ABOUT CONVENTIONAL AND NON CONVENTIONAL RESOURCES

3. Conventional and Non-
Conventional Sources of
Energy
• Two Main Sources of Energy:
• The sources of energy are of following types:

4. I. Conventional energy
sources:• As most of the fuel wood is consumed for domestic purposes, mainly in
rural areas, very little of it is available to industrial sector. Coal, already
in use in industries becomes a highly priced source. It is then
supplemented by mineral oil. Likewise the use of hydroelectricity (water
energy) becomes dearer in the areas where running water and needed
technology is readily available.
• 1. Conventional Sources of Energy:
• These sources of energy are also called non renewable sources. These
sources of energy are in limited quantity except hydro-electric power.
• These are further classified as commercial energy and non-
commercial energy:
• Commercial Energy Sources:
• These are coal, petroleum and electricity. These are called commercial
energy because they have a price and consumer has to pay the price to
purchase them.

5. (a) Coal :
• Coal is the major source of energy. Coal deposits in India are 148790 million tonnes. In 2005-06, annual
production of coal was 343 million tonnes.
• Coal, besides a prime source of industrial energy is also a raw material. Coal, including lignite even today
accounts for 60% of the country’s commercial power requirements. In developed world there is a trend of
shift from coal to oil or gas. Major coal fields in India are Raniganj, Jharia, East Bokaro and West Bokaro;
Panch-Kanham (Tawa Valley Singrauli, Talcher (Orissa), Chanda-Wardha and Godavari Valley. M.P.,A.P.
and Maharashtra. By and large, the quality of Indian coal is rather poor in terms of heat capacity.

6. (b) Oil and natural gas:
• Sedimentary rocks containing plants animals remains-about 10 to 20 crore year old are the source of
mineral oil. Mineral oil is very unevenly distributed over space like any other mineral. There are four
regions in the world which are rich in mineral oil. USA, Mexico, former USSR and the West Asian
region (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain are the major oil
producing countries of the world
• The latest oil deposits have been found in off shore areas off the deltaic coasts of Godavari, Krishna,
Kaveri and Mahanadi. The gas reserves are generally found in association with oil fields. However,
exclusive natural gas reserves have been located in Tripura, Rajasthan and almost in all off-shore oil
fields of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.

7. (c) Thermal power:
• Hydro-electricity comes from a renewable source, water.
But thermal power plants use coal, petroleum and natural gas
to produce thermal electricity. These sources are of mineral
origin and also called fossil fuels. They are exhaustible and
polluting.
• Electricity, whether thermal, nuclear or hydro is the most convenient
and versatile form of energy. This is in great demand in industry,
agriculture, transport and domestic sectors.

8. ( d) Hydro-power:
• Water-energy is the most conventional renewable energy source and obtained from water flow, water
falling from a height. Hilly and highland areas are suitable for this purpose, where there is continuous
flow of water in large amounts falling from high slopes In the late 18th and early 19th century most
industries were located near water-falls. Technology was also developed for use of steam energy.
• Hydro-power is a clean, non-polluting source of energy. It can be transmitted to long distance
through wires and cables. But, this form of energy cannot be stored for future. Thus, markets arc to
be fixed before generation of this form of energy.

9. II. Non-Conventional
Sources of Energy:• Energy generated by using wind, tides, solar, geothermal heat, and biomass including farm and
animal waste as well as human excreta is known as non-conventional energy. All these sources are
renewable or inexhaustible and do not cause environmental pollution. More over they do not require
heavy expenditure.
• Besides conventional sources of energy there are non-conventional sources of energy. These are also
called renewable sources of energy. Examples are Bio energy, solar energy, wind energy and tidal
energy. Govt. of India has established a separate department under the Ministry of Energy called as
the Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources for effective exploitation of non-conventional
energy.

10. (a) Solar Energy:
• Energy produced through the sunlight is called solar energy.
Under this programme, solar photovoltaic cells are exposed to
sunlight and in the form of electricity is produced. Photovoltaic
cells are those which convert sun light energy into electricity. In
year 1999-2000, 975 villages were illuminated through solar
energy. Under Solar Thermal Programme, solar energy is directly
obtained. Sunlight is converted into thermal power. Solar energy
is used for cooking, hot water and distillation of water etc.
• India is blessed with plenty of solar energy because most parts
of the country receive bright sunshine throughout the year
except a brief monsoon period. India has developed technology to
use solar energy for cooking, water heating, water dissimilation,
space heating, crop drying etc.

11. (b) Wind Energy:
• This type of energy can be produced by harnessing wind power. It is used
for operating water pumps for irrigation purposes. Approximately 2756
wind pumps were set up for this purpose. In seven states, wind power
operated power houses were installed and their installed capacity was
1000 MW. India has second position in wind power energy generation.

12. (c) Tidal Energy:
• Energy produced by exploiting the tidal waves of the sea is called tidal energy. Due to the absence of
cost effective technology, this source has not yet been tapped.
• Sea water keeps on rising and falling alternatively twice a day under the influence of gravitational pull
of moon and sun. This phenomenon is known as tides. It is estimated that India possesses 8000-9000
MW of tidal energy potential. The Gulf of Kuchchh is best suited for tidal energy.

13. Conclusion:
• Conclusion: Fossil fuels are the major sources
of conventional energies. At present, many countries
are overly dependent on fossil fuels to meet their
requirement for power. The known reserves of fossil
fuels have depleted to a large extent due to its
continued use. If it continues, there is risk of complete
exhaustion of these sources of energy.
• Nuclear energy plants need to be implemented with
proper caution and care. Any accidental leakage in
nuclear power plants may lead to severe hazardous
condition.