ENERGY SOURCES

UNIT-1 NOTES

ENERGY,
LAW OF CONSERVATION OF ENERGY,
VARIOUS FORMS OF ENERGY,
GRADES OF ENERGY,
ENERGY CONVERSION,
BASICS OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY,
BASICS OF THERMAL ENERGY

RENEWABLE ENERGY:
Renewable energy is energy that is produced from natural processes and continuously
replenished.

NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY:
Non-renewable resources are the resources found by humans as a source of energy, and such
resources cannot be replenished.
Conventional sources of Energy or Non-renewable energy sources are finite resources
that will deplete over time. Non-renewable energy is defined as energy that does not
regenerate itself at a sufficient pace to allow for long-term economic extraction on human
timescales. Coal, crude oil, natural gas, and uranium are examples of non-renewable energy
sources. Non-renewable energy, unlike renewable energy, requires human intervention to make it
usable.

CONVENTIONAL VS NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY SOURCES:

Basis of
Conventional Energy Sources Non-Conventional Energy Sources
Difference
The sources of energy that have been
Those energy sources woashose evolution
used all around the world for a long
Definition has been done the recent years are known
time are called conventional energy
as non-conventional energy sources.
sources.
Conventional energy sources exist for The non-conventional energy sources are
Existence
many years. relatively new sources of energy.
Conventional sources of energy are Non-conventional sources are renewable
Renewability
generally non-renewable sources. sources of energy.
Since non-conventional sources are
Conventional sources of energy
Availability renewable, hence they available in
available in limited quantity in nature.
abundance in nature.
Conventional energy sources require
Non-conventional energy sources can be
Formation many year (or long period of time) for
formed in short period of time.
formation.
Conventional energy sources shall Non-conventional energy sources shall not
Exhaustible
exhaust one day. exhaust because they are renewable.
Examples The common examples of The examples of non-conventional energy
conventional sources of energy are sources are sun, wind, tides, water,
coal, petroleum, natural gas, biofuels, etc.
 Basis of
Conventional Energy Sources Non-Conventional Energy Sources
Difference
firewood, etc.
Safety concerns There are many safety concerns
surrounding the conventional sources
With non-conventional energy sources, no
such as fire in coal mines, explosion
such safety concerns associated.
on oil platforms, burst of gas
cylinders, etc.
Conventional sources of energy have The energy density of non-conventional
Energy density
high energy density. energy sources is less.
Non-conventional energy sources are
Conventional sources are generally
Obtained from present in the environment such sun, wind,
obtained from the earth crest.
water, biomass, etc.
Most of the conventional energy Non-conventional energy sources are
Environmental
sources pollute the environment and environment friendly and do not cause
impact
cause global warming. pollution.
Conventional energy sources are Non-conventional are relatively less
Cost
expensive. expensive.
Applications Conventional energy sources are
Non-conventional sources are used at small
mainly used at large scale in
scale in domestic and specific commercial
commercial and industrial
and industrial applications such as solar
applications such in thermal power
power for houses, offices, etc.
plants, fuel in vehicles, etc.

Basis for
Conventional Sources of Energy Non-Conventional Sources of Energy
Comparison
Conventional sources of energy are Non-conventional sources of energy refers
Meaning the sources that are commonly in use to the sources that are identified few
since long time. decades ago.
They can be exhausted due to over
Exhaustible They cannot be exhausted.
consumption.
They pollute environment, on a large They are environment friendly sources,
Pollution
scale and adds to global warming. which does not causes pollution.
They are primarily used for industrial They are mainly used for domestic
Use
and commercial purposes. purposes.
Expense Costly. Comparatively less expensive.

Differences amongst conventional and non conventional

sources of energy
Conventional sources of energy Non-conventional Energy Sources

It requires mechanical devices for

It is readily available by nature
procuring

It has been used from centuries It is a recent development as alternative

 fuels

It is highly polluting It is non-polluting

It is more commercially viable and is widely used in

It is majorly used domestically
industries

They are scarce resources They are available in abundance

TYPES OF NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES:

Coal

Coal is the most abundant conventional source of energy which could last for at least 200
years. It is a black-brown sedimentary rock. Formation of coal occurs when the remains of plants
convert into lignite and then into anthracite. This involves a long process that takes place over a
long period of time. Coal helps for various proposes such as heating of the house, as fuel for boilers
and steam engines and for generation of electricity by thermal plants. It constitutes about 70% of
total commercial energy consumption in the country.
Oil
Out of all the conventional sources of energy, oil is used abundantly all over. Considering,
oil is one of the most important conventional sources of energy in India, the resources for same are
even smaller. The extraction of oil from deposits is known as oil resources.
Petroleum and Natural Gas
Petroleum is the mixture of hydrocarbons like alkanes and cycloalkanes. In crude form black
liquid is known as petroleum and the formation of a natural gas occurs when the gas comes in
contact with petroleum layer. Natural gas is a mixture of 50-90% of Methane, Ethane, Propane,
Butane, and Hydrogen sulphide. After refining and purifying crude petroleum, it is available as
petrol, diesel, lubricating oil, plastic etc. Natural gas is also making a significant contribution to the
household sector. It causes less air pollution as compared to other fossil fuel.
Fuel Woods
Rural people use the fuelwood for their day to day cooking which comes from natural
forests and plantations. The availability of fuelwood has become difficult due to rapid deforestation.
We can avoid this problem by planting more trees on degraded forest land, culturable wasteland,
barren land grazing land.
Thermal Power Plant:

