or flowing water turning turbines, often using a dam.
Wave and tidal. Energy from the movement of the sea.
Geothermal. Heat from inside the Earth.
Biomass. Energy from burning plant material or waste, or from biofuels.
Advantages. They will not run out, and most release little or no carbon dioxide during generation, so they cause far less climate change and air pollution.
Disadvantages. Many are weather- or location-dependent and unreliable (solar needs sunlight, wind needs wind), so supply can be hard to guarantee; some need large areas of land or sea; building them can disturb habitats; and the initial cost can be high.
Comparing sources for sustainability
When a question asks you to evaluate, compare on three things: will it run out? (renewable or finite), does it release carbon dioxide and other pollution?, and is the supply reliable? A sustainable choice favours sources that will not run out and pollute least, while managing the reliability problem.
Examples in context
Example 1. Scotland and wind power. Scotland's windy climate makes onshore and offshore wind a major renewable resource. Wind farms generate large amounts of low-carbon electricity, but because output drops when the wind is calm, the grid still needs other sources to cover demand, illustrating the reliability trade-off of renewables.
Example 2. Nuclear waste storage. A nuclear station produces only a small volume of waste, but that waste remains radioactive and dangerous for thousands of years, so it must be sealed and stored securely for the very long term. This shows why low-carbon generation does not automatically make a source problem-free or sustainable.
Try this
Q1. State the difference between a renewable and a non-renewable energy resource. [1 mark]
- Cue. Renewable is naturally replaced as fast as it is used (will not run out); non-renewable is finite and used faster than it can be replaced.
Q2. Give one advantage and one disadvantage of generating electricity from solar power. [2 marks]
- Cue. Advantage: renewable and releases no carbon dioxide. Disadvantage: unreliable, since it only generates in daylight and is reduced by cloud.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA N5 style4 marksCompare a fossil fuel power station with a wind farm, giving two advantages of the wind farm and two disadvantages.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark compare answer needs two advantages and two disadvantages of the wind farm, so plan one mark per valid point.
Advantages of the wind farm: wind is a renewable resource that will not run out, unlike the finite fossil fuel; and generating with wind releases no carbon dioxide, so it does not add to climate change or cause air pollution, whereas burning fossil fuels does both.
Disadvantages of the wind farm: it is unreliable because it only generates when the wind blows, so it cannot guarantee supply on demand the way a fossil fuel station can; and wind farms need a large area, can be visually intrusive in the landscape, and can affect birds.
Markers reward valid comparative points. Each point should make the comparison clear (renewable versus finite, no carbon dioxide versus emissions, unreliable versus reliable).
SQA N5 style3 marksExplain why fossil fuels are described as non-renewable and why this matters for sustainability.Show worked answer →
This asks for the meaning of non-renewable plus the sustainability link, so plan a clear definition and the consequence.
Fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) formed from the remains of living things over millions of years. They are described as non-renewable because they are being used far faster than they can ever be replaced, so the supply is finite and will eventually run out.
This matters for sustainability because relying on a finite resource cannot continue indefinitely: future generations will not have it. Burning fossil fuels also releases carbon dioxide, driving climate change, and other pollutants. A sustainable energy supply needs renewable sources that will not run out and cause less environmental harm.
Markers reward defining non-renewable as finite and used faster than replaced, and linking this to the need for sustainable, renewable alternatives.
Related dot points
- Sustainable development and the ecological footprint; sustainable management of resources; balancing economic, social and environmental needs; and making and evaluating decisions about environmental issues.
An SQA National 5 Environmental Science answer on sustainable development and environmental management, covering the meaning of sustainable development, the ecological footprint, sustainable management of resources, balancing economic, social and environmental needs, and how to evaluate decisions about environmental issues.
- The composition of the atmosphere; the difference between weather and climate and how they are measured; the greenhouse effect and the enhanced greenhouse effect; and the causes and consequences of climate change.
An SQA National 5 Environmental Science answer on the atmosphere, weather and climate, covering the composition of the atmosphere, the difference between weather and climate and how they are measured, the natural and enhanced greenhouse effect, and the causes and consequences of climate change.
- Sustainable food production and land use; the environmental impacts of intensive farming; methods that make food production more sustainable; and the issue of feeding a growing population.
An SQA National 5 Environmental Science answer on sustainable food production, covering the environmental impacts of intensive farming, methods that make food production more sustainable such as crop rotation and organic farming, land use, and the challenge of feeding a growing population.
- Waste management and the waste hierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle); methods of disposal and their impacts (landfill, incineration); recycling and composting; and the problem of pollution from waste.
An SQA National 5 Environmental Science answer on waste management and recycling, covering the waste hierarchy of reduce, reuse and recycle, methods of disposal such as landfill and incineration and their impacts, composting, and the environmental problem of pollution from waste such as plastics.
- The four Earth systems (geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere) and how they interact; the global distribution of biomes and the climate factors that determine them.
An SQA National 5 Environmental Science answer on the Earth systems and biomes, covering the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere and how they interact, the global distribution of major biomes, and the climate factors that determine where each biome is found.