| Energy of celestial body outside the Earth | Coal | Ancient plants buried underground formed solid flammable minerals mainly composed of carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen | Coal-fired power generation, coal for industrial boilers and domestic fuel, raw materials for metallurgy
and steelmaking, etc. | The proven reserves are 1.07×1012 t and the reserve-production ratio is 132. The output in 2020 was 77.42×108 t | Nonrenewable | Fossil energy |
| Oil | Creatures in ancient oceans or lakes experienced hypogene action to form a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons dominated by carbon and
hydrogen | Fuel oil, lubricating oil, plastics, synthetic rubber and raw materials for daily necessities, etc. | The proven reserves are 2444×108 t and the reserve-production ratio is 50. The output in 2020 was
41.7×108 t |
| Gas | Organisms in ancient oceans or lakes underwent diagenesis, hypogene action, epigenesis and metamorphism to form gaseous hydrocarbon mixtures dominated
by carbon and hydrogen | City gas, industrial fuel, natural gas power generation, natural gas chemical industry, natural gas transportation, etc. | The proven reserves are 188.1×
1012 m3 and the reserve-production ratio is 50. The output in 2020
was 3.85×1012 m3 |
| Solar | Solar radiation energy underwent photothermal, photoelectric and photochemical conversion to form thermal energy, electrical energy, chemical energy, etc. | Photovoltaic power generation, solar thermal power generation, solar heating, solar cooling, etc. | The available solar energy is 80×1012 kW. In 2020, the installed capacity was 7.14×108 kW and the photovoltaic power supply capacity was 855.7 TW·h | Renewable | Non-fossil energy |
| Wind | The difference in solar radiation energy causes the air pressure
difference, forming the kinetic
energy of air flow | Wind power generation, wind-assisted navigation, windmill water-lifting, etc. | The available wind energy is about 2×1012 kW. In 2020, the wind power generation capacity was 7.33×108 kW and the wind power supply
capacity was 1591.2 TW·h |
| Hydro | The difference in solar radiation energy causes the low-altitude water to evaporate and to fall and accumulate in high-altitude areas, forming hydraulic potential energy | Hydroelectric power
generation, waterwheel
irrigation, etc. | The available hydroenergy is (15-
20)×1012 kW. In 2020, the hydro-
power generation capacity was 13.32×108 kW and the hydropower supply capacity was 4296.8 TW·h |
| Biomass | With biomass as a medium,
solar energy is converted
into chemical energy | Direct burning of firewood, biogas, liquid biofuel, biomass gasification fuel, etc. | The available biomass is (1500-1750)×108 t, about 82.12×108 t oil equivalent. The installed capacity in 2020 was 1.27×108 kW |
| Earth energy | Atomic | Radioactive elements in the crust
is converted via nuclear fission or nuclear fusion into steam kinetic energy to generate electricity, etc. | Nuclear power generation, nuclear-powered vehicles, nuclear heating, nuclear medicine, nuclear
materials, etc. | The proven reserves of terrestrial uranium resources are (150-760)× 104 t. In 2020, the nuclear power generation capacity was 3.92×108 kW and the nuclear power supply capacity was 2700.1 TW·h. The proven reserves of seawater nuclear fusion resources are about 45×104 t | Nonrenewable |
Geo-
thermal | High-temperature lava
inside the core and plate
friction provide heat | Geothermal power
generation, geothermal heating, etc. | The proven reserves of available geothermal energy are 14.5×1022 kJ, with the installed capacity in 2020
of 0.14×108 kW | Renewable |
Energy of interaction
between the Earth
and other celestial
bodies | Tidal | Energy is generated by tides
due to gravitational changes
in the moon | Tidal power
generation, etc. | The available tidal energy is (27-
30)×108 kW, with the installed
capacity in 2020 of
52.70×104 kW. |