Sources of Energy
Conventional Sources of Energy
Conventional sources of energy are those which have been in use for a long time .
Firewood and fossil fuels are two main conventional energy sources.
FIREWOOD
v It is widely used for cooking and heating
v In India more than 50% of the energy used by villagers comes from fire wood
Advantages
v Easy access
v Provides energy for a large number of people
Disadvantages
v Collecting is time consuming
v Polluting
v Promoting green house effect
De-forestation
COAL
About 300 million years back, forests in low lying wetland areas got buried under the soil. More soil got deposited over them over time. Due to high pressure and temperature, the vegetation was converted into coal. as carbon is a main component of coal, the slow conversation of dead vegetation to coal is called carbonisation.Coal is processed into various useful components like coke, coal tar, coal gas etc.coke is a pure form of carbon. coal tar is a mixture of 300 substances. It is being replaced by bitumen
Ø This is the most abundantly found fossil fuel.
Ø It is used as a domestic fuel, in industries such as iron and steel, steam engines and to generate electricity
Ø The leading coal producers of the world are CHINA, USA,GERMANY RUSSIA, SOUTH AFRICA , INDIA & FRANCE
Advantages
• Extensively available
· Efficient conversion to electricity
Disadvantages
• Polluting source
• Bulky to transport
NATURAL GAS
Petroleum and natural gas was formed millions of years back. They were formed from marine organisms. After death, these organisms settled at the bottom and got covered with layers of sand and clay. Under heat and pressure they got converted into petroleum and natural gas. Petroleum is made up of various useful components like petrol, diesel, paraffin wax etc.The separation of these units is called refining and this is done in refineries.
• Natural gas is found with petroleum deposits and is released when crude oil is brought to the surfaces.
. It can be used as a domestic and industrial fuel.
• MAJOR PRODUCERS-
WORLD: Norway , UK , Russia , Netherlands.
INDIA: Krishna Godavari delta , Tripura , Mumbai
The sharp increase in our consumption of fossil fuels had lead to the depletion at an alarming rate.
• The toxic pollutants released for burning these fuels are also a cause of concern.
• This led to the tapping of various non-conventional sources of energy that are cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels.
TYPES OF NATURAL GAS
CNG (Compressed natural gas) | LPG(Liquid petroleum gas) |
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Advantages
• Easier to transport.
• Cleaner than oil and coal.
• Cheaper than oil.
Disadvantages
• Depletion of oxygen due to oil spillage and gas leakage.
• Pollutants released caused acid rain.
• Exploration of new fuel is not easy.
OIL
An oil is a substance that is in a viscous liquid state at ambient temperatures or slightly warmer, and is both hydrophobic (immiscible with water) and lipophilic (miscible with other oils, literally).
TYPES OF OIL
Mineral oil & Organic oil
Ø MINERAL OIL
• All oils, with their high carbon and hydrogen content, can be traced back to organic sources.
• Mineral oils, found in porous rocks underground, are no exception, as they were originally the organic material, such as dead plankton, accumulated on the seafloor in geologically ancient times.
Ø ORGANIC OIL
• Oils are also produced by plants, animals and other organisms through organic processes, and these oils are remarkable in their diversity.
They have a high carbon and hydrogen content, and are considerably lacking in oxygen compared to other organic compounds and minerals.
Advantages
• Easier to transport.
• Basis of petro-chemical industry.
Disadvantages
• Depletion of oxygen due to oil spillage and gas leakage.
• Pollutants released caused acid rain.
• Exploration of new fuel is not easy.
HYDEL POWER
• ¼ of the world’s electricity is produced by the hydel power
• Leading Producers
World: Paraguay,Norway,Brazil,China
India:BhakraNangal,Gandhisagar,Nagarjunasagar ,Damodar valley
Norway was the first country in the world to develop hydroelectricity
ADVANTAGES
• Non-polluting
• Promotes irrigation& fishing
• Cheap
DISADVANTAGES
• Displacement of local community
• Inundates low areas
• Expensive to set up
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