Energy And

Power Resoures
Science And Technology has made our lives easier. Most of
us begin our day by switching of the geyser. We iron our
clothes and then eat breakfast. Pupils and officers go to the
school by bus, let’s find about what makes the geyser heat up
the water and what makes the buses move.
Sources Of Energy
There are two sources of energy -
Conventional And Non-Conventional
1. Conventional Energy
The conventional sources of energy include firewood, cow dung
cakes, coal, petroleum, natural gas and electricity generated from
water and wind. They are also known as non-renewable sources
of energy. Once they’ve been used up, they cannot be replenished
as they are available in limited quantities.
2. Non-Conventional Energy
Non-Conventional sources of energy are also known as alternative
sources of energy. These sources of energy are mainly generated from
solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy and biogas. They are also
referred to as renewable sources as they will not run out in the near
future like fossil fuels. The non-conventional sources of energy are
eco-friendly.
 Sources Of
Conventional Energy
 The conventional sources of
energy are the chief sources of
commercial energy. The major
fuels used are coal, natural oil
or petroleum and natural gas.
Coal has been used for centuries as a fuel. During the industrial
revolution, it was used to produce steam power to run factory
machineries and railway locomotives. It was the most important
fuel for factories, locomotives and steam ships. In India, coal is the
most abundantly used fossil fuel. India is highly dependent on coal
for meeting its commercial energy as well as for its domestic needs.
We already know that coal is a sedimentary rock which is formed
due to the compression of organic matter, mainly plants over a long
period of time. Coal exists in a variety of forms depending upon
depth, time and the amount of compression. The highest quality of
coal is anthracite and bituminous, whereas lignite and peat are of
lower quality. Coal is a bulky fuel. It reduces on burning. It is used
to generate electricity in thermal power plants. It is also used in
the iron and steel industry and chemical industry. Coal is an
important resource today in many spears. It is not only used as a
fossil fuel but also used as a raw material for many other
industries.
 Petroleum is also called mineral or natural oil. It is the main source of
many products like petrol, diesel oil, kerosene, benzene, Vaseline® and
paraffin wax. Petroleum is one of the most widely-used fossil fuels. It is the
next major source of energy in India after coal. Petroleum provides fuel for
heating, lighting, and lubricants for machinery. It has several advantages
and it has the widest range of domestic as well as industrial uses. It is
therefore often referred to as ‘black gold’. Petroleum refineries act as a nodal
industry for synthetic fiber, the fertilizer industry and numerous chemical
industries. India has twelve oil refineries. The crude oil obtained from the
Earth need refining and is carried through pipelines to refineries. Mineral
oil is highly inflammable in nature. It is transported through pipelines to
avoid hazards. Look at a map of India and name the major oil refineries in
the country. The major share of the country’s production is from
Mumbai-High. It has the largest mineral oil deposits in India and are
found in the offshore sea near Mumbai. Sagar Samrat is the oil drilling
platform located off the coast of Mumbai. India imports about 7O percent
of mineral oil in order to meet its requirement of mineral oil. Ankleshwar is
one of the most important oil fields located in Gujarat. The oldest oil
Natural gas is considered an environment
friendly fuel because of its low carbon
dioxide emissions. This gas may occur in
association with petroleum. The large fields
of gas often have no natural oil. In India,
large reserves of natural gas have been
discovered in the Krishna-Godavari basin.
Along the western coast, natural gas has
been discovered in the region of Mumbai
High. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands
also have reserves of natural gases.