Conventional and Non-Conventional Sources of Energy Part 2

Conventional and Non-Conventional Sources of Energy

In our previous article, we discussed about the conventional sources of energy. In this article, we will discuss about the non-conventional sources of energy.

Non-conventional sources of energy

• The sources of energy which are being produced continuously in nature and are in exhaustible are called renewable sources of energy (or) non-conventional energy.
• These sources of energy do not cause environmental pollution and are, therefore, environmental-friendly sources of energy.
• Examples of non-conventional sources of energy: tidal energy, wind energy, hydel energy, solar energy, and geothermal energy.

ऊर्जा के पारंपरिक तथा गैर-पारंपरिक स्रोत भाग 2 

Different types of non-conventional sources of energy

Solar energy

• Solar energy is the energy generated by the sunlight.
• The potential of solar energy is 178 billion MW which is about 20,000 times the world’s demand.
• It is one of the cleanest sources of energy, and has the most scope amongst the other renewable energy sources.
• Solar panels are made of semiconductive materials known as photovoltaic cells. These solar panels are capable of converting light to electricity.
• Solar panels are being used in households as a primary source of electricity. They are also used commercially in solar farms, which contain hundreds and thousands of solar panels.
• Since India is a sub-tropical country, it has immense potential to harness the solar energy.
• Government of India is also promoting the use of solar energy through schemes like National Solar Mission, PM KUSUM etc.

Wind energy

• Wind is caused due to two reasons:
  • Absorption of solar energy on the earth’s surface and in the atmosphere.
  • Rotation of the earth about its axis and its motion around the Sun.
• The energy that is generated by harnessing the power of wind is called wind energy.
• Wind mill is used to convert the kinetic energy of moving air into mechanical energy that can be used either directly to run a machine or to run the generator to produce electricity.
• The electricity produced by the wind turbines is directly proportional to the cube of the wind speed.
• India is the second largest country in the generation of wind power.

Tidal energy

• Tides are generated majorly due to the gravitational attraction between the earth and the Moon.
• Tidal energy is those energy that is generated by exploiting the tidal waves of the sea.
• In a tidal power station, water at high tides is first trapped in an artificial basin and then allowed to escape at low tides.
• The escaping water is used to drive water turbines, which in turn drive electrical generators
• This source of energy is yet to be tapped due to the lack of cost-effective technology.

Hydropower energy

• Energy that can be used to generate electricity by using natural or artificial flow of water are called hydropower energy.
• The most popular type of hydropower energy is hydroelectric dams and reservoirs. Example: Bhakra Nangal Project and Damodar Valley Project.
• Hydroelectric dams are built at lower elevation where rivers have a decent flow of water.
• The natural flow of the river is then used to move the turbines that are connected to generators.
• Rotation of turbines produces electricity, which is stored and then later transported for consumption.

Geothermal energy

• Geo thermal energy is energy coming out of the molten interior of the earth towards the surface.
• The word geothermal comes from the Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat).
• Wells are drilled to trap steam which powers electrical generators.
• Steam is naturally produced from underground water, which gets heated due to very high temperature in that region.

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