Factors+that+influence+and+impact+the+availability+and+distribution+of+natural+Resources

 =__** Factors affecting the availability of Natural, Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources **__= = =


 * =__Nonrenewable Resources__=

**Availability and Benefits of Oil**
The top 5 oil producing countries are: 1) Saudi Arabia 2) Russia 3) United States 4) Iran 5) China The amount of oil in the United States has been diminishing over the past years and the amount of products that need oil to run has increased dramatically. This has made the need to import oil from other countries very important. Almost 60% of the nation's oil supply is imported from other countries. The price of oil has been steadily increasing over the past several years and people have been seeing the results of this when they pay at the pump for gasoline. People need petroleum everyday. It's used to power vehicles and airplanes. It's used to power utilities and heat homes. The need for oil will continue to grow until an alternative source is found.(NREL)

**Availability and Benefits of Natural Gas**
Natural gas supplies the nation with about 20% of the energy used. It's the cleanest burning and also the cheapest since almost all of the gas that is used is produced in the United States. It is mostly used to heat homes. It burns very cleanly and it has a lot of potential to grow in the near future.

**Availability and Benefits of Coal**
One Fourth of the world's coal reserves are found in the U.S and also supplies half of the electricity used by Americans. Coal is a powerhouse for energy in the United States. For this reason, the Department of Energy is trying to develop low cost and efficient methods. They are also working towards low emission factories. Since the U.S has one of the largest amounts of coal in the world, coal is used heavily in the United States.(U.S Department of Energy)

Availability and Benefits of Nuclear Energy
Nuclear energy is accounts for somewhere around 19% of the United State's total electricity used. Power plants are not common, although they release almost no air pollution or excess substances into the atmosphere.


 * =__Renewable Resources__=

**Benefits of Biomass Energy**
Burning these plant derived materials would greatly reduce the gas emissions and it would also reduce the dependence upon foreign oil. Since these materials can be easily produced, biomass fuel would be a great alternative for energy. With corn and grain being surplus crops in the U.S, biomass energy offers almost unlimited availability for use.

**Benefits of Geothermal Energy**
The hot steam that is released from the earth's surface can be directly used to heat and cool buildings or directly power a single unit. This source of energy is almost unlimited and it has not been used commercially in the past years.

**Benefits of Solar Energy**
With the variety of methods for harnessing the sun's energy, these applications can be used in both small and large scale units. A single home can place solar panels on the roof and use the energy to both heat and cool the home and power the utilities. Companies and large businesses can use solar energy on a much larger scale to power their buildings.

**Benefits of Wind Energy**
The old method of capturing wind energy was windmills. The newer technology has led to the production of wind turbines. The wind pushes and pulls the propeller to generate energy. The turbines are placed on high ground to generate the most power. The turbines can be used as either single or a field of turbines. A single turbine can power a utility and a whole field of turbines can be used to power homes. The turbines can be used to harness energy as long as there are strong enough winds!

**Benefits of Hydro-power**[[image:hoover_dam.jpg align="right" caption="Hoover Dam"]]
Hydro-power is generated by moving water turning the turbines in a generator to produce electricity. This is the most used method in the United States because it is very cheap, has no waste products, and does not pollute the environment. Building dams for this method is very popular. The Hoover Dam in Colorado is one of the largest producing hydro-power centers in the world.

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