GCSE · Geography · AQA · Spec 8035

Renewable and non-renewable energy sources

Is biomass renewable? Is nuclear power? Plenty of people get one of those wrong, not from knowing too little, but from using the wrong test. Let's fix the test.

Sort it yourself

Which side of the line?

Here's the test: does the source come from natural processes that are constantly renewed, so it never runs out? Yes means renewable. No means non-renewable. Pick a source, then pick its group. Go with your gut; each one tells you why.

Still to sort

Renewable (0)

Passes the test: constantly renewed, so it never runs out.

Where the line is: Biomass belongs here. It's the renewable source that's easiest to put on the wrong side.

Non-renewable (0)

Fails the test: not constantly renewed by natural processes.

Where the line is: Nuclear power belongs here too. This group is not just the fossil fuels.

11 of 11 still to sort.

Check your definition

What does 'renewable' really mean?

You've just used the test. But it's very easy to walk in with a different meaning of 'renewable' already in your head, and that meaning quietly moves sources into the wrong group.

Be honest: before today, which of these was closest to what 'renewable' meant to you?

Renewable means clean: energy that doesn't pollute.Renewable means it can be recycled or used again.Renewable means it comes from natural processes that are constantly renewed, so it never runs out.

How sure are you?

I'm sureI think soI'm guessing

Renewable means clean: energy that doesn't pollute.

This is a common misconception

That's a really common way to hear the word, but it isn't what it means. How clean a source is doesn't decide its group. Only one question does: does it come from natural processes that are constantly renewed, so it never runs out?

Renewable means it can be recycled or used again.

This is a common misconception

Similar-sounding word, completely different idea. Recycling is about using something again. Renewable is about the source itself being constantly renewed by natural processes. And there's no third 'recyclable' group: every source is either renewable or non-renewable.

Renewable means it comes from natural processes that are constantly renewed, so it never runs out.

This matches the evidence

Spot on. That's the whole definition, and it's the only test you need. Notice what it leaves out: nothing about being clean, and nothing about recycling.

Renewable: comes from natural processes that are constantly renewed, so it never runs out. Not 'clean'. Not 'recyclable'. Just that.

Groups inside groups

Where do fossil fuels fit?

For each source, tick every circle it belongs in: one, both, or neither. The real question: is 'non-renewable' just another name for 'fossil fuel'?

A Non-renewable
B Fossil fuel

Coal
Nuclear power
Biomass
Oil
Wind
Gas

Now write it

Put it in your own words

Outline two different strategies that could be used to increase energy supply. Give an example for each. [4 marks]

Your answer

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

The mark scheme

Names using renewable energy sources as one strategy. (1 mark)
Gives a correct renewable example: biomass, wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, wave or solar. (1 mark)
Names using non-renewable energy sources as a second strategy. (1 mark)
Gives a correct non-renewable example: coal, oil, gas or nuclear power. (1 mark)

Model answer

One strategy is to use more renewable energy, for example wind or tidal power. These come from natural processes that are constantly renewed, so they never run out. A second strategy is to use more non-renewable energy, for example gas (a fossil fuel) or nuclear power.

Check your examples before you finish: biomass goes with the renewables, and nuclear power goes with the non-renewables.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

Eleven energy sources, two groups, and one question that sorts every one of them.

What you need to know

One question decides every source: is it constantly renewed by natural processes, so it never runs out?
Biomass is renewable.
Nuclear power is non-renewable, even though it isn't a fossil fuel.
There are only two groups. 'Recyclable' isn't one of them.

The big picture

Energy sources split into two groups. Renewable sources (biomass, wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, wave and solar) come from natural processes that are constantly renewed, so they never run out. Non-renewable sources are the fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) and nuclear power. Using either kind is a strategy to increase energy supply.

Key points

1Renewable energy comes from natural processes that are constantly renewed, so it never runs out.

2The seven renewable sources: biomass, wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, wave and solar.

3The non-renewable sources: fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) and nuclear power.

4Using renewable sources and using non-renewable sources are both strategies to increase energy supply.

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Worked example

Problem

A student writes: 'Non-renewable energy comes from fossil fuels: coal, oil and gas. Biomass is recyclable, so it goes in a third group.' Find the two mistakes and fix them.

⚠ Watch out

Treating 'non-renewable' as another name for 'fossil fuels'. That leaves nuclear power with nowhere to go, so it gets pushed into the renewable group or a made-up third one. Non-renewable means the fossil fuels AND nuclear power.

🧠

Memory hook

Seven renewables: 'Big Whales Hunt Tiny Green Wriggly Shrimp', which stands for Biomass, Wind, Hydro, Tidal, Geothermal, Wave, Solar. The other four sources in this lesson (coal, oil, gas and nuclear power) go the other way.

✓

Check yourself

Cover the page. Can you name all seven renewable sources and all four non-renewable ones, then say in one sentence the test that decides which group a source goes in?

Flashcards

(8)

What does renewable energy come from?

Natural processes that are constantly renewed, so it never runs out.

Name the seven renewable energy sources.

Biomass, wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, wave and solar.

Which three fuels are the fossil fuels?

Coal, oil and gas.

Is biomass renewable or non-renewable?

Renewable. It's an easy one to put on the wrong side.

Is nuclear power a fossil fuel?

No. But it is still non-renewable.

Does 'renewable' mean the same as 'recyclable'?

No. Recycling means using something again. There's no 'recyclable' group; every source is renewable or non-renewable.

A source is clean. Does that make it renewable?

Not on its own. Being clean doesn't decide the group; the renewal test does.

What are renewable and non-renewable sources both ways of doing?

Increasing energy supply. Each is a different strategy.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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Which side of the line?

What does 'renewable' really mean?

Where do fossil fuels fit?

Put it in your own words

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