<<–2/”>a >h1 class=”csF0A1A80B”>Sources of Energy: Conventional and Nonconventional Sources –
Energy is one of the most important component of economic Infrastructure-2/”>INFRASTRUCTURE.
It is the basic input required to sustain economic Growth. There is direct relation between the level of Economic Development and per capita energy consumption.
Simply speaking more developed a country, higher is the per capita consumption of energy and vice-versa. India’s per capita consumption of energy is only one eighth of global Average. This indicates that our country has low rate of per capita consumption of energy as compared to developed countries.
Two Main Sources of Energy:
The sources of energy are of following types:
(A) Conventional Energy Sources:
The energy sources which cannot be compensated, once these are used (after their exploitation) are termed as conventional energy sources.
Some important conventional energy sources are discussed below:
1. Coal:
Coal is a major conventional energy sources. It was formed from the remains of the trees and ferns grew in swamps around 500 millions year ago. The bacterial and chemical decomposition of such plant debris (which remained buried under water or clay) produced an intermediate product known as peat which is mainly cellulose (C6H10O5)n. Due to progressive decomposition by heat and pressure, the cellulose lost moisture H2 and Oz and got converted in to coal as per the given equation
The average formula of coal is (C3/H4/)n. Out of the 6000 billion tons coal stocks under earth crust, 200 tons have been exploited the present Society. The coal reserves are found in the states like Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, M.P. and A.P. Some important coal fields are : Talcher, Raniganj, Jharia, Bokaro, Panch Konkam, Signoulli, Chanda etc.
2. Petroleum and natural gases:
Petroleum is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons, mostly alkanes and cycloalkanes. It occurs below the earth crust entrapped under rocky strata. In its crude form, the viscous black liquid is known as petroleum and a gas in contact with petroleum layer which flows naturally from oil wells is termed as natural gases. The composition of natural gas is a mixture of mainly methane, (95.0%), small amounts of ethane, propane and butane (3.6%) and traces of CO2 (0.48%) and N2 (1.92%).
A liquid mixture of propane and butane can be obtained from natural gas or refinery gases at room temperature under a pressure of 3-5 Atmosphere. This is stored and distributed in 40-100 litre capacity steel cylinders.
The crude petroleum after being refined and purified, are available as petrol, diesel, kerosene, lubricating oil, plastic etc. for commercial and domestic use. In India, the oil deposits, are found at Ganga-Brahmaputra Valley, Bombay high, plains of Gujarat, Thar desert of Rajasthan and area around Andaman Nicobar islands.
On the world basis, petroleum deposits are found at Saudi Arab, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, USA, Mexico, Russia etc. As per the current survey, it is found that world petroleum deposits are diminishing at a very faster rate. If preventive steps are not taken, the existing petroleum will be available maximum up to 40 years.
3. Fuel woods:
The rural peoples require fuel wood or fire Wood for their day to day cooking which are obtained from natural forests and plantations. Due to rapid deforestation, the availability of fire wood or fuel wood becomes difficult. This problem can be avoided by massive afforestation (plantation) on degraded forest land, culturable waste land, barren land grazing land etc.
4. Hydropower:
Energy obtainable from water flow or water falling from a higher potential to lower potential, is known is hydro- power. It is a conventional and renewable form of energy which can be transmitted to long distance through cables and wires.
In India, hydroelectric power is generated by a number of multipurpose river valley projects e.g. Hydro-power project Hirakud, Bhakra Mangal project, Narmada valley project, Nagarjun Sagar project, Sardar Sarovar project etc.
5. Nuclear Energy:
A small amount of radioactive substance (U235) can produce a lot of energy through the process of nuclear fission. For example, one ton of uranium can provide energy which is much higher than three million tons of coal or 12 million barrels of oil. In order to obtain nuclear energy, Nuclear Reactors are required. There are around 300 nuclear reactors all over the world. India has only four nuclear power stations (reactors).
The nuclear energy can be used in production of electrical energy, as a fuel for marine vessel and space crafts and for the generation of heat in chemical processing Plants. In India, Uranium deposits are found at different parts of Rajasthan and Singhbum of Jharkhand.
