Which one of the following is not a fossil fuel?

A. Coal

B. Oil

C. Peat

D. Electricity

The correct answer is Electricity.

Key Points

• Fossil fuels include coal, petroleum, peat, natural gas, oil shales, bitumens, tar sands, and heavy oils.
  • All contain carbon and were formed as a result of geologic processes acting on the remains of organic matter produced by photosynthesis, a process that began in the Archean Eon (4.0 billion to 2.5 billion years ago).
• Hence, option 1 is correct.

​Additional Information

• Fossil fuel power plants burn coal or oil to create heat which is in turn used to generate steam to drive turbines that generate electricity.
• In gas plants, hot gases drive a turbine to generate electricity, whereas a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant also uses a steam generator to increase the amount of electricity produced.
• In 2017, fossil fuels generated 64.5% of electricity worldwide.
• These plants generate electricity reliably over long periods of time and are generally cheap to build.
• However, burning carbon-based fuels produces large amounts of carbon dioxide, which drives climate change.
• These plants also produce other pollutants, such as oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, which cause acid rain.