Which energy source is nonrenewable?

Which energy source is nonrenewable?

• A. Geothermal
• B. Solar
• C. Wind
• D. Coal

Answer: (D)

Understanding renewable versus nonrenewable energy sources helps explain why coal is the nonrenewable choice here. Nonrenewable resources form or accumulate so slowly that they cannot be replenished on human timescales; once they’re used, they’re gone for a very long time. Coal fits this because it forms from ancient plant material buried underground and transformed by heat and pressure over millions of years. The energy stored in coal is released when we burn it, and those coal deposits cannot be quickly replaced. In contrast, geothermal, solar, and wind rely on sources that are continually available: Earth's internal heat, sunlight, and atmospheric wind patterns. These are considered renewable because their supply is effectively endless for human use, or at least recharged far faster than we consume them.

Understanding renewable versus nonrenewable energy sources helps explain why coal is the nonrenewable choice here. Nonrenewable resources form or accumulate so slowly that they cannot be replenished on human timescales; once they’re used, they’re gone for a very long time. Coal fits this because it forms from ancient plant material buried underground and transformed by heat and pressure over millions of years. The energy stored in coal is released when we burn it, and those coal deposits cannot be quickly replaced.

In contrast, geothermal, solar, and wind rely on sources that are continually available: Earth's internal heat, sunlight, and atmospheric wind patterns. These are considered renewable because their supply is effectively endless for human use, or at least recharged far faster than we consume them.