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Energy Technology
UNIT – I ENERGY
UNIT – 1 Energy
Introduction to energy - Global energy scene – Indian energy scene – Units of energy,
Conversion factors, general classification of energy, energy crisis, energy alternatives
1.1 Introduction to Energy:
The word energy is taken from the Greek word.
In Greek language ‘en’ means in and ergon means work
So energon means in work, which was later simplified as energy.
Energy:
Energy is the capacity of doing work.
It may exist in potential, kinetic, thermal, electrical, chemical, nuclear, or other various forms.
Other forms of energy are, heat and work i.e., energy will be transferred from one body to another.
After it has been transferred, energy is always designated according to its nature. Hence, heat
transferred may become thermal energy, while work done may manifest itself in the form of
mechanical energy. All forms of energy are associated with motion.
Energy Science:
Energy Science deals with scientific principles, characteristics, rules, laws, units/dimensions,
measurements, processes, Experimentation, observations etc.
Energy Technology:
The applied part of energy sciences for work and processes, which is useful for human
society, nation and individual is energy technology.
Energy technology deals with
Primary energies
extraction
Processing
Transportation
Conversion and
Utilization of energy
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Energy chain or Energy route
Primary energy forms
Intermediate energy forms
Secondary or usable energy forms
Primary
Energy
secondary
Energy
Intermediate
Energy
Primary energy Resource:
•
Primary energy forms are many and is available in nature.
•
Example: coal, petroleum, solar, wind, geothermal etc.
•
Many of the Primary energy forms cannot be used directly. Ex. Uranium
•
But some naturally available forms can be used for final consumption.
Ex. Coal – used as fuel
fire wood – used as fuel.
Solar energy – used for cooking, water heating etc.
Intermediate energy Resource:
•
Intermediate energy Resource can be obtained from primary energy forms by one or
two processes.
Example: steam, chemicals
Secondary energy Resource:
•
Secondary energy Resource or usable energy Resource is the energy which is finally
supplied to the consumer for utilization.
Example: fuels, electricity
Various forms of energy
Chemical energy ECh
Electrical energy EEe
Nuclear energy ENe
Internal energy EIn
Solar energy ESo
Bio energy EBe
Mechanical energy EMe
Thermal energy ETh
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ENERGY
(Capacity to do work)
KINETIC ENERGY
POTENTIAL ENERGY
(Energy of motion)
(Stored Energy)
Mechanical Energy
Chemical Energy
(Energy due to motion of an
object)
(Energy stored in the bonds of
atoms and molecules)
Electrical Energy
Nuclear Energy
(Energy from flow of electric
charges)
(Energy stored in atomic
nucleus)
Thermal Energy
Gravitational Energy
(or heat energy is vibration or
movement of particles)
(Energy stored in an objects
height)
Radiant Energy
Elastic Energy
(or solar energy are
electromagnetic waves that
travels in transverse waves)
(Energy stored in elastic
objects)
Sound Energy
(vibration transferred through
an object in a wave to
produce sound)
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Energy Technology
Various branches of science and technology concerning energy:
Below figure shows the co-relation between energy science and other sciences.
Sociology and
Environment
Science
Economics
and political
Science
Geography
and Geology
Oceanology
Science
Energy Science
Thermo
Dynamics
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Electro
Magnetics
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1.2 Laws of Conservation of energy:
Energy can be neither created nor be destroyed but one form of energy will be changed to
another form of energy. This principle is known as the conservation of energy or the first law of
thermodynamics.
For example, when a box slides down a hill, the potential energy that the box has from being
located high up on the slope is converted to kinetic energy. As the box slows to a stop through
friction, the kinetic energy from the box’s motion is converted to thermal energy that heats the box
and the slope.
Generalized equation of Energy Conservation
The total energy in a closed system is the algebraic sum of the component energies.
ECs=ENe+ETe+EMe+ECh+EBe+EEe+EPe+Eo
where
ECs – Total energy in the closed system
ENe – Nuclear energy in the closed system
ETe – Thermal energy in the closed system
EMe – Mechanical energy in the closed system
ECh – Chemical energy in the closed system
EBe – Biological energy in the closed system
EEe – Electrical energy in the closed system
EPe – Potential energy in the closed system
EO – Other known/unknown forms of energy in the closed system
For a closed system, to write the particular energy equation, we neglect the insignificant terms.
