Energy resources are things that can produce power. Energy source is the fuel or other force that puts energy into a system or uses energy from the system.
Energy resources are renewable and non-renewable. Renewable energy is produced by natural forces which are replenished at a rate significantly higher than their rate of consumption, e.g. solar power, wind power, hydropower, geothermal heat, etc.
Non-renewable sources include fossil fuels (petroleum, coal, natural gas), nuclear fission material, uranium-235. Energy resources can be classified as
- Conventional Sources: It includes firewood, cattle dung cake, coal, petroleum, natural gas and electricity.
- Non-Conventional Sources: It includes solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biogas and atomic energy
1. Conventional Sources of Energy
I. Coal:
- It is the most abundantly available fossil fuel.
- It is used for power generation, to supply energy to the industry as well as for domestic needs.
- Lignite is a low grade brown coal, which is soft with high moisture content.
- Coal that has been buried deep and subjected to increased temperatures is bituminous coal.
- Anthracite is the highest quality of hard coal.
- Jharia, Raniganj, Bokaro are important coalfields.
II. Petroleum
- It provides fuel for heat and lighting, lubricants for machinery and raw materials for a number of manufacturing industries.
- Petroleum refineries act as a “nodal industry” for synthetic textile, fertiliser and numerous chemical industries.
- Mumbai High, Gujarat and Assam are major petroleum production areas in India.
III. Natural Gas
- Natural gas is an important clean energy resource. It is considered an environment- friendly fuel.
- The power and fertilizer industries are the key users of natural gas.
- Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is used in vehicles to replace liquid fuels.
- Large reserves of natural gas have been discovered in the Krishna-Godavari basin
IV. Electricity
Electricity is generated mainly in 2 ways:
- By running water which drives hydro turbines to generate Hydro Electricity. It is a renewable resource of energy. India has a number of multi-purpose projects like the Bhakra Nangal, Damodar Valley Corporation, the Kopili Hydel Project.
- By burning other fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas to drive turbines to produce Thermal Power. It uses non-renewable fossil fuels for generating electricity.
2. Non-Conventional Sources of Energy
I. Nuclear or Atomic Energy: Nuclear Energy is obtained by altering the structure of atoms. Uranium and Thorium are used for generating atomic or nuclear power.
II. Solar Energy: Solar energy is produced by the Sun’s light. Photovoltaic technology converts sunlight directly into electricity.
III. Wind Power: Wind Energy or Power is the use of wind to generate electricity. Wind turbines are used for this purpose. The largest wind farm cluster is located in Tamil Nadu from Nagarcoil to Madurai.
IV. Biogas: Biogas is a type of biofuel that is naturally produced from the decomposition of organic waste. Biogas is the most efficient use of cattle dung. It improves the quality of manure.
V. Tidal Energy: Tidal energy is the form of hydropower that converts the energy obtained from tides into useful forms of power, mainly electricity. In India, the Gulf of Khambhat, the Gulf of Kachchh in Gujarat on the western coast and Gangetic delta in Sunderban regions of West Bengal provide ideal conditions for utilising tidal energy.
VI. Geo Thermal Energy: When heat and electricity are produced by using the heat from the interior of the earth, it is known as Geo-Thermal Energy. In India, geothermal energy is harnessed from Parvati valley near Manikarn in Himachal Pradesh and from Puga Valley, Ladakh.
