What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources

Last updated at Aug. 26, 2022 by

Renewable Energy Source	Non-Renewable Energy Source
Renewable Sources of Energy are those Sources of Energy which can be renewed naturally over time.	Non-Renewable Sources of Energy are those sources which are a vailable in limited quantity.
They are replaced by nature in a short period of time	They cannot be replaced by nature
They are inexhaustible.	They will exhaust one day
They do not cause any pollution	They cause pollution when used
Example - Solar Energy, Wind Energy	Example - Fossil Fuels, Nuclear Energy

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Class 10
Chapter 14 Class 10 - Sources of Energy

For class 10 students, Development is considered as an important chapter in Economics.

This article will highlight the key differences between Renewable resources and Non-renewable resources.

But, before proceeding further, I would like to make you familiar with the key terms used in this article.

Renewable resources: These resources are easily available on the surface of the earth and can be replenished naturally in the course of time.
Non-renewable resources: These resources are in a limited amount on the surface of the earth and can’t be replenished as it takes millions of years to develop.

I’ve decided to provide you with the key differences between renewable resources and Non-renewable resources and put them all in the tabular format.

Renewable Resources	Non-Renewable Resources
Renewable resources can’t be depleted over time i.e. it can be used and reused over and over again.	Non-Renewable resources can be depleted over time i.e. can never be restored once it get destroyed.
They are also called inexhaustible resources.	They are also called exhaustible resources.
They are replaced by nature in a short period of time.	These resources exist in very limited amount and require millions of years to replace itself.
They are sustainable and environmentally friendly.	They causes pollution and also releases carbon dioxide.
The rate at which resources get consumed does not affect its availability or restoring capacity.	These resources are renewed so slowly that the rate at which they are consumed is too fast.
The upfront cost of renewable energy is high. For example, generating electricity using technologies running on renewable energy is costlier than generating it with fossil fuels.	Non renewable energy has a comparatively lower upfront cost.
For example, wind, water, biomass, solar energy, etc.	For example, minerals, fossil fuels etc.

That’s it.

Final Words

That’s it.

All the important differences between Renewable resources and Non-renewable resources from Chapter 1 Development as per the NCERT class 10 are listed above in the table format.

If you have any related queries or suggestions, feel free to let me know in the comments right now.