ECs=ETe+EMe
All other forms of energies is neglected.
Energy Calculation:
The energy calculations involve various mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical equations.
The following aspects are useful in various energy calculations.
Law of conservation of energy
Generalized energy equation
Particular energy equation
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Energy, Man and Environment:
Man extracts energy from the nature in the form of raw energy or primary energy resources.
Major portion of the energy is transformed to electrical forms by power plants.
Coal fired power plants emit solid particles, SO2, NO2, CO, CO2 and waste heat / chemicals
etc into the environment.
Polluting the environment disturbs the ecological nature.
Energy
Human
life
Energy
conversion
process
Environment
Relation between energy, energy conversion processes, man and environment
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1.3 Global Energy Scene
•
Fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) currently provide the majority of our energy.
•
On a global basis, it supplies about 81% of the energy. Non-fossil fuel sources include
nuclear, hydro (dams with electrical turbines attached to the outflow), solar (both
photovoltaic and solar thermal), and a variety of other sources.
•
The percentages of energy provided by these different sources have clearly changed
over time. Will certainly change in the future as well.
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1.4 Energy Demand:
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The demand for energy is rising rapidly with growing population and industrialization.
•
Secondary or usable energy forms are important.
Examples for secondary energy forms
Fuels ; coal, petroleum (oil), natural gas, chemicals, fire wood etc
•
electrical power
•
chemicals for processes
•
renewables such as solar heat, bio gas, wind, biomass etc
This usable energy is either purchased from energy supply or obtained as free commodity (product or
material that can be bought or sold) from nature.
Secondary energy requirement:
The Secondary energy requirement can be classified into the following categories.
(i)
Domestic, Social, Municipal
(ii)
Commercial
(iii)
Agricultural
(iv)
Transportation
(v)
Defense, Medical, Scientific work etc
Energy needs of man:
Needs of energy for men varies with various factors such as
(i)
Life style
(ii)
Climatic condition
(iii)
Season
(iv)
Industrial progress etc
•
Primitive man needs less energy
•
Rural man needs less energy than urban man
•
Urban man needs more energy. It depends on electrical energy, petrol, liquified petroleum gas
etc.
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Energy needs of industry:
Today’s industry needs
Coal
Steam
Electrical energy
furnace oil
diesel
chemicals
lubricating oils etc
raw materials like
steel
copper
aluminium etc
1.5 Energy scene in India:
•
Electricity demand in India has grown an average 4% per annum over last 30 years.
•
For the Indian economy to grow at 9% annually, additional capacity of 60 GW must be added
every five years.
•
Government’s promise of 100% electricity to domestic users will push up consumption.
•
Besides the increasing demand for power, gross inefficiencies and chaotic functioning of the
power sector puts further pressure on power supply.
•
The transmission and distribution networks are highly inefficient.
•
Experts say that there is 30 – 40% power loss.
•
Financial health of the state electricity boards is poor.
•
Capacity utilization is very poor.
•
Most hydro and thermal power stations operate at 87% load factor.
•
Thermal plants face shortage of coal.
•
Nuclear power plants operate at 50% loads, due to shortage of uranium.
•
In 2008, four gas based power projects were idle due to lack of fuel linkage.
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The demand for electricity is expected to be about 1,000 GW by 2030.
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Invested heavily in renewable energy, particularly in the wind energy – current installed
capacity is about 13 GW.
•
Aims to produce 20 GW from solar power and 30 GW from nuclear energy in next 10-15
years.
•
India is rich in renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydro and bio-energy sources.
•
However, it has less hydrocarbon reserve (0.4% of world’s reserve)
•
India depends on fossil fuel imports to meet its energy demands
•
In 2009-10, the import of crude oil alone accounted for 31% of the country’s total imports.
•
India has ambitious plans to expand its renewable and nuclear power industries.
•
Country envisages increasing the contribution of nuclear power.
•
Plan to increase the overall electricity generation capacity from 3% to 9% within 25 years.
Energy consumption in India:
Higher per capita energy consumption of a country indicates industrial progress and
prosperity.
Per capita = average per inhabitant per person
Transportation by road, rail, ocean and air requires high energy input.
Water is pumped and distributed by using motor pumps, which consumes electrical energy.
Ex: Annual per capita electrical energy consumption of India in 1988 was 2388 KWh against 92000
KWh of USA
1.6 Energy demand of the world:
The energy demand of the world has continued to increase at an annual growth rate of 3 to 4
% due to the following reasons.
