Fiducia TogetherRenewable and non-renewable energy
Where electricity comes from, and the trade-offs between the sources.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Non-renewable resources — coal, oil, gas, nuclear fuel — are finite. Renewables — wind, solar, hydroelectric, tidal, wave, geothermal, biomass — are replenished.
Where it applies
GCSE physics and combined science, and geography.
How it works
Each is compared on reliability, environmental impact, cost, and how quickly it can respond to demand.
Reliability is the key discriminator: wind and solar are intermittent; nuclear and hydroelectric are not; tidal is intermittent but predictable, which is a distinction worth making.
How to use it in your work
Compare on stated criteria rather than saying a source is 'better'.
Use the word intermittent, and note that tidal is predictable even though it varies.
Include the whole life cycle where you can — building a wind turbine has a carbon cost.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification and mark scheme.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The Physics Song The GCSE physics specification, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.