Energy Resources

Energy is defined as the ability to do work. Humans require energy to do many things, including
various processes within the human body, from eating to digesting that food. Energy plays a very
important role in our lives, providing comfort, increasing productivity and allowing us to live the way
we want to. Since the beginning of mankind, we have made use of wood, water, wind and fossil fuels
as a means of heating, making the machines do work and also other things we do on a daily basis.

The energy around us exists in various forms and, as per the laws of physics, is never destroyed but
converted from one form to another; the concept is called conservation of energy. The energy we see
around is of following forms:
a) Mechanical energy: The energy stored in a body by virtue of its state of rest or motion. When the
body is at rest, it is said to possess the energy of rest called potential energy. When the body is moving
it is said to be having Kinetic energy.
b) Thermal Energy: The energy a system has in relation to its temperature. The energy is manifested
by the movements of the molecules within the body.
c) Chemical energy: the energy stored within the bonds of molecules. The energy is further divided
into two various categories according to their generation and regeneration capability;

Non-Renewable Sources:

• Fossil fuels: They consist of Oil and coal, and gas. These fuels usually have high calorific value.
These are easily available, and we have the technology to exploit them fully. But they come with their
disadvantages like global warming, pollution, and side-effects to health. At present, we get most of our
energy from non-renewable energy sources which include fossil fuels such as coal, crude oil and natural
gas. Over 85% of our energy demands are met by the combustion of fossil fuels. Carbon is the main
constituent of these fossil fuels.
• Natural Gas is another non-renewable source of energy, comprising mainly of methane, butane,
ethane and propane, and also has a high calorific value. The heat and pressure over the years converted
the organic matter into coal and oil, whereas some of the natural gas remained trapped in the crust of
the earth.
• There are different types of coal, such as peat, lignite, sub-bituminous and bituminous. Peat being
the lowest quality of energy source and anthracite being the highest and least polluting variety of coal.

• Nuclear energy: There are some atoms, like radioactive elements, that contain nuclei which
disintegrate into lighter nuclei with energy being released during the chain reaction. The process is
called as fission. The energy is released as per the equation E=mc^2.

The Uranium isotope U-235 is used for the fission process.

Why we need Renewable Sources of Energy:

• Requirement of conserving Conventional Energy Resources
• They are limited in supply and cannot be renewed easily.
• Due to population explosion, modernization and industrialization, the demand for energy resources
is increasing day by day
• To control the energy crisis, there is a need to conserve conventional energy resources.
• There is also an urgent need to explore alternative sources of energy.

Energy Crisis
• It is a situation in which resources are less than the demand
• In the past few decades, due to high demand, there is a shortage of energy resources, which has
created an energy crisis

Major causes for the Energy Crisis:

i. Rapid Industrialization
ii. Over Population
iii. Transfer losses
iv. Rise in oil prices
v. Problems in Middle east
vi. Wastage of energy resources

RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY

Most renewable or non-renewable energy sources are obtained directly or indirectly from the sun.
Solar energy can be used directly or indirectly for heating and lighting. It also drives the wind energy
and also causes rain by evaporation which is in turn used as hydro-electric energy. Some of the major
renewable energy sources are:

Solar Energy
• Solar energy is the ultimate form of energy. Solar energy is used commonly for heating, cooking,
production of electricity, and even in the desalination of seawater. With the help of solar cells, solar
energy is converted into electricity. One of the most common uses of the sun’s energy has been for
water heating systems.

Advantages of solar energy

• It is clean, available in plenty and uninterrupted.
• The solar energy devices can be installed even in remote villages and now are even getting
inexpensive with the advancement in technology and increased competition.
LIMITATIONS:
• The limitations with solar energy are that it can't be used in temperate regions, also consumes land
and can’t be used to run heavy machines.
• The target for India has been set under the National Solar Mission, around 100 GW, including both
rooftops and large and medium-scale grid installations.

USES:
• Direct solar energy can be used as heat, light, and electricity through the use of solar cells.
• Direct use of solar energy can be used through various devices like:
Three types of systems: a) passive, b) active, and c) photovoltaic.

Passive solar energy:

Some of the earliest uses of solar energy were passive in nature such as to evaporate sea water for
producing salt and to dry food and clothes.

Active use of solar energy

Active solar heating and cooling systems rely on solar collectors, which are usually mounted on roofs.
Such systems also require pumps and motors to move the fluids or blow air by a fan in order to deliver
the captured heat. The main application of these systems is to provide hot water, primarily for
domestic use.

Solar cells or photovoltaic technology

• Solar energy can be converted directly into electrical energy (direct current, DC) by photovoltaic
(PV) cells commonly called solar cells.
• Photovoltaic cells are made of silicon and other materials added as an impurity.

When sunlight strikes the silicon atoms, the electrons are ejected. This principle is called as
‘photoelectric effect’.
• A typical solar cell is generally a transparent wafer that contains a very thin semiconductor.
• Sunlight energizes and causes electrons in the semiconductor to flow. This flow creates an electrical
current.