Power stations burn a large number of fossil fuels to heat up water, to produce steam, which
further runs the turbine to generate electricity. Transmission of electricity is more efficient than,
transporting coal or petroleum over the same distance. It is called as the thermal plant because fuel
is burnt to produce heat energy which is converted into electrical energy.
Nuclear energy:
A small amount of radioactive substance can produce a lot of energy through the nuclear
substances all over the world. In order to obtain nuclear energy, nuclear reactions are essential and
there are about 300 nuclear reactions. Nuclear energy is one of the most environmentally friendly
conventional sources of energy as it produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions during the
production of electricity in comparison to sources like coal power plants. Although in case of
accidents, this same nuclear energy releases in high amount in the environment. Also, the nuclear
waste that remains is radioactive and hazardous.
TYPES OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES:
1. Solar Energy:
The radiant light and heat energy from the sun is harnessed with the use of solar collectors.
These solar collectors are of various types such as photovoltaics, concentrator photovoltaics, solar
heating, (CSP) concentrated solar power, artificial photosynthesis, and solar architecture. This
collected solar energy is then used to provide light, heat, and different other forms of electricity.
2. Wind Energy:
The energy we get from winds is known as wind energy. For this, windmills have been used
for hundreds of years to pump out water from the ground. We use large tall wind turbines that allow
winds to generate electricity. The natural airflow on the surface of the earth is used to run the wind
turbines. The modern-day wind turbines range from about 600 Kilowatt to 5 Megawatts, for
commercial purposes these are rated with an output power of 1.5 to 3 Megawatts. The most
preferred locations for these wind turbines to be installed are the areas which and strong and have
constant airflows on offshore and sites that are at high altitudes. The power generated from wind
energy in 2015 met 4% of global energy consumption.

3. Hydroelectricity:
According to statistics, hydroelectricity generated around 16.6% of the global energy
resources and constituted about 70% of all renewable electricity. This energy is another alternative
source of energy that is generated by the construction of dams and reservoirs on the flowing water,
the kinetic energy from the flowing water is used to run the turbines which generate electricity.
Tidal power converts the energy of tides and Wave power which captures the energy from the
surface of the ocean waves for power generation. These two forms of hydropower also have huge
potential in electric power generation.

4. Geothermal Energy:
It is the energy that is generated from the thermal energy which is stored in the earth. The
heat energy is captured from sources such as hot springs and volcanoes and this heat is directly used
by industries for heating the water and other purposes.

5. Biomass Energy:
This type of energy is derived from biomass which is a type of biological material derived
from living organisms and plant-derived materials which are called lignocellulosic biomass.
Biomass can be directly used via combustion to produce heat and indirectly it can be used to
convert to biofuels. Biomass can be converted to other usable forms of energy such as
transportation fuels like ethanol, biodiesel, and methane gas.

MAPPING INDIA’S ENERGY SYSTEM:

 India’s energy needs are largely met by three fuels – coal, oil and biomass. These sources
have, in aggregate, consistently met over 80% of India’s total energy demand since 1990.
COAL:
Coal has strengthened its role as the dominant energy source, maintaining its strong position
in power generation as well as being the fuel of choice for many industries (especially heavy
industries such as iron and steel).
Coal demand nearly tripled between 2000 and 2019, accounting for half of primary energy
demand growth. Today, coal meets 44% of India’s primary energy demand, up from 33% in 2000.
Coal has played a significant role in India’s economic development while also contributing
to air pollution and growing GHG emissions.

OIL:
Oil demand has more than doubled since 2000 as a result of growing vehicle ownership and
road transport use. LPG has also contributed to the growth of oil demand, in part because its
use in cooking applications has been subsidised and promoted by the government. A lack of
domestic resources means that India’s dependence on imports of crude oil has been steadily
rising, reaching around 75% in 2019. Among end‐use sectors, India’s industry sector has been the
main source of energy demand growth since 2000, around half of which was met by coal. Transport
energy demand grew 3.5 times, while demand in buildings has grown by 40% since 2000, largely as
a result of growing appliance ownership and increased access to modern cooking fuels. The
declining share of agriculture in India’s economic output, and the continued use of traditional
farming methods, mean that the agriculture sector has seen the smallest amount of growth in energy
use.

ENERGY USAGE BY VARIOUS SECTORS:

The energy consumption of a nation can be broadly divided into the following areas or
sectors depending on
energy-related activities. These can be further s
• Domestic sector (houses and offices including commercial buildings)
• Transportation sector
• Agriculture sector
• Industry sector

Consumption of a large amount of energy in a country indicates increased activities in

these sectors. This may imply better comforts at home due to use of various appliances, better
transport facilities and more agricultural and industrial production. All of this amount to a
better quality of life. Therefore, the per capita energy consumption of a country is an index of
the standard of living or prosperity (i.e. income) of the people of the country.

CATAGORY INSTALLED GENERATION

CAPACITY(MW)

Fossil Fuel

Coal 204.079

Lignite 6.620
Gas 24,824

Diesel 562

Total Fossil Fuel 2,36,086

Non-Fossil Fuel
RES (Incl. Hydro) 164.930

Hydro 46,850
Wind, Solar & Other RE 118.080
Wind 41.666
Solar 60,814
BM Power/Cogen 10,206
Waste to Energy 495
Small Hydro Power 4,899
Nuclear 6,780

Total Non-Fossil Fuel 171,710

Total Installed Capacity 407,797

(Fossil Fuel & Non-Fossil Fuel)

RESERVE TO PRODUCTION RATIO:

The reserves-to-production ratio is an estimate of the number of years that
the site of a natural resource will continue to be productive based on current
production rates.
 If the reserves remaining at the end of the year are divided by the production
in that year, the result is the length of time that the remaining reserves would last if
production were to continue at that level.

ENERGY INTENSITY:
What is Energy intensity and what it indicates?
Energy intensity is energy consumed per unit of GDP and it indicates the development stage of
that country.