•
Increasing per capita energy consumption with increasing standard of living.
•
Increasing population
•
Increasing industrialization
•
Invention of large energy conversion machines
Ex: electric motors, gas turbines, internal combustion engines etc
•
Increasing transportation
•
Development of energy supply systems and availability of electrical energy fuels.
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1.7 Units of Energy:
Energy is defined in terms of work.
In CGS unit, the unit of energy is erg .
1 Joule is equal to 107 ergs.
SI unit of energy is the same as that of the unit of work – the Joule (J).
1 Joule = 1 Kg
The energy unit that is used in atomic physics, particle physics and high energy physics is
electron Volt (eV).
One eV is equivalent to 1.60217653×10−19 J.
In spectroscopy the unit cm−1 ≈ 0.0001239842 eV is used to represent energy.
Energy is inversely proportional to wavelength from the equation.
Various Units of Energy
• British Thermal Unit (BTU)
• Horsepower (HP)
• Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
• Calorie
• Electron volts (eV)
• Hartree (the atomic unit of energy)
• Rydberg units
• Barrel of oil
Energy Conversion
Relation between commercial and SI unit of energy
The commercial unit of energy is 1 kWh.
One kilowatt-hour is defined as the amount of energy that is consumed by a device in one working
hour at a constant rate of one kilowatt.
The SI unit of energy is Joule.
1 kWh
= 1 kW × 1h
= 1000 W × 1h
= 1000 (J/s) × 3600 s
= 3.6 × 106 J
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Relationship between Energy, Force and Distance
Energy = Force × Distance
Units of force and distance are N and m respectively
Therefore, E = Nm
1.8 Classification of Energy Sources
Energy sources can be classified into two types.
Non-renewable and renewable
Non-renewable resources, are removed from the earth and can be depleted.
Examples for non-renewable resources are, fossil fuels and nuclear material.
Renewable resources are consumed and are continuously available.
Examples for renewable resources are wind, water, solar, tidal and geothermal.
1.9 General classification of Energy
Energy resources can be classified as follows
1. Based on usability of Energy
Primary resources
Intermediate resources
Secondary Resources
2. Based on traditional use
Conventional Energy
Non-conventional Energy
3. Based on long term availability
Renewable resources
Nonrenewable resources
4. Based on commercial Application
Commercial Energy Resource
Non-commercial Energy resources
5. Based on origin
Fossil fuel Energy
Nuclear Energy
Hydro Energy
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Solar Energy
Wind Energy
Biomass Energy
Geothermal Energy
Tidal Energy
Ocean Thermal Energy
Ocean wave Energy
Based on usability of Energy
Primary resources / raw energy sources
These are the sources available in nature, before undergoing any human made
conversions or transformations. These resources are generally available in raw forms and are
therefore known as raw energy resources.
Generally, this form of energy cannot be used as such. These are located, explored,
extracted, processed and are converted to a form as required by the consumer.
Energy yield ratio of an energy extraction process is defined as
Energy received fron raw energy source
Energy yield ratio= Energy spent to obtain raw energy source
Ex: coal, crude oil, sunlight, wind, running rivers, Uranium etc.
Intermediate resources:
These are obtained from primary energy by one or more steps of transformation.
Secondary Resources:
The form of energy which is finally supplied to a consumer for utilization is known as
secondary or usable energy resources.
Ex: Electricity, steam, hot water, petrol, diesel, chemical energy in the form of
hydrogen or fossil fuels etc.
Based on traditional use
Conventional Energy:
Energy resources which are being traditionally used for many decades and were in common
use are called conventional energy resources. This is the energy which has been used from
ancient times.
Ex: fossil fuels, nuclear and hydro resources etc.
Non-conventional Energy:
Energy resources which are considered for large scale use are called non-conventional energy
resources.
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Ex: Solar, wind, biomass etc.
Based on long term availability
Renewable resources:
Resources which are renewed by nature again and again and their supply is not affected by the
rate of their consumption are called renewable energy resources.
Ex: solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydro etc.
Non-renewable resources:
Resources which are available in certain finite quantity and cannot be replenished
(restoration of a supply) after their consumption are called non-renewable energy resources.
Ex: fossil fuels, Uranium etc
Based on commercial Application
Commercial Energy Resource:
This kind of energy have a price and the consumer has to pay to purchase them.