Wind energy
• The wind energy possesses kinetic energy due to its movement, which can be converted into electric
energy. It can be harnessed using windmills. Like solar power, harnessing the wind is highly dependent
on weather and location.
• However, it is one of the oldest and cleanest forms of energy. It occupies less space, and the area
below the windmills can be used for other purposes like farming.
• The wind energy farm is generally set where the wind speed is around 15 kmph. Tamil Nadu is a
leader in wind power in India having the largest windfarm of India is Muppandal windfarm.
• Wind energy is the conversion of kinetic energy associated with wind turbines into mechanical
power, which is then used to generate power into electrical energy. Five nations, Germany, the USA,
Denmark, Spain and India, account for 80% of the world’s installed wind energy capacity.
• Areas having several wind turbines in the same location used for the production of electricity are
known as Wind Farms.
• These wind farms can be located onshore and offshore. Onshore wind farm operates on land, where
the wind tends to be strongest. Turbines of Onshore wind farms are less expensive and easier to set
up, maintain and operate than offshore turbines. On the other hand, offshore wind farms are
constructed on large water bodies to generate electricity. It is often more expensive as compared with
Onshore.

• The National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) has launched the Wind Energy Resource Map of
India at 100 metres above ground level on Geographic Information System platform. India’s potential
for wind energy is expected to be 302 GW at 100m AGL.

Gujarat has the maximum potential followed by Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh for
wind energy generation.

Hydroelectric Energy
• The energy generated using the force of running water. The water has potential energy when stored
in any reservoir or dam, this energy is converted into kinetic energy.

• By channelling water that is flowing downhill, the force of the water can be used to turn turbines
and, via a generator, produce electricity. It is generally a capital-intensive plant and heavily dependent
on rainfall for its efficient working.
• The large multi-purpose river valley projects are not environmentally viable and are a large threat to
the diversity of the ecosystem and cause large-scale human displacement.
• Hydropower is the cheapest and cleanest source of energy, but there are many environmental and
social issues associated with big dam construction as seen in projects like Tehri, Narmada etc.
• There are three types of hydropower station facilities which are as follows:

Impoundments: In such type of facility, dams are constructed to store river water in the reservoir.
Water released from these reservoirs flows through turbines, spinning it, which in turn activates the
generator to produce electricity.

Pumped storage: When the demand for electricity is low, the stored electricity generated by other
sources like solar, wind and nuclear is used for pumping water from a low reservoir to a high reservoir.
During the periods of high electrical demand, the water released back to the lower reservoir, which
turns the turbines to produce electricity.

Diversion: It is sometimes called a run-of-river facility, channels a portion of a river through a canal
or penstock and then flows through a turbine, spinning it, which later converts into electricity. It may
not require the use of a dam.

2. Small Hydro Power (SHP)

It is defined as any hydropower project with an installed capacity of less than 25 MW.
• It is, in most cases, a run-of-river, where a dam or barrage is quite small. Usually, just a little or no
water is stored. Therefore, run-of-river installation does not have the same kind of adverse effect on
the local environment as large-scale hydro projects.
• Small hydro plants can serve the needs of remote rural areas independently. Indian and China are
the major players of the SHP sector, holding the highest number of installed plants.
• An estimated 5415 sites of small hydropower have been identified with the potential of around
19,750 MW. River-based projects in the Himalayan region and irrigation canals in other states have
massive potential for such small hydropower projects.
• MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) is encouraging the development of Small Hydro
Projects in both public and private sectors and aims to exploit at least 50% of the current potential in
the next 10 years.

Energy is the most vital part of our survival, without which the existence of human beings would be
in danger. A major part of the energy pool (around eighty-five per cent) comes from non-renewable
sources of energy like coal, petroleum, oil gas, etc.

Sooner the times will be there when we will face dire energy shortages. It is about time we move
towards clean sources of energy, which are in abundance as well for the protection of both the
environment and the Earth as a whole.

Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Resource:

• The ministry was established as the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources in 1992. It
adopted its current name in October 2006.
• The Ministry is responsible for:

i. All the research and development in the field of renewable energy.

ii. Safeguarding of intellectual property and
iii. international cooperation, promotion, and coordination in renewable energy sources such as wind
power, small hydro, biogas, and solar power.

Some Important points for Exam (Related to Solar Energy)

• India has the potential to generate 35 MW/km2 solar-powered energy. Thus, by converting solar
energy into heat and electricity, solar energy provides a very promising option to fulfil energy demand.
• The states with very high solar energy generation are Rajasthan, northern Gujarat and parts of
Ladakh region, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
• The current installed capacity of solar in grid-connected power crossed 29 GW, as on June 2019.
• A major initiative called “The National Solar Mission” was formulated by the Government of India
and its state governments. It aims to make India a global leader in solar energy and the mission to
enhance solar energy generation capacity of 100 GW by 2022.
• International Solar Alliance (ISA) is launched at the CoP21 Climate Conference (Paris) as a platform
for mutual cooperation among all the solar resource-rich countries lying fully or partially between the
Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
• The Prime Minister has called all the nations which fall between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn
and which have been invited to join the alliance as “Surya Putra” or “Sunshine Countries”.
• The formal name of the International Solar Alliance was the International Agency for Solar Policy
and Application (IASPA) and its secretariat will be set up in the National Institute of Solar Energy,
Gurugram.
• India has launched IESS 2047, which stands for India Energy Security Scenarios 2047, to assess and
calculate the solar potential as alternative future energy scenarios for India.