Sources Of Energy

Energy is the capacity to do work. We require energy to meet our daily needs.

Source of energy

The major source of energy are coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydel power, solar, wind and nuclear power.

The various energy resources are classified in two categories :

•  Non-renewable or conventional energy resources
•  Renewable or non-conventional energy resources.

Non-renewable or conventional energy resources.

Fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum are present in limited quantity and cannot be renewed. They have been in use since a long time and have become a convention. Such resources are called non­renewable or conventional energy resources.

 Renewable or non-conventional energy resources.

Solar radiation, hydel power, wind power, biomass and nuclear power are renewable or non-conventional energy. These are pollution free sources of energy and can be recycled or renewed in nature.

Our country has developed a capability for generating energy from different sources. The total power generation capacity of our country has increased from 1,400 MW (megawatt) in the year 1947 to 97,800 MW till March 2000.

NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY SOURCES

Some of the non-conventional energy sources are:

SOLAR ENERGY

Sun is an inexhaustible and pollution free source of energy. It is the biggest source of non-conventional source of energy. We receive adundant sunshine for about 250 to 300 useful days in a year.The solar energy is being trapped and converted into thermal and electrical energy. The conversion of energy is achieved mainly through photovoltic conversion.

The solar energy is used in devices such as solar cookers, solar heaters, solar dryers and solar cells.

In our country solar energy is used for community lighting, rural telecommunication system, pumping of water for small irrigation and drinkingpurposes. and in operation of railway signals. Solar energy has proved aboon to several remote villages of India. Fig. : Solar Cooker

HYDEL POWER

It is the next biggest source of energy after thermal power.

To generate hydel power, the flow of water is checked by building a dam. The collected dam water is allowed to flow through the tunnels with high pressure to move turbines and generators. Thus, the potential energy of water is converted into electrical energy by the moving turbines and generators. Hydel power plants of our country are generating 23,800 MW of energy.

WIND ENERGY

The use of wind energy is another important development. Wind power is converted into mechanical and electrical energy.Speed of winds is very high in the coastal areas, therefore, such places are good zones for harnessing wind energy. Wind turbines have been installed in coastal regions of our country. Kutch and Okha in Gujarat, Purl in Orissa and Tuticorin in Tamilnadu have wind turbines.These are used in the generation of energy, presently, more than 1,000 MW electricity is being generated in India by wind.