ENERGY RESOURCES

INTRODUCTION Understanding energy resources involves considering all types

of energy source from various scientific and technological standpoints, with a focus on the uses, limitations and consequences of using energy that is available to humanity. This unit sets the scene by considering how much energy human society uses and the basic concepts of energy, work, power and efficiency, then briefly investigates the different types of energy available, their sources and renewability. GROWING ENERGY NEEDS (INDIA) Energy plays a key role in the process of economic growth of a nation. The industrial development of any country is dependent on the organized development of its power resources'. Energy is also indispensable for agriculture, transport, business and domestic requirements. In fact, electricity has such a wide range of applications in modern economic development that its per capita consumption is, to a great extent, an index of the material advancement of the country. Energy is the capacity for doing useful work. It is an essential input for economic growth. This energy is used in the form of electrical energy, thermal energy, light, mechanical energy and chemical energy etc. Energy is measured in joules in Si units. The annual per capita energy consumption in developed countries ranges from 5 to 11 kW whereas in the developing countries it is between 1 to 1.5 KW Only

USES OF ENERGY 1. Energy is a primary input in any industrial operation. 2. It is also a major input in sectors such as commerce, transport, telecommunications etc. 3. The wide range of services required in the household and industrial sectors. 4. Owing to the far-reaching changes in the forms of energy and their respective roles in supporting human activities, research and training on various aspects of energy and environment have assumed great significance. TYPES 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. 1. Wind Energy: Wind power is harnessed by setting up a windmill which is used for pumping water, grinding grain and generating electricity. The gross wind power potential of India is estimated to be about 20,000 MW, wind power projects of 970 MW capacities were installed till March. 1998. Areas with constantly high speed preferably above 20 km per hour are well-suited for harnessing wind energy. 2. Tidal Energy: 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. 3. Solar Energy: Sun is the source of all energy on the earth. It is most abundant, inexhaustible and universal source of energy. AH other sources of energy draw their strength from the sun. 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.

4. Geo-Thermal Energy: Geo-thermal energy is the heat of the earth's interior. This energy is manifested in the hot springs. India is not very rich in this source, 5. Energy from Biomass: Biomass refers to all plant material and animal excreta when considered as an energy source. Some important kinds of biomass are inferior wood, urban waste, farm animal and human waste. IMPORTANCE OF NON-CONVENTIONAL SOURCES OF ENERGY: 1. The non-conventional sources of energy are abundant in nature. According to energy experts the non-conventional energy potential of India is estimated at about 95,000 MW. 2. These are renewable resources. The non-conventional sources of energy can be renewed with minimum effort and money. 3. Non-conventional sources of energy are pollution-free and eco-friendly
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SOURCES OF ENERGY An energy resource is a natural resource from which useful work can be obtained. Energy resources are broadly classified as primary and secondary. All the natural resources can be divided into two categories: (i) Exhaustible natural resources (ii) Inexhaustible natural resources Exhaustible natural resources are soils, forests, water, coal, petroleum, natural gas, minerals etc. These are consumed or exhausted through continuous use or misuse. Exhaustible natural resources can be further divided into two(a) Renewable natural resources (b) Non-renewable natural resources Inexhaustible natural resources are those which cannot be exhausted through continuous use or misuse eq. air and sunlight etc.