Thorium is recovered from monazite sand found in the state of Kerala. Due to the higher energy releasing tendency of these radioactive substances, these can be used in nuclear reactors to release Energy Crisis. But the radioactive substances are exhaustible and can be used to develop nuclear weapons of mass destruction. In addition, dumping or radioactive wastes cause serious environmental hazards.
(B) Non conventional energy sources:
The conventional energy sources discussed above are exhaustible and in some cases, installation of plants to get energy is highly expensive. In order to meet the energy demand of increased Population, the scientists developed alternate nonconventional natural Resources sources of energy which should be renewable and provide a pollution free Environment.
Some nonconventional, renewable and inexpensive energy sources are described below:
1. Solar Energy:
Solar energy, a primary energy source, is non-polluting and inexhaustible.
There are three methods to harness solar energy:
(i) Converting solar energy directly into electrical energy in solar power stations using photo cells or photovoltaic cells or silicon solar cell.
(ii) Using photosynthetic and biological process for energy trapping. In the process of Photosynthesis, green plants absorb solar energy and convert it into chemical energy, stored in the form of carbohydrate.
(iii) Converting solar energy in to thermal energy by suitable devices which may be subsequently converted into mechanical, chemical or electrical energy.
Since solar energy is non-ending and its conversion to some other energy form is nonpolluting, attention should be paid for the maximum utilization of solar energy.
2. Wind Energy:
Wind is air in motion. The movement of air takes place due to the convection current set out in the atmosphere which is again due to heating of earth’s surface by solar radiation, ROTATION OF EARTH etc. The movement of air occurs both horizontally and vertically.
The average annual wind density is 3 kW/m2/day along costal lines of Gujarat, western ghat central parts of India which may show a seasonal variation (i.e., in winter it may go up to 10kW/m2/day).]
Since wind has a tremendous amount of energy, its energy can be converted into mechanical or electrical energy using suitable devices, now days, wind energy s converted in to electrical energy which is subsequently used for pumping water, grinding of corns etc. As per available data dearly 20,000 mW of electricity can be generated from wind. In Puri, wind farms are set up which can generate 550 kW of electricity.
3. Tidal energy:
The energy associated with the tides of the Ocean can be converted in to electrical energy. France constructed the first tidal power plant in 1966. India could take up Ocean Thermal Energy conversion (OTEC) and by the process it will be capable of generating 50,000 mW of electricity, to meet the power requirements of remote oceanic islands and coastal towns. The Netherlands is famous for windmills. In India, Gujarat and Tamil nadu have windmills. The largest Wind farm has been set at Kanyakumari which generates 380 mW of electricity.
4. Geothermal Energy:
The geothermal energy may be defined as the heat energy obtainable from hot rocks present inside the earth crust. At the deeper region of earth crust, the solid rock gets melted in to magma, due to very high temperature. The magma layer is pushed up due to some geological changes and get concentrated below the earth crust. The places of hot magma concentration at fairly less depth are known as hot spots.
These hot spots are known as sources of geothermal energy. Now a days, efforts are being made to use this energy for generating power and creating refrigeration etc. There are a quite few number of methods of harnessing geothermal energy. Different sites of geothermal energy generation are Puga (Ladakh), Tattapani (Suraguja, M.P.), Cambay Basin (Alkananda Valley, Uttaranchal).
5. Bio-mass based energy:
The organic matters originated from living organisms (plants and animals) like wood, cattle dung, sewage, agricultural wastes etc. are called as Biomass/”>Biomass. These substances can be burnt to produce heat energy which can be used in the generation of electricity. Thus, the energy produced from the biomass is known as biomass energy.
There are three forms of biomass:
(i) Biomass in traditional form:
Energy is released by direct burning of biomass (e.g. wood, agricultural residue etc.)
(ii) Biomass in nontraditional form:
The biomass may be converted in to some other form of fuel which can release energy. For example carbohydrate can be converted into methanol or ethanol which may be used as a liquid fuel.
(iii) Biomass for domestic use:
When organic matters like cow dung, agricultural wastes, human excreta etc. subjected to bacterial decomposition in presence of water in absence of air, a mixture of CH4, C02, H2, H2S etc. is produced. These gases together is known as biogas. The residue left after the removal of biogas is a good source of manure and biogas is used as a good source of non-polluting fuel.
