Coal, petroleum and natural gas are types of fossil fuels.
Wind turbines do not release emissions that can pollute the air or water (with rare exceptions), and they do not require water for cooling. Wind turbines may also reduce the amount of electricity generation from fossil fuels, which results in lower total air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions.
Alternative energy will never run out, meanwhile, fossil fuels will. While fossil fuels will run out in 50 years, renewable energy is here and will never run out. Ever. But fossil fuels are very easy to store, which unfortunately cannot be said of renewable energy sources.
Fossil energy sources, including oil, coal and natural gas, are non-renewable resources that formed when prehistoric plants and animals died and were gradually buried by layers of rock.
For example, a typical solar plant in the United States operates at only about 15 percent of full capacity and a wind plant only about 25 percent of full capacity, while a coal plant can operate 90 percent of full capacity on a year-round basis.
The terms "wind energy" and "wind power" both describe the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity. This mechanical power can be used for specific tasks (such as grinding grain or pumping water) or a generator can convert this mechanical power into electricity.
Wind power is one of the fastest-growing renewable energy technologies.
Nationally, financial analyst firm Lazard found in December 2016 unsubsidized wind projects costing between $32 and $62 per megawatt-hour while coal cost between $57 and $148 per megawatt-hour. Updated in 2021: Here's a chart of the cost of renewable energy per megawatt hour.
Wind power operates on average about 35% of rated capacity while coal power plants can operate near 90% of rated capacity. While a coal power plant's boiler might require eight hours or more to get up to maximum power production, electricity will be available when needed as compared to wind power.
Over millions of years, heat and pressure from Earth's crust decomposed these organisms into one of the three main kinds of fuel: oil (also called petroleum), natural gas, or coal. These fuels are called fossil fuels, since they are formed from the remains of dead animals and plants.
Nonrenewable energy resources include coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear energy. Once these resources are used up, they cannot be replaced, which is a major problem for humanity as we are currently dependent on them to supply most of our energy needs.
Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, coal products, natural gas, derived gas, crude oil, petroleum products and non-renewable wastes. These fuels originate from plants and animals that existed in the geological past (for example, millions of years ago).
The short answer: yes.
Unlike nonrenewable fossil fuels, wind power is widely distributed and inexhaustible. The cost of producing electricity from wind is much lower than that of producing it by using the nuclear fuel cycle and roughly equal to the cost of producing electricity by burning coal.
Since fossil fuels cannot be replenished by natural means at the same rate that it is consumed that's why they are known as non-renewable sources of energy.
Fossil fuels are made from decomposing plants and animals. These fuels are found in the Earth's crust and contain carbon and hydrogen, which can be burned for energy. Coal, oil, and natural gas are examples of fossil fuels.