RENEWABLE RESOURCES: The natural resources which are consumed/exhausted/depleted through continuous use and can be recovered by very hard efforts taken up for long periods are called Renewable Resources, for e.g. Soils, forests, groundwater etc. In other words we can say that all renewable resources are replenished through natural cycles or manually. For example oxygen in air is replenished through photosynthesis. 'Forest is maintained themselves and manually. Similarly fresh water is available through cycles & manually too. Most of the removable resources are interdependent to each other. Forests maintained the environment/climate; plants need to check soil erosion & soil is needed for plants. Air and insects are needed for pollination. Wood, fibre, fodder, fruits, vegetables, milk etc. are developed directly or indirectly by recent photosynthetic activity. Thus the renewal of these resources will continue at as long as photosynthesis continues on this planet. These resources are the life support system which can fulfill all human needs. But its productivity/renewability is limited or depends upon availability of water, nutrients and environmental conditions. The natural resources are useful to human society in one way or other. Hence we should ensure a continuous yield of useful plants, animals and materials by establishing a balanced cycle of harvest and renewal (Odom 1971). NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES: Non renewable resources are not replenished able or we cannot get back our coal and petroleum reserves in our life time, if ones they are consumed/exhausted completely. Non-renewable resources are metals (iron,
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copper, zinc etc.), coal, oil deposits, minerals, stone, mineral, salts (Phosphate, nitrates, carbonates etc.) etc. Minerals are often called the 'STOCK' resources, because their new materials can only be extracted from the earth's crust once. But even in the transformed state in which they are used, they are not lost to the planet and so are ideally available for reuse. Metals/minerals come from a very slow process of geo-chemical concentration, which took millions of years to form. Therefore, these deposits which occur today can disappear at some point of time in future. Coal, petroleum and natural gas are called as 'FOSSIL FUELS' because they are formed from dead remains of plants and animals buried in the earth long ago. They are called fuels because they are burnt to give off energy. Coal have a high heating value, hence it is a useful fuel. Since fossil fuels are nonrenewable sources of energy, therefore it is essential to explore more and more alternatives. Today we are utilizing solar energy, wind energy, ocean, geothermal & atomic energy as alternative sources of energy. Minerals, rocks, salts and chemicals etc. are termed as 'a biotic resources', as biological activity is not involved in their formation. Continuous over exploitation of these resources shall exhaust many of our valuable deposits, which took millions of years to form. They cannot be duplicated within the human scale of time. Conservation of minerals: Minerals add to our safety, health and well-being. Iron, copper, coal, petroleum and other minerals have a thousand and one uses. The loss of even one of these minerals would affect our life considerably. Careful mining helps us to conserve coal, iron and oil-deposits.

It seems hard to believe that one day we would have to live without coal or oil. Yet, there are chances that oil and coal will get exhausted if we continue using them at the rate we do today. We should take the following steps to conserve non-renewable resources. 1. Prohibiting wastage of resources: Wastage of resources should be discouraged. For example, using public transport in place of individual vehicles helps to conserve valuable petrol. Use of car-pool system where several people with a common destination go together in one vehicle, saves petrol. Switching off fans, lights and coolers when not in use, using cooking gas economically, use of pressure cookers, using tube lights in place of electric bulb are some ways of conserving non-renewable resources which could help in a big way. 2. Use of substitutes: Alternative sources of energy like solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy, energy from biomas (biogas), etc., can be used on a large scale to substitute the fossil fuels. Use of solar cookers and biogas for cooking must be encouraged. New materials are being developed to substitute non-renewable resources. For example, plastics are now used to make products that once could be made only out of steel. The use of atomic energy can lessen our dependence on coal and oil. 3. Recycling resources: All types of metal wastes, glass and paper and plastic can be recycled and used again. The local kabadiwala collects all the junk and carap which is recycled and used again to make paper, plastic containers and metal articles. Although plastic is not a natural resource n itself (it is man-made) but uses up
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lot of fuel in its manufacturing process. Hence, recycling plastic helps to conserve fuels. Recycling paper helps to conserve forests. 4. Repair and use: In India, we do not discard any object or appliance that doesnt work. We get it repaired and reuse it. The repair and use economy helps to conserve resources as it discourages production and wastage.

VARIOUS ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES: The energy sources other than conventional energy sources are called alternative energy sources. At present the Government of India is trying to boost up the production of alternatives fuels to meet over all requirements of energy in the country. There are various alternative energy sources available such as ethanol, Compressed Natural Gas, Biodised, Hydrogen energy, Gas Hydrates, Tidal energy, Geothermal Energy etc. Ethanol: Ethanol is used an automotive fuel itself, but can be mixed with gasoline to form Gasohol which is a mixture of absolute alcohol and petrol. Also it is being tried as a fuel to run a car. The Mysore Sugar company of Mandya tried out a 25.75 proportion of mix of absolute alcohol and petrol for use, with view to boost the agricultural sector and to reduce environmental pollution. Government is examining feasibility for the supply of ethanol-doped petrol in the country. The government has also launched several pilot projects in

