Fossil fuel
Fossil fuels are types of non-renewable fuels formed by over millions of years by the anaerobic decomposition of organisms buried beneath or within soil and rock. They are considered to be non-renewable because the rate at which they are currently consumed is far in excess of the rate at which they are naturally replaced, and so they are being rapidly depleted.
Fossil fuels include:
Fossil fuels, contain energy that originated in photosynthesis. They can be burnt in air, or oxygen, to provide heat, which can be used directly, or converted into energy such as electricity. The Industrial Revolution drastically increased the consumption of fossil fuels to the contemporaneous point where levels are widely considered to be unsustainable, hence the drive for large-scale up-take of renewable energy sources.
Types of fossil fuel extraction, such as shale gas, have intensified the debate over whether or not modern and intensive methods should be employed for the further exploitation of non-renewable energy sources.
Burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide (and other pollutants) which is a greenhouse gas and so contributes to climate change.
NB Climate Emergency Design Guide: How new buildings can meet UK climate change targets, published by the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) in January 2020, defines a fossil fuel as: 'A natural fuel such as petroleum, coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms. The burning of fossil fuels by humans is the largest source of emissions of carbon dioxide, which is one of the greenhouse gases that allows radiative forcing and contributes to global warming.'
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Biomass.
- Carbon capture and storage.
- Coal usage for electricity generation to end by October 2024.
- Electric vehicles.
- Energy.
- Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
- Mains gas.
- Natural gas.
- Not a choice between renewables and nuclear - we need both.
- Oil - a global perspective.
- Peak oil.
- Phosphorescent building materials.
- Power generation.
- Renewable energy.
- Shale gas.
- Types of fuel.
- Wood pellet mill basics.
Featured articles and news
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.
Plumbing and heating for sustainability in new properties
Technical Engineer runs through changes in regulations, innovations in materials, and product systems.
Awareness of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
What CBAM is and what to do about it.
The new towns and strategic environmental assessments
12 locations of the New Towns Taskforce reduced to 7 within the new towns draft programme and open consultation.
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.
The Sustainability Pathfinder© Handbook
Built environment agency launches free Pathfinder© tool to help businesses progress sustainability strategies.
Government outcome to the late payment consultation, ECA reacts.
IHBC 2025 Gus Astley Student Award winners
Work on the role of hewing in UK historic conservation a win for Jack Parker of Oxford Brookes University.
Future Homes Building Standards and plug-in solar
Parts F and L amendments, the availability of solar panels and industry responses.
How later living housing can help solve the housing crisis
Unlocking homes, unlocking lives.
Preparing safety case reports for HRBs under the BSA
A new practical guide to preparing structural inputs for safety cases and safety case reports published by IStructE.
Male construction workers and prostate cancer
CIOB and Prostate Cancer UK encourage awareness of prostate cancer risks, and what to do about it.