Natural Energy and Material Resources

There are many natural energy sources on Earth. As you learned in our last lesson, the original source for all the natural energy sources on Earth is the Sun.

Deep within the Sun, a nuclear reaction is continually taking place, and because of that, hydrogen is constantly being turned into helium. This solar reaction creates excess energy. This energy is carried by convection to the surface of the Sun. From there, it is radiated out as sunlight to the Earth and other planets. As you know, different parts of Earth receive different amounts of sunlight. The resulting temperature and pressure differences cause our wind and weather.

Solar energy has been involved in the creation of all our natural energy resources. Energy resources are divided into two main categories: renewable and nonrenewable resources.