Sources of Energy

When we use energy in its usable form we convert the form of energy and get our
work done during the process. Since we cannot reverse the change involved in this
process so we cannot get back the original usable form of energy. Due to this, it
becomes important to think about energy shortage and the related energy crisis.
Characteristics of a good source of energy:

It should be able to do large amount of work for each unit of mass or volume.

It should be easily accessible.

It should be easily transported.

It should be economical.

Conventional Sources of Energy:

The sources of energy which have been in use since a long time are called
conventional sources of energy. Coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydel energy, wind
energy and nuclear energy are considered to be the conventional sources of energy.
Additionally, firewood is also a conventional source of energy but its usage is now
limited to kitchens in the rural parts of India.
Fossil Fuels:- Coal and petroleum are the fossil fuels.
Coal:- Coal was formed millions of years ago. The plants got buried under swamps
and due to high pressure and high temperature inside the earth; they were converted
into coal. Coal is the highest used energy source in India. During the days of steam
engine, coal was used in steam engines. Moreover, coal was also used as kitchen
fuel; before LPG became popular. Now-a-days, coal is mainly being used in the
industries.
Petroleum: Petroleum was also formed millions of years ago. The animals got buried
under the ocean surface and were converted into petroleum; in due course of time.
Petroleum is the third major source of energy being used today. Petroleum products
are used as automobile fuel and also in the industries. Natural gas mainly comes
from the oil wells and is also a major source of energy.
Non-renewable Sources of Energy:
It takes millions of years for the formation of fossil fuels. Since they cannot be
replenished in the foreseeable future, they are known as non-renewable sources of
energy.
Renewable Sources of Energy:

Those sources of energy which can be replenished quickly are called renewable
sources of energy. Hydel energy, wind energy and solar energy are examples of
renewable sources of energy.
Hydel Energy:- Hydel energy is produced by utilizing the kinetic energy of flowing
water. Huge dams are built over a source of water. Water is collected behind the dam
and released. When the water falls on the turbine; the turbine moves; because of
kinetic energy of water. Thus, electricity is generated by the turbine. Electricity; thus
generated is called hydel energy or hydroelectricity. Water in the reservoir is
replenished with rainwater and so availability of water is not a problem for
hydroelectricity.
Drawbacks of Hydel Plant: Building large dams is not good for the ecosystem. When
a large dam is built, a vast tract of land in its vicinity gets submerged. This destroys a
large part of vegetation and wildlife which does immense damage to the ecosystem.
Moreover, when the submerged vegetation decomposes; it produces a huge amount
of methane gas. Methane is a potential greenhouse gas and thus is not good for the
environment.
Building large dam also affects a huge section of population which lives in the
surrounding areas. Many villages need to be evacuated. Although the government
comes with some rehabilitation plan for them but the displacement of people from
their roots has its own costs involved.
Thermal Power Plant: In a thermal power plant, coal or petroleum is used for
converting water into steam. The steam is used to run the turbine; to generate
electricity.
Bio-mass: The plants and animals constitute the biomass. Firewood from plants is
used as kitchen fuel. If large number of trees can be planted, then a continuous
supply of firewood can be ensured. Farm waste; such as stalks of harvested plants
and dung of cattle; can be used to generate methane. The decomposition of biomass
produces methane; which can be channelized for useful purposes.
Bio-gas Plant: Bio-gas plant can be very useful in solving the energy need of rural
areas. A bio-gas plant is a dome-like structure which is usually built from bricks and
concrete. In the mixing tank; the slurry is made from cow-dung and water. The slurry
then goes to the digester; which is a closed chamber. Since oxygen is absent in the
digester, the anaerobes carry on their work of decomposition. The process of
decomposition produces biogas. Biogas has about 70% of methane and the rest is
composed of other gases. The biogas is channelized through a pipe and can be
utilized as kitchen fuel and also as fuel for getting light. The slurry; left behind; is
removed. It is used as manure, once it dries.
Wind Energy: Wind energy has been in use since ages. The sail boats of the preindustrialization era used to run on wind power. Windmills have been in use;
especially in Holland; since the medieval period. Now-a-days, windmills are being
used to generate electricity. The kinetic energy of wind is utilize to run the turbines;
which generate electricity.

