Minerals are a non-renewable resource. It takes thousands of years for the formation and concentration of minerals. The rate of formation is much smaller than the rate at which humans consume these minerals. It is necessary to reduce wastage in the process of mining. Recycling metals is another way in which mineral resources can be conserved.
POWER RESOURCES
Think and Act
Sunny’s mother begins her day by switching on the geyser. She irons Sunny’s school uniform before waking him up. She then rushes to the kitchen to prepare a glass of orange juice for him in the blender. “Sunny, have you finished taking bath? Come and
have your breakfast”, calls out mother while preparing
breakfast on the gas stove for Sunny. While going to school Sunny forgets to switch off lights and fans. When mother switches them off she thinks that life in the cities may be more comfortable, but its dependency on more and more gadgets all of which consume energy has led to a wide gap between the demand and the supply. With the advent of science and technology, lifestyles are changing very fast.
Power or energy plays a vital role in our lives. We also need power for industry, agriculture, transport, communication, and defense. Power resources may be broadly categorized as conventional and non-conventional resources.
Fig. 3.7: National Power Grid to supply Electricity
Conventional Sources
Conventional sources of energy are those which have
been in common use for a long time. Firewood and fossil
fuels are the two main conventional energy sources.
Firewood
It is widely used for cooking and heating. In our country more than fifty percent of the energy used by villagers comes from fire wood.
Remains of plants and animals which were buried under the earth for millions of years got converted by the heat and pressure into fossil fuels. Fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas are the main sources of
[09:32, 10/27/2021] Pati Dev: conventional energy. The reserves of these minerals are limited. The rate at which the growing world population is consuming them is far greater than the rate of their formation. So, these are likely to be exhausted soon.
Coal
This is the most abundantly found fossil fuel. It is used as a domestic fuel, in industries such as iron and steel, steam engines and to generate electricity. Electricity. from coal is called thermal power. The coal which we are using today was formed millions of years ago when giant ferns and swamps got buried under the layers of earth. Coal is therefore referred to as Buried Sunshine.
The leading coal producers of the world are China, the USA, Germany, Russia, South Africa, and France. The coal-producing areas of India are Raniganj, Jharia, Dhanbad, and Bokaro in Jharkhand.
[09:32, 10/27/2021] Pati Dev: Petroleum
The petrol that keeps your car running as well as the oil that keeps your cycle from squeaking, both began as a thick black liquid called Petroleum. It is found between the layers of rocks and is drilled from oil fields located in off-shore and coastal areas. This is then sent to refineries which process the crude. oil and produce a variety of products like diesel, petrol, kerosene, wax, plastics, and lubricants. Petroleum Gold they are very valuable. The chief petroleum-producing countries are Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. The other major producers are the USA, Russia, Venezuela, and Algeria. The leading producers in India are Digboi in Assam, Bombay High in Mumbai, and the deltas of Krishna and
Fig 3.11: Crude Oil and its derivatives are called Black
Godavari rivers.
Natural Gas
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. Russia, Norway, the UK, and the Netherlands are the major producers of natural gas. In India Jaisalmer, Krishna Godavari delta, Tripura
and some areas offshore in Mumbai have natural gas
resources. Very few countries in the world have sufficient
natural gas reserves of their own.
The sharp increase in our consumption of fossil fuels has led to their depletion at an alarming rate. The toxic pollutants released from burning these fuels are also a cause for concern. Unchecked burning of fossil fuel is like an unchecked dripping tap that will eventually run dry. This has led to the tapping of various non-conventional sources of energy that are cleaner alternatives to fossil fuels.
Hydel Power
Rainwater or river water stored in dams is made to fall from heights. The falling water flows through pipes inside the dam over turbine blades placed at the bottom of the dam. The moving blades then turn the generator to produce electricity. This is called hydroelectricity. The water discharged after the generation of electricity is used for irrigation. One-fourth of the world’s electricity is produced by hydel power. The leading producers of hydel power in the world are Paraguay, Norway, Brazil, and China. Some important hydel power stations in India are Bhakra Nangal, Gandhi Sagar, Nagarjunsagar, and Damodar valley projects.
Water
reservoir
Generator
Turbine
Fig. 3.12: Hydel Power
NON-CONVENTIONAL SOURCES OF ENERGY The increasing use of fossil fuels is leading to its shortage.
It is estimated that if the present rate of consumption continues, the reserves of these fuels will get exhausted. Moreover, their use also causes environmental pollution. Therefore, there is a need for using nonconventional sources such as solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy which are renewable.
Solar energy
Sun’s heat and light energy can be felt by us every day. Solar energy trapped from the sun can be used in solar cells to produce electricity. Many of these cells are joined into solar panels to generate
power for heating and lighting purpose. The technology of utilizing solar energy benefits a lot of tropical countries that are blessed with abundant sunshine. Solar energy is also used in solar heaters, solar cookers, solar dryers besides being used for community lighting and traffic signals.
Wind Energy
Fig 3.15: Sol solar
The wind is an inexhaustible source of energy. Windmills have been used for grinding grain and lifting water since times immemorial. In modern time windmills, high-speed winds rotate the windmill which is connected to a generator to produce electricity. Wind farms having clusters of such windmills are located in coastal regions and in mountain passes where strong and steady
winds blow. Windfarms are found in Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, UK, USA, and Spain are noted for their wind energy production.
Nuclear Power
Nuclear power is obtained from energy stored in the nuclei of atoms of naturally occurring radioactive elements like uranium and thorium. These fuels undergo nuclear fission in nuclear reactors and emit power. The greatest Fig. 3.16: Nuclear power station, Kalpakkam producers of nuclear power are the USA and Europe. In India, Rajasthan and Jharkhand have large deposits of Uranium. Thorium is found in large quantities in the Monazite sands of Kerala. The nuclear power stations in India