Ex: Electricity, petrol, diesel, gas etc
Non-commercial Energy resources:
The energy derived from nature and used directly without passing through a commercial
outlet is called non-commercial resource.
Ex: wood, animal dung, crop residue etc.
Based on origin
Fossil fuel Energy:
Fossil fuels are the fuels formed by slow decomposition and chemical action of buried
organic matters under favorable pressure, heat and bacterial environment. It is formed in
several parts of the earth at varying depths.
Ex: coal, oil, gas
Nuclear Energy:
The energy released when atoms of certain unstable material split in the process of
fission is called nuclear energy.
Ex: Uranium
Hydro Energy:
The potential energy of water created due to the storage of water at higher level is
called hydro energy.
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Solar Energy:
The energy released from the sun is solar energy. The heat energy contained in the sun
rays can be utilized to generate electric power.
Wind Energy:
The energy released when air flows is wind energy. Wind energy is associated with the
movement of large mass of air from cold to hot regions. Wind energy can be used to run wind
mill, which in turn will drive a generator to produce electric power.
Biomass Energy:
Organic matter derived from biological organisms such as plants, algae, animals, etc
are called biomass, and the energy derived from biomass is called biomass energy. Some of
the biomass energy resources are wood, leaves, algae and other vegetation from ocean and
lake, municipal and industrial waste, rural waste etc.
Geothermal Energy:
The thermal energy contained in the interior of the earth is called geothermal energy.
Geothermal energy is enormous and will last for several millions of years and is also
renewable.
Tidal Energy:
Energy released from the tides is called tidal energy.
Ocean tides are the periodic rise and fall of ocean water level occurring twice in each
lunar day.
Tides that occur due to gravitational force of the moon and the sun on ocean water.
The difference in the level between the high and the low tide is called tidal energy.
Ocean Thermal Energy:
The energy acquired from solar radiation in the form of temperature rise in the ocean water is
called ocean thermal energy.
Ocean thermal energy conversion plants (OTEC) converts thermal energy from ocean water to
electrical power.
Ocean wave Energy:
The energy due to the periodic to and fro, up and down motion of water particles in the form
of progressive waves is called ocean wave energy.
The period of ocean waves is of the order of few seconds. The ocean energy is an important
renewable energy for coastal areas.
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1.10 Global Energy Crisis
Energy crisis is any great blockage in supply of energy resources to an economy.
Over Population
Over consumption
Poor Infrastructure
Miscellaneous
Factors
Lack of storage
Causes of Energy
Crisis
Unexplored
Renewable Energy
Resource
Delay of
commissioning of
power plants
Wars and Attacks
Wastage of Energy
Major Accidents and
Natural Calamities
•
Poor Distribution
system
It is the concern that the world’s demands on the limited natural resources that are used to
power industrial society.
•
Natural resources are in limited supply.
•
Energy crisis is something that is ongoing and getting worse, despite many efforts.
Causes of the Global Energy Crisis
Over consumption
•
Strain on fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal due to overconsumption.
•
In turn, can put a strain on our water and oxygen resources by causing pollution.
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Over population
•
Steady increase in the world’s population and its demands for fuel and products
•
All food products, domestic items are using transportation, which consumes fuel.
Poor Infrastructure
•
Old buildings with wiring causes more current leakage Obsolete equipment / vehicle
consumes more fuel or energy
•
Upgrading the infrastructure will set a high standard of performance.
Unexplored Renewable Energy Options
•
Renewable energy still remains unused in most of the countries.
•
Most of the energy comes from non-renewable sources like coal.
•
Renewable energy sources can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
•
Helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Delay in Commissioning of Power Plants
•
In a few countries, there is a significant delay in the commissioning of new power plants.
•
Can fill the gap between demand and supply of energy.
•
The result is that old plants come under huge stress to meet the daily demand for power.
•
When supply doesn’t match demand, it results in load-shedding and breakdown.
Wastage of Energy
•
In most parts of the world, people do not realize the importance of conserving energy.
•
It is only limited to books, the internet, newspaper ads, lip service, and seminars.
•
Simple things like switching off fans and lights when not in use.
•
Using maximum daylight, walking instead of driving for short distances.
•
Using CFL instead of traditional bulbs, proper insulation for leakage of energy can go a
long way in saving energy
Poor Distribution System
•
Frequent tripping and breakdown are a result of a poor distribution system.