6. Biogas:
Biogas is an important Source Of Energy to meet energy, requirements of rural area. As per given data, around 22,420-million m3 of gas can be produced from the large amount of cow dungs obtained in rural areas in a year. The gas is generated by the action of bacteria on cow dung in absence of air (Oxygen). There are two types of biogas plants namely. Fixed done type and floating gas holder type .
These plants are commonly known as Gobar gas plants because the usual raw material is cow dung (Gobar). The methodology involves in the process is to prepare a slurry of cow dung with water. Sometimes form waters can also be added to the slurry.
The slurry is subjected to bacterial decomposition at 35 .C. There are about 330, 00 biogas plants in India. All India dung production is about 11.30 kg per cattle and 11.60 kg per buffalo with about 67.10 m3 of gas per ton of wet dung.
7. Petro plants:
In order to release the pressure on mineral oils (a nonrenewable resource), the scientists have discovered some potential plant species from which liquid hydrocarbons can be extracted. The liquid hydrocarbons present in such plants can be converted in to petroleum.
Such plants are known as petro plants which belong to families Apocynaceae, Ascalepiadaceae, Euphrobiaceae; Convolvulaceae and Spontaceae. Still research is on to increase the biomass of the petro plants and effective method of converting their hydrocarbons in petroleum.
8. Dendrothermal energy (Energy plantation):
Due to rapid deforestation and overgrazing, a number of denuded wastelands are formed. On these wastelands, fast growing trees and shrubs may be planted which will provide fuel wood, charcoal, fodder, etc. Through gasification, these plants can produce a lot of energy-
9. Baggasse-based plants:
Bagggasse is generated as a waste product in sugar mills. This can be utilised to produce electrical energy. As per available data, the sugar mills in India can generate about 2000 mW surplus electricity during crushing season.
10. Energy from urban waste:
Sewage and solid municipal wastes can also generate energy on their suitable treatments.
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Energy is the ability to do work. It is essential for all life on Earth. We use energy to power our homes, businesses, and transportation systems. We also use energy to produce food, manufacture goods, and provide Services.
There are two main types of energy resources: renewable and non-renewable. RENEWABLE ENERGY resources are those that can be replenished naturally, such as solar and wind power. Non-renewable energy resources are those that cannot be replenished, such as coal and oil.
Renewable energy resources are becoming increasingly important as we look for ways to reduce our reliance on non-renewable resources. Solar and wind power are two of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources. Solar power is generated by converting sunlight into electricity. Wind power is generated by using the wind to turn turbines.
Non-renewable energy resources are still the primary source of energy for the world. However, their use is causing environmental problems, such as Climate change. Coal is a fossil fuel that is burned to produce electricity. Oil is a fossil fuel that is used to power vehicles and generate electricity. Natural gas is a fossil fuel that is used to power vehicles, generate electricity, and heat homes and businesses.
Nuclear energy is a non-renewable energy source that is generated by splitting atoms. Nuclear power plants are used to generate electricity. Nuclear energy is a controversial energy source because of the risk of accidents and the disposal of nuclear waste.
Energy Efficiency is the use of less energy to provide the same level of service. Energy conservation is the reduction in the use of energy. Energy efficiency and conservation can help to reduce our reliance on non-renewable energy resources and protect the environment.
Energy policy is a set of government regulations that govern the production, distribution, and use of energy. Energy economics is the study of the production, distribution, and use of energy from an economic perspective. Energy history is the study of the development of energy resources and technologies over time.
Energy storage is the process of storing energy for later use. Energy transmission is the process of transporting energy from where it is produced to where it is used. Energy distribution is the process of delivering energy to consumers. Energy research is the study of new ways to produce, store, and use energy.
Energy Education is the process of teaching people about energy and its importance. Energy advocacy is the promotion of policies and programs that support the use of energy resources in a sustainable way. Energy law is the body of law that governs the production, distribution, and use of energy. Energy ethics is the study of the moral and ethical issues related to energy production and use.
Energy and the environment are closely linked. The production, use, and disposal of energy resources can have a significant impact on the environment. Energy and Climate Change are also closely linked. The burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which contribute to climate change.
