Skip to content

Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Energy Flow

Run the Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Energy Flow MicroSim Fullscreen

About This MicroSim

This interactive network diagram illustrates how all human energy sources trace back to just a few fundamental origins -- the Sun, Earth's interior heat, and nuclear reactions. The diagram is organized into two clusters: renewable sources on the left (solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass, and geothermal) and nonrenewable sources on the right (coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear).

A key insight this visualization reveals is that "renewable" versus "nonrenewable" describes the rate of replenishment, not the ultimate source of energy. Solar, wind, hydro, and biomass are all ultimately powered by the Sun, but they are replenished continuously. Fossil fuels are also derived from ancient solar energy stored in organic matter millions of years ago, but their stocks are finite on human timescales.

Both clusters connect to a central "Human Energy Use" node at the bottom, reinforcing that all these diverse pathways ultimately serve the same purpose. Edges are labeled with energy transformation types, helping students trace each conversion step.

How to Use

  1. Examine the two clusters -- renewable sources on the left in green tones, nonrenewable on the right in amber/brown tones.
  2. Trace pathways from the Sun node to each renewable energy type and note the transformation at each step.
  3. Compare the "Ancient Sun" node to the current Sun node -- both represent solar energy, but on vastly different timescales.
  4. Follow all paths to the central "Human Energy Use" node at the bottom.
  5. Read edge labels to understand the energy transformation at each connection.
  6. Click and drag nodes to rearrange the layout for a clearer view of specific pathways.

Iframe Embed Code

You can add this MicroSim to any web page by adding this to your HTML:

1
2
3
4
<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/ecology/sims/energy-flow-comparison/main.html"
        height="660px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Grade Level

9-12 (High School Environmental Science)

Duration

35 minutes

Learning Objectives

  1. Compare renewable and nonrenewable energy pathways from source to end use.
  2. Explain that "renewable" and "nonrenewable" describe replenishment rate, not the fundamental energy source.
  3. Trace energy transformations from original source through to human use.

Prerequisites

  • Basic understanding of energy forms (kinetic, thermal, chemical, radiant)
  • Awareness of common energy sources used by humans

Standards Alignment

  • NGSS HS-ESS3-2: Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy resources.
  • NGSS HS-PS3-1: Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the energy of the other components is known.

Activities

  1. Engage (5 min): Ask students: "Where does the energy in a piece of coal originally come from?" Guide them toward the realization that coal is ancient stored solar energy. Introduce the diagram.

  2. Explore (10 min): Students trace each pathway in the diagram and complete a table listing: Energy Source, Original Source (Sun/Earth Interior/Uranium), Number of Transformation Steps, and Renewable or Nonrenewable.

  3. Explain (10 min): Class discussion on the meaning of "renewable" -- it is about the rate of replenishment, not whether the source will literally last forever. Discuss why biomass is considered renewable (regrows in years) while coal is not (takes millions of years to form).

  4. Extend (10 min): Students draw their own energy pathway diagram for their home, tracing electricity from the power plant back to its original source, including all transformation steps.

Assessment Questions

  1. In what way are fossil fuels actually a form of solar energy?
  2. Why is geothermal energy connected to "Earth's Interior" rather than the Sun?
  3. If both wind and coal ultimately come from the Sun, why is wind considered renewable and coal is not?

References

  1. Smil, V. (2017). Energy and Civilization: A History. MIT Press.
  2. U.S. Energy Information Administration. "Energy Explained." https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/
  3. Tester, J. W. et al. (2012). Sustainable Energy: Choosing Among Options. MIT Press.