Major Accidents and Natural Calamities
•
Major accidents like pipeline burst and natural calamities like the eruption of volcanoes,
floods, earthquakes can also cause interruptions to energy supplies.
•
Huge gap between supply and demand for energy can raise the price of essential items,
which can give rise to inflation.
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Wars and Attacks
•
Wars between countries can also hamper the supply of energy.
•
Especially if it happens in Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait,
UAE, or Qatar.
•
During the 1990 Gulf war when the price of oil reached its peak causing global shortages
and created major problems.
Lack of storage:
•
Energy must be stored. The storage capacity has to be continuously increased to match the
future demand.
Miscellaneous Factors
•
Tax hikes, strikes, military coup, political events, severe hot summers or cold winters can
cause a sudden increase in demand for energy.
•
Can choke supply.
•
A strike by trade unions in an oil-producing firm can cause an energy crisis.
•
The growth of human civilization has led to an increase in the consumption of traditional
sources of energy.
•
The very basic source of energy is precious fossil fuels.
•
The usage of all these sources is bound to produce certain effects.
1.11 Various effects of the Global energy crisis
Environmental Effects
•
Energy is produced by the burning of non-renewable fossil fuels.
•
This does not only affect the global resources of fossil fuels. It also affects the environment.
•
The burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and others.
•
These gases create a blanket on the earth’s surface, which prevents the release of the short
rays of the sun by night.
•
The energy crisis facilitates making the earth a warmer place by promoting global warming.
Increasing Prices of the Fuel Resources
•
As the use of fossil fuels increases, the cost of these resources increases too.
•
The quantity in which these fossil fuels are available is limited. Keep on using these
resources, the amount of these fossil fuels further decreases
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The demand for these fuels increases daily while their available quantity decreases every day.
This leads to an immense increase in the price of fossil fuels, causing the price to increase.
•
This creates a huge economic disturbance across the globe.
Political Disturbances
•
The energy crisis creates some socio-economic disturbances.
•
Global energy crisis also creates a lot of political disturbances.
•
With the failure of the energy markets, we see a crash in not only the global economy but also
a crash of the energy available.
The Effect on the Tourism Industry
•
Tourism industry is largely dependent on the rise and fall of fuel prices.
•
Rise of the fuel prices that comes as a result of the energy crisis affects the tourism industry
pretty adversely.
•
There are many who cannot afford the same.
•
As a result of all this, it is the tourism industry that suffers.
1.12 Possible Solutions to the Problem of Global Energy Crisis
Shift to Renewable Resources
•
Much of the industrial age was created using fossil fuels.
•
There is also known technology that uses other types of renewable energies – such as steam,
solar and wind.
Shifting to renewable energy source is the possible solution for these.
Buy Energy-Efficient Products
•
Replace traditional bulbs with CFLs and LEDs. They use fewer watts of electricity and last
longer.
•
If millions of people across the globe use LEDs and CFLs for residential and commercial
purposes, the demand for energy can go down.
•
BLDC – Fans (Additional Info.) BLDC (Brushless DC) motor fans is an upcoming
technology for fans. (50% of energy is saved)
Lighting Controls
•
Preset lighting controls, slide lighting, touch dimmers, integrated lighting controls are few of
the lighting controls.
•
Reduce overall lighting costs.
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Easier Grid Access
•
The hassles of getting credit for supplying surplus power back into the grid should be
removed. Subsidy on solar panels should be given to encourage more people to explore
renewable options
Energy Simulation
•
Energy simulation software can be used by big corporates and corporations to redesign the
building unit.
•
Reduce running business energy costs.
•
Engineers, architects, and designers could use this design to come with most energy-efficient
buildings and reduce carbon footprint.
Conducting Energy Audit
•
The energy audit is a process that helps you to identify the areas where your home or office is
losing energy.
•
What steps you can take to improve energy efficiency.
•
Energy audit, done by a professional will reduce the carbon footprint.
•
Save energy and money, and avoid energy crisis.
1.13 Energy Alternatives
•
Solar Power
•
Nuclear Power
•
Hydroelectric Energy
•
Wave Energy
•
Biofuels
•
Natural Gas
•
Geothermal Power
•
Wind Energy
Solar Power
This energy source is completely renewable.
The costs of installation are outweighed by the money saved in energy bills from traditional
suppliers.
Nevertheless, solar cells are prone to decline over large periods of time.
