Fossil Fuels: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

Fossil fuels are widely used in industry and for domestic purposes. They heat our buildings, allow us to travel, and provide us light. Although they have many advantages, these energies are extremely harmful to the planet and to our health. A major source of global warming and 8 million deaths in 2018, there is increasing interest in replacing these fuels with renewable energies. 

👉 What are the advantages and disadvantages of these energy resources? Which green energies can replace them?

Greenly takes stock.

What is fossil energy? 

To give you a sense of the scope of things, it takes several million years to complete the process of fossil fuel formation. 

Thus, there are different forms of non-renewable energy: liquid, fossil rock, gas or metal. They are extracted :

• by drilling (oil and natural gas);
• by direct extraction from the surface of the ground (peat);
• by digging in coal mines and open-cast mines (lignite).

Classified as a hydrocarbon, fossil energy is mainly composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms. In fact, the burning of this fuel releases large quantities of CO2, which is the cause of global warming. Once extracted, this raw material is transformed into energy, which is then used in various ways (heating, electricity, production, or transport). 

The first use of this resource dates back to antiquity. The combustion of fossil fuels was then used for heating and lighting. However, it wasn’t until the industrial revolution that it became massively exploited. Today, it represents 81% of the world's primary energy consumption.

Some examples of fossil fuels 

There are three main sources of fossil energy:  

• natural gas, extracted from natural deposits composed of methane. It is the third primary energy source in the world ;
• coal, which comes from plant debris and is found several kilometers underground. Its formation began more than 350 million years ago. It is the main source of electricity in the world;
• oil or "fossil fuel", which comes from marine organisms (mainly plankton). Known since ancient times, oil is now the world's primary source of energy. This fame is due to the drilling of the American Edwin L. Drake in 1859, which marks the birth of the oil industry. 

The advantages of fossil fuels

Fossil fuels are excellent energy sources and offer a particularly advantageous energy yield (especially for oil), all at a low cost. Moreover, their use and the technology required for their exploitation are perfectly mastered. Not to mention that their transport and storage are simple. 

The disadvantages of fossil fuels

Nevertheless, fossil fuels have many disadvantages, starting with their limited existence. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the consumption of energy resources was 15,025 Mtoe (million tons of oil equivalent) in the world in 2020, and could reach 17,387 Mtoe in 2035.

Based on our current use, the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2020 estimates that there is approximately :

• 139 years of coal reserves (about 1074 billion tons) ;
• 48.8 years of natural gas (188,100 billion tons) ;
• 53.5 years of oil (244.4 billion tons).‍

In addition, extraction, processing, transportation and combustion emit greenhouse gasses. On March 8, 2022, the International Energy Agency reported that fossil fuels were responsible for 36.3 billion tons of CO2 in 2021 - an all-time high. According to the latest IPCC report, in order to limit warming to +1.5°C, it is imperative to stop coal mining, and to reduce oil and gas use by 60% and 70% by 2050 compared to 2019 levels.

It's indisputable: at the present rate, fossil fuels do not allow the creation of a model for a sustainable society. 

In contrast, renewable energies (also called "green energies"), are inexhaustible and available throughout the planet. We find in particular:

• the wind for wind power ; 
• the sun for thermal and photovoltaic energy 
• terrestrial heat for geothermal energy 
• biomass for biodegradation;
• the force of water for hydroelectricity. ‍

These green alternatives are the best way to end our dependence on fossil fuels. Stable prices, less CO2 emissions, no polluting waste... In 2020, renewable energy represented 19.1% of gross final energy consumption. A figure that should double by 2030.

Nevertheless, this solution has a major disadvantage, since it operates intermittently. Dependent on nature and its uncertainties, renewable energy is not available at all times. This is why it is not yet able to completely replace fossil fuels, even if it does reduce their use.

A cause of global warming, the use of fossil fuels is responsible for 70% of CO2 emissions worldwide. This alone is a big deal, and not to mention the fact that they degrade the environment and participate in the destruction of ecosystems. For example, coal mining emits 3.5 tons of CO2 per ton of energy consumed.

The overexploitation of this type of energy is also the cause of many environmental disasters:

• resource extraction requires large amounts of water and contributes to deforestation;
• oil spills, caused by the sinking of oil rigs, pollute the oceans;
• acid rain destroys millions of hectares of forests (in Germany, Scandinavia and Poland) and is responsible for the acidification of many lakes. This acidity is the result of the fusion between both sulfur and nitrogen oxides, and also atmospheric water;
• atmospheric pollution caused by the combustion of oil and coal. This contact releases nitrogen, sulfur and carbon oxides, lead, soot and heavy minerals. According to a study published in 2018 by the scientific journal Environment research, researchers estimate that air pollution is responsible for 8 million deaths.

Moreover, the depletion of these resources has irreversible consequences on the environment. In particular, it leads to the extinction of animal and plant species, weakens ecosystems and impacts our economy.

What is the most polluting fossil fuel?

Nevertheless, it pollutes enormously throughout its life: 

• first, when it is extracted, since the mines are very polluting; 
• also, during its combustion in power plants. During this process, coal emits 1.5 times more CO2 than gas and 1.3 times more than oil.‍

For your information, the first two coal-fired power plants in Manhattan and London were built by Thomas Edison in 1882. Today, coal-fired power plants are mainly located in China, the United States and Germany. On a global scale, coal-fired power plants are responsible for 40% of our CO2 emissions.

What is the least polluting fossil fuel?

Conversely, natural gas is considered the least bad of the fossil fuels.

In fact, burning natural gas emits 25% less CO2 than oil and half as much as coal. To date, Russia accounts for 20% of world production. The United States, Canada and Qatar follow. In order to fight against our dependence on these countries, France still has 11 gas-fired power plants, meeting 7% of national needs. 

Hydraulic energy 

The leading source of clean electricity in France, hydraulic energy is produced thanks to the force of water. Hydraulic power plants thus generate energy thanks to waterfalls and the flow of rivers held back by dams. The higher the water pressure, the more energy it creates.

There are 2,000 installations in France (one of the main producers in Europe). In 2020, this energy represented 49% of the gross production of renewable electricity.

Wind energy

Wind turbines installed on land (onshore) or at sea (offshore) harness the kinetic energy of the wind and convert it into mechanical energy, then into green electricity. 

Solar energy

This third form of renewable energy is produced by the sun. The photovoltaic cells of solar panels capture the radiation from the sun and transform it into electricity. Thus, there are two types of solar energy:

• photovoltaic energy, produced via solar installations. Self-consumption has developed considerably in France since 2009, thanks to the drop in the price of panels;
• thermal energy, which experienced a sudden development in 2005, before slowing down in recent years.

Biomass energy

This non-intermittent energy is produced by the combustion or methanization of wood, plants and organic or agricultural waste. The water vapor emitted during this process thus engages a turbine, then the alternator that produces electricity. 

Geothermal energy

This energy requires drawing heat from beneath the earth's surface and is not dependent on weather conditions. There are three forms of geothermal energy:

• superficial, in which the extraction of heat (- 30 °C) is carried out at a depth of less than 200 meters ;
• low-temperature or low-energy, which extracts heat (between 30°C and 90°C) from water deposits, up to 2,000 meters deep;
• high temperature, which requires going to a depth of more than 1,500 meters to obtain fluids above 150°C.

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