At present, Germany is the leading country in terms of wind energy production and
India comes at number five. In India, Tamil Nadu is the largest wind energy
producing state. The largest wind farm in India is near Kanyakumari; in Tamil Nadu;
which generates 380 MW of electricity.
Limitations of Wind Energy: Wind farms can only be established at those places
where the wind speed is high enough and is more than 15 km/hr for most parts of the
year. Wind farms need to be established on large tracts of land. The fan of the
windmill has many moving parts; so cost of maintenance and repair is quite high.
The fact, that it has to suffer the vagaries of the nature further compounds the
problem. Initial cost of establishing a wind farm is very high.
Non-conventional Sources of Energy: Energy sources which are relatively new are
called non-conventional sources of energy, e.g. nuclear power and solar energy.
Solar Energy: The sun is the main source of energy for all living beings on this earth.
Even the energy in the fossil fuels has come from the sun. The sun has an endless
reservoir of energy which would be available as long as the solar system is in
existence. Technologies for harnessing the solar energy have been developed in
recent times.
Solar Cooker: Solar cooker is very simple in design and mode of function. It is
usually made from mirrors. Plain mirrors are placed inside a rectangular box. The
light reflected from the plain mirrors concentrates the solar energy inside the solar
cooker which generates enough heat to cook food.
Solar Furnace: Solar furnace is made like a concave mirror. Large solar furnace has
many smaller mirrors to compose a very large convex mirror. The thing to be heated
is place near the focus of the mirror.
Solar Cells: Solar cells are made from silicon. The solar panel converts solar energy
into electrical energy which is stored in a battery; for later use.
Limitations of Solar Energy: The technologies for harnessing solar energy are at a
nascent stage. At present, the cost benefit ratio for using solar energy is not
conducive. Using solar energy is exhorbitantly costly.
Energy from Sea
Tidal Energy: Due to the gravitational pull of the moon, tides happen near seashores.
Water rushes up near the seashore during a high tide and goes down during a low
tide. Dams are built near seashores to collect the water which comes during a high
tide. When the water runs back to the ocean, the flow of water can be utilized to
generate electricity.
Wave Energy: Waves can also be a good source of energy. Many devices are being
designed and tested to produce wave energy. For example; a hollow tower is built
near the seashore. When water gushes in the tube because of wave, it forces the air
upwards. The kinetic energy of air in the tube is used to run a turbine. When the

wave goes down; air from up goes down the tube which is also used in running the
turbine.
Ocean Thermal Energy: The water at sea surface is hot during daytime, while the
water at lower level is cold. The temperature differential in water levels can be
utilized to generate energy. If the temperature differential is more than 20C, then
ocean thermal energy can be utilized from that place. For this, a volatile liquid; like
ammonia; is boiled using the heat from the hot water at the surface. The steam of
the volatile liquid is utilized to run the turbine to generate electricity. Colder water
from the surface below is utilized to condense ammonia vapour which is then
channelized to the surface to repeat the cycle.
Various methods of harnessing energy from the sea are still at experimental stages.
Geothermal Energy: The molten rocks from the inside of the earth are pushed in
certain regions of the earth. Such regions are called the hot spots of the earth. When
groundwater comes in contact with such hot spots, lot of steam is generated. This
steam can be harnessed to produce energy. Many power plants in New Zealand and
USA operate on geothermal energy.
Nuclear Energy: Nuclear fission is the process during which two nuclei fuse to form
one nucleus. The process generates a huge amount of energy. This phenomenon is
utilized in nuclear power plants. Nuclear power is safest for the environment but the
risk of damage due to accidental leaks of radiation is pretty high. Further, storage of
nuclear waste is a big problem because of potential risk of radiation involved.
Nonetheless, many countries are using nuclear power in a big way. India too has
built many nuclear power plants. Recent accidents in the nuclear power plants in
Chernobyl and Japan have forced the policymakers to rethink about the nuclear
power.
A number of different energy sources exist. Some of these are renewable and
some are not. All of us have difficult choices to make when using energy,
though it is clear that a mix of sources will need to be used.