few states like Maharashtra; Uttar Pradesh which is supplying 5% ethanol doped petrol only to retain outlets under their respective supply areas. The petroleum industry also looks very committed to use ethanol as fuel, as it is expected to benefit sugarcane farmers as well as the oil industry in the long run. The ethanol can also be produced from wheat, corn, beat, sorghum etc. Ethanol is also one of the best tools to fight vehicular pollution as it contains 35% of oxygen that helps complete combustion of fuel and thus reduces harmful emissions.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG): Compressed Natural Gas is a substitute for gasoline or diesel fuel which also been considered as an environmentally clean alternative fuels.It contains 95% methane and 5% combination of butane propane, ethane and other trace gases and water vapor. Compressed Natural Gas is already used in countries such as the USA, Japan, Italy, Brazil and New Zealand. The government on its part has launched CNG pilot project in Delhi and Mumbai, which has caused considerable reduction in emissions. The government is also planning to expand CNG facility to more cities and towns in the next few years with the twin objectives of better environment and better economy. The Gas Authority of India Limited has been authorized to implement the plan. The conversion of petro-run engines into the CNG mode is also quite simple.

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG): It is increasingly being recognized as the fuel of the 21 st century, it is composed of methane at least 90%, but it also contains ethane, propane and heavier hydrocarbons. Small quantities of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, sulphur compounds and water may also be found. But liquifaction process removes the oxygen, carbon dioxide, sulphur compounds and water. The government of India has also recognized the importance of LNG as the preferred fuel and has spelt out the objectives of encouraging use of gas and ensuring its adequate availability through a mix of domestic production and imports. Hydrogen: Hydrogen is a clean and efficient energy carrier with potential to replace liquid and gaseous fossil fuels. Hydrogen also appears to be a favoured alternative due to its high specific energy per unit weight. It is also universally available as a component of water and there is a universally harmful exhaust gas as its primary combustion product is water vapour. Form the safety angle, there is one major problem with hydrogen, is its low density and high diffusion capacity. The low density of hydrogen means that rises quickly into the atmosphere if proper venting is done. Gas Hydrates: Gas Hydrates are a naturally occurring ice like combination of natural gas and water that have potential to be a significant new source of energy from the world's ocean and Polar Regions. For the first time, USA's Geological Survey has proven that, it is technically feasible to produce gas from gas hydrate.

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The estimated amount of natural gas in the gas hydrates accumulations of the world exceeds the all known conventional gas resources. Tidal Energy: Oceans all over the world contain renewable energy in the form of temperature gradients, waves, tides and ocean currents that can be used to generate electricity in an environmental friendly manner. Among the different ocean energy sources, the movement of tides had been developed commercially. Some of the countries of the world such as France, Russia, China, Canada, and United Kingdom etc. are making use of tidal energy on commercial basis. In India, some potential sites for tapping tidal energy are in the Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Cambay in Gujarat and the delta of the River Ganges in the Sunder bans regions in West Bengal. Geothermal Energy: It is an important alternative energy source derived from the natural heat of the world. This thermal energy can be used for producing electricity and also for direct heat applications. More than 300 hot springs have been identified by Geological Survey of India that can be used for power generation and the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources has also supported many such projects in Jammu and Kashmir, Chhattisgarh etc. CONCLUSION As you can see there are number of different alternative energy sources that are more than capable to replace currently dominant fossil fuels, of course given enough money for their further development. The main advantage of these alternative energy sources is that they are ecologically acceptable energy sources that unlike fossil fuels do not release large quantities of CO2 and other harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, causing global warming and climate change.
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Science will have to play its part in this whole story, and make sure that these sources become competitive to currently dominant fossil fuels because many people still despite the environmental disaster that threatens us, are not ready to pay for energy more than they are currently paying. This is where science should drop in and offer solution through different technologies that should transform renewable energy sources into highly competitive energy sources. In some parts of the world renewable energy sources are slowly but surely becoming dominant energy sources, but big countries, that are also big polluters, are still heavily relying on fossil fuels to satisfy energy demand.

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REFERENCES

Website http://interestingenergyfacts.blogspot.in/2005/05/alternative-energy-sourcesconclusion.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_energy_resources http://www.energy4me.org/energy-facts/energy-sources/ http://www.preservearticles.com/201107308733/energy-resources.html

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