5.3.2. Conventional Sources of Energy

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.

Energy is essential for many daily activities like cooking, lighting our homes, heating, and powering vehicles and machinery. There are two primary categories of energy sources: conventional and non-conventional. Conventional sources include those traditionally used for energy, such as firewood, coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Non-conventional sources refer to newer methods of energy generation, such as solar, wind, and geothermal energy.

Think of conventional energy resources as the dependable old car in a family. It gets you where you need to go, but it isn't the only option anymore. Just like new energy sources (like electric cars), are being introduced to make driving cleaner and more sustainable.

Conventional sources include: firewood, cattle dung cake, coal, petroleum, natural gas and electricity (both hydel and thermal). Firewood and cattle dung cake are most common in rural India. According to one estimate, more than 70 percent energy requirement in rural households is met by these two; continuation of these is increasingly becoming difficult due to decreasing forest area.

The primary conventional energy sources in India include firewood, which is often used for cooking, and cattle dung cake, which is also a common cooking fuel. Around 70% of energy in rural areas comes from these sources, but as forests dwindle, it becomes challenging to continue relying on them. Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are more modern sources that are widely used for powering industries and generating electricity.

Imagine you are in a village where everyone uses firewood for cooking. It’s cheap and accessible, but as more families rely on this resource, the nearby forest begins to disappear – this highlights the challenge of unsustainability when using conventional sources.

In India, coal is the most abundantly available fossil fuel. It provides a substantial part of the nation’s energy needs. It is used for power generation, to supply energy to industry as well as for domestic needs. India is highly dependent on coal for meeting its commercial energy requirements.

Coal is the most significant fossil fuel in India, fulfilling a large portion of the country's energy demand. It is essential for electricity generation and is used extensively in various industries for producing energy. The reliance on coal poses environmental concerns, as burning coal releases harmful emissions.

Consider a large factory that runs its machines using electricity from coal-fired power plants. If the coal supply is limited or becomes too expensive, the factory may struggle to operate efficiently, similar to how a car that needs fuel will stop running when the gas tank is empty.

Coal, therefore, is found in a variety of forms depending on the degrees of compression and the depth and time of burial. Decaying plants in swamps produce peat, which has a low carbon and high moisture content and low heating capacity. Lignite is a low grade brown coal, which is soft with high moisture content. The principal lignite reserves are in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu and are used for generation of electricity.

Coal exists in different forms based on how much pressure and heat it has been subjected to over time. The formation process begins with peat, a low-grade coal. As it is buried deeper and exposed to more heat and pressure, it transforms into lignite, then bituminous coal, and finally anthracite, which is the highest quality.

Picture coal as a layered cake: the lower layers get more heat and pressure over time. The bottom layer is dense and rich (anthracite), while the top layer is light and soft (peat), with each layer being used for different purposes based on its properties.

Petroleum or mineral oil is the next major energy source in India after coal. It provides fuel for heat and lighting, lubricants for machinery and raw materials for a number of manufacturing industries.

Following coal, petroleum is the second most important energy source in India. It is used in myriad ways—from fueling vehicles and heating homes to creating lubricants for machines and serving as a raw material in chemical industries. Thus, petroleum plays a crucial role in both domestic and industrial applications.

Think of petroleum as the oil that keeps the machinery of modern life running smoothly, just like oil is essential for a car’s engine to work well. Without it, many of the conveniences we enjoy today would come to a halt.

Natural Gas is found with petroleum deposits and is released when crude oil is brought to the surface. It can be used as a domestic and industrial fuel.

Natural gas typically occurs alongside oil and is released when crude oil is extracted. It serves as a versatile energy source used domestically for cooking and heating, as well as in industries for producing energy and chemicals.

Imagine cooking with a gas stove. The fuel (natural gas) powers your cooking, just as natural gas fuels industries and power plants. It’s like how cooking with gas makes meal preparation faster and easier.

Electricity is generated mainly in two ways: by running water which drives hydro turbines to generate hydroelectric power and by burning other fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas to drive turbines to produce thermal power.

There are two primary methods for generating electricity. Hydroelectric power harnesses the energy of moving water to turn turbines, while thermal power involves burning fossil fuels. Both methods convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, but they have different environmental impacts.

Think of hydroelectric power as a water wheel at a mill, using flowing water to turn the wheel and generate energy, while thermal power is like a steam engine that relies on burning fuel to move pistons.

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