Not as effective in un-ideal weather conditions.
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Nuclear Power
Most abundant forms of alternative energy
Direct benefits in terms of emissions and efficiency
Boosting the economy by creating jobs in plant creation and operation.
drawback is that when something goes wrong with a nuclear power plant the potential for
disaster exists.
The situations in Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2016) are examples of this
Hydroelectric (Hydel)
Earliest means of creating energy, though their use began to decline with the rise of fossil
fuels.
Still account for approximately seven percent of the energy produced in the United States.
A clean source of energy
Doesn’t create pollution
A renewable energy source.
Wave Energy
Valuable contributor to alternative energy fuel sources with wave energy converters.
Advantage over tidal energy sources because they can be placed in the ocean in various
situations and locations.
More reliable than many other forms of alternative energy.
Has enormous potential when used properly.
Cost of systems is a major contributing factor to slow uptake.
Biofuel
Bio-fuels make use of animal and plant life to create energy.
Fuels that can be obtained from some form of organic matter.
Renewable in cases where plants are used, as these can be re-grown on a yearly basis.
Requires dedicated machinery for extraction, which can contribute to increased emissions
even if bio- fuels themselves don’t.
Natural Gas
Natural gas sources have been in use for a number of decades.
It is being used in cars to reduce carbon emissions.
Demand for this energy source has been increasing.
The potential for contamination is larger than with other alternative fuel sources.
Natural gas still emits greenhouse gases, even if the amount is lower than with fossil fuels
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Geothermal Power
Extracting energy from the ground around us.
It is growing increasingly popular, with the sector as a whole experiencing five percent
growth in 2015.
World Bank currently estimates that around forty countries could meet most of their power
demands using geothermal power.
This power source has massive potential while doing little to disrupt the land.
Heavy upfront costs of creating geothermal power plants has led to slower adoption.
Wind Energy
Has become increasingly popular in recent years.
It makes use of a renewable source and generates no waste.
Current wind energy installations power roughly twenty million homes in the United States
per year.
Unfortunately, this form of energy generation also presents challenges.
Wind turbines restrict views and may be dangerous to some forms of wildlife.
Biomass Energy
Burning wood has been used for thousands of years to create heat.
More recent advancements have also seen waste, such as that in landfills, and alcohol
products used for similar purposes.
Focusing on burning wood, the heat generated can be equivalent to that of a central heating
system.
Costs involved tend to be lower.
Amount of carbon released by this kind of fuel falls below the amount released by fossil fuels.
Tidal Energy
It is a fairly new technology, its potential is enormous.
United Kingdom estimated that tidal energy could meet as much as 20% of the UK’s current
electricity demands.
Uses the kinetic energy of the ocean to power turbines.
Hydrogen Gas
Unlike other forms of natural gas, hydrogen is a completely clean burning fuel.
Once produced, hydrogen gas cells emit only water vapor and warm air when in use.
Mostly derived from the use of natural gas and fossil fuels.
The process of electrolysis, is used for the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen.
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1.14 Energy Alternatives India (EAI)
To provide consulting, research, promotion and marketing support to the fast-growing
renewable energy.
To establish clean-tech industry in India.
Started by a team of professionals from IITs and IIMs having prior experience in the
alternative energy industry.
Vision of EAI is to promote widespread and increased adoption of renewable energy.
EAI provides consultancy for all the major renewable energy sectors.
Major focus on Solar (PV and thermal), Wind, Bio-energy, and Energy Efficiency.
1.15 Comparison of conventional and non-conventional resources
Conventional
Non-conventional
Traditional
Non-traditional
This is used for many years.
This is not in routine use at present.
These resources can be easily converted
into mechanical energy.
These resources require some costly
method to be converted into mechanical
energy.
Limited availability.
Available in vast quantity.
Ex: coal, petrol, diesel, nuclear fuels, LPG
etc
EX: solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biogas
etc.
1.16 Comparison of renewable and non-renewable resources
Renewable
These resources can be easily replenished.
Non-renewable
These resources cannot be easily
replenished it takes reasonable time for
renewable.
These are in-exhaustible resources
These are environment friendly
Efforts are taken to make vast use of these
resources
These are exhaustible resources
These cause pollution.
efforts are taken to conserve these
resources
Ex: Hydel, solar, wind. Tidal, geothermal
Ex: fossil fuels and nuclear materials
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