Energy Resources
Energy is required for all activities. It is needed to cook, to provide light and heat, to propel vehicles and to drive machinery in industries. Energy can be generated from fuel minerals like coal, petroleum, natural gas, uranium and from electricity.
Energy resources can be classified as conventional and non-conventional sources.
- Conventional sources include: firewood, cattle dung cake, coal, petroleum, natural gas and electricity (both hydel and thermal).
- Non-conventional sources include solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biogas and atomic energy. Firewood and cattle dung cake are most common in rural India.
According to one estimate more than 70 per cent energy requirement in rural households is met by these two; continuation of these is increasingly becoming difficult due to decreasing forest area. Moreover, using dung cake too is being discouraged because it consumes most valuable manure which could be used in agriculture.
Conventional vs. Non-Conventional Sources of Energy
Basis of Difference | Conventional Energy Sources | Non-Conventional Energy Sources |
Definition | Sources of energy that have been traditionally used by mankind for a very long time. | Alternative sources of energy that have been developed and utilized more recently. |
Exhaustibility | Most of these are non-renewable and finite. Their reserves will eventually run out if consumed constantly. | These are renewable and inexhaustible. They are naturally replenished by the environment. |
Environmental Impact | They are highly polluting. Burning fossil fuels releases harmful greenhouse gases (, carbon monoxide) and smoke. | They are predominantly eco-friendly. They produce clean energy with zero or very minimal carbon emissions. |
Cost Factor | The initial setup cost for power plants is relatively lower, but the daily running cost (purchasing fuel) is very high. | The initial capital cost (such as manufacturing solar panels or wind turbines) is high, but the daily running cost is almost free. |
Abundance and Distribution | Their reserves are strictly limited and unequally distributed deep underground across different parts of the world. | They are abundantly and freely available almost everywhere on the Earth’s surface (like sunlight and wind). |
Examples | Coal, petroleum (crude oil), natural gas, and traditional firewood. | Solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy, geothermal energy, and biomass/biogas. |