Different kinds of energy sources

Renewable energy sources
Our renewable energy resources will never run out. Their supply is not limited. There are
no fuel costs either. And they typically generate far less pollution than fossil fuels.
Renewable energy resources include:

wind energy
water energy, such as wave machines, tidal barrages and hydroelectric power
geothermal energy
solar energy
biomass energy, for example energy released from wood

A wind turbine

However, there are some negatives to generating renewable energy. For example, wind
farms are noisy and may spoil the view of people who live near them. The amount of
electricity generated depends on the strength of the wind. Also, if there is no wind, there
is no electricity.

Non-renewable energy sources

There is a limited supply of non-renewable energy resources, which will eventually run
out. They include:

fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas

nuclear fuels, such as uranium
Fossil fuels release carbon dioxide when they burn, which adds to thegreenhouse
effect and increases global warming. Of the three fossil fuels, coal produces the most
carbon dioxide, for a given amount of energy released, while natural gas generates the
least.
The fuel for nuclear power stations is relatively cheap. But the power stations themselves
are expensive to build. It is also very expensive to dismantle old nuclear power stations
or store radioactive waste, which is a dangerous health hazard.

Nuclear power stations

The main nuclear fuels are uranium and plutonium, both of which are radioactive metals.
Nuclear fuels are not burned to release energy. Instead, heat is released from changes in
the nucleus.
Just as with power stations burning fossil fuels, the heat energy is used to boil water.
The kinetic energy in the expanding steam spins turbines, which drive generators to
produce electricity.

Advantages
Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear fuels do not produce carbon dioxide.

Disadvantages
Like fossil fuels, nuclear fuels are non-renewable energy resources. And if there is an
accident, large amounts of radioactive material could be released into the environment.

In addition, nuclear waste remains radioactive and is hazardous to health for thousands
of years. It must be stored safely.

Evaluating energy sources

When evaluating energy sources you must consider:

where the energy source is used (at home, in the work place or at a national
level)

factors that affect the choice of energy source (economics, environmental impact,
waste produced including carbon dioxide)
the advantages and disadvantages of the energy source
All of us have choices to make on the use of energy. Some would argue that we should
not use less energy so we can maintain a good standard of living. Others would argue
that reducing the amount of energy we use is essential.
There are a numbers of steps that could be taken to address problems faced by the
energy industry. An important point we know for sure is that we need a mix of energy
sources to meet the United Kingdoms energy demands.
Scientific applications give people things that they value, but may have undesirable
impacts on the environment.

Our society uses more and more energy every year, but the carbon dioxide
produced by most power stations is believed to be causing serious damage to the
climate.
Natural resources should be used in a sustainable way.

The use of renewable energy sources would guarantee energy for the future. At
the moment, renewable energy sources cannot provide enough energy.
There are official regulations and laws which control scientific research and applications.

The nuclear industry is regularly inspected to ensure that standards of safety are
maintained.
Some applications of science have ethical implications. One point of view is that the right
decision is the one which gives the best outcome for most people. Another point of view
is that certain actions are never justified because they are wrong.
Disposal of nuclear waste raises ethical problems:

Some people say that we must have nuclear power, or we will not be able to
combat global warming and still produce enough energy.
Others say that it is unethical to produce waste that will still be dangerous in
many thousands of years time.

Weighing up the arguments - higher tier

Before deciding on a course of action, it is important to ask if it is feasible. Can it be
done? Then it is possible to consider if it ought to done.

If nuclear waste could be sent down into the Earths mantle, it would take millions
of years to resurface. Unfortunately, there doesnt seem to be any way to do this. It is
not feasible.
Nuclear waste could be sent into space in rockets so that it falls harmlessly into
the Sun. Unfortunately, this would be far too expensive, and any accident on take-off
would spread dangerous waste over a large area. It ought not to be done.
In different social and economic contexts, different decisions might be taken.

Many developing countries insist that they need to burn fossil fuels in their power
stations, even if it produces global warming. They need this to allow them to catch up
with the standard of living that we enjoy.