Energy and POVERTY are also closely linked. Access to energy is essential for economic development and poverty reduction. Energy and security are also closely linked. The supply of energy is critical to the functioning of modern economies and societies. Energy and Globalization/”>Globalization-3/”>Globalization are also closely linked. The global energy market is increasingly interconnected. Energy and the future are also closely linked. The way we produce, use, and store energy will have a significant impact on the future of our planet.
In conclusion, energy is essential for all life on Earth. We need to find ways to produce, use, and store energy in a sustainable way. Energy is a complex issue with many different aspects. It is important to understand the different types of energy resources, the environmental impacts of energy production and use, and the economic and social impacts of energy policy.
What is the difference between renewable and non-renewable energy?
Renewable energy is energy that comes from natural sources or processes that are constantly replenished. Examples of renewable energy include sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. Non-renewable energy is energy that comes from sources that are not naturally replenished on a human timescale. Examples of non-renewable energy include coal, oil, and natural gas.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy?
The advantages of renewable energy include:
- It is clean and does not produce greenhouse gases.
- It is abundant and can be used to generate electricity, heat, and power transportation.
- It is becoming increasingly cost-competitive with non-renewable energy sources.
The disadvantages of renewable energy include:
- It is intermittent, meaning that it is not always available.
- It can be difficult to store and transport.
- It can have a high initial cost.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of non-renewable energy?
The advantages of non-renewable energy include:
- It is abundant and relatively inexpensive.
- It is reliable and can be stored easily.
- It has a long history of use and development.
The disadvantages of non-renewable energy include:
- It is a finite resource that will eventually run out.
- It produces greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
- It can be expensive to extract and transport.
- It can have a negative impact on the environment.
What are the different types of renewable energy?
There are many different types of renewable energy, including:
- Solar energy: This is energy from the sun. It can be used to generate electricity, heat water, and power transportation.
- Wind energy: This is energy from the wind. It can be used to generate electricity.
- Hydroelectric energy: This is energy from moving water. It can be used to generate electricity.
- Geothermal energy: This is energy from the heat of the Earth. It can be used to generate electricity and heat buildings.
- Biomass energy: This is energy from plants and other organic materials. It can be used to generate electricity, heat buildings, and power transportation.
What are the different types of non-renewable energy?
There are many different types of non-renewable energy, including:
- Coal: This is a fossil fuel that is formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals. It can be used to generate electricity and heat buildings.
- Oil: This is a fossil fuel that is formed from the remains of ancient Marine Organisms. It can be used to generate electricity, heat buildings, and power transportation.
- Natural gas: This is a fossil fuel that is formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals. It can be used to generate electricity, heat buildings, and power transportation.
- Nuclear energy: This is energy from the splitting of atoms. It can be used to generate electricity.
What is the future of energy?
The future of energy is uncertain. However, it is likely that renewable energy will play an increasingly important role in the future. This is because renewable energy is clean, abundant, and becoming increasingly cost-competitive with non-renewable energy sources.
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Which of the following is not a renewable energy source?
(A) Solar energy
(B) Wind energy
(C) Nuclear energy
(D) Geothermal energy -
Which of the following is the most common source of energy in the world?
(A) Coal
(B) Oil
(C) Natural gas
(D) Nuclear energy -
Which of the following is the cleanest source of energy?
(A) Solar energy
(B) Wind energy
(C) Hydroelectric energy
(D) Nuclear energy -
Which of the following is the most efficient source of energy?
(A) Nuclear energy
(B) Coal
(C) Natural gas
(D) Solar energy -
Which of the following is the most expensive source of energy?
(A) Nuclear energy
(B) Coal
(C) Natural gas
(D) Solar energy -
Which of the following is the most controversial source of energy?
(A) Nuclear energy
(B) Coal
(C) Natural gas
(D) Solar energy -
Which of the following is the most abundant source of energy?
(A) Coal
(B) Oil
(C) Natural gas
(D) Nuclear energy -
Which of the following is the most polluting source of energy?
(A) Coal
(B) Oil
(C) Natural gas
(D) Nuclear energy -
Which of the following is the most greenhouse gas-emitting source of energy?
(A) Coal
(B) Oil
(C) Natural gas
(D) Nuclear energy -
Which of the following is the most likely source of energy to power the world in the future?
(A) Solar energy
(B) Wind energy
(C) Hydroelectric energy
(D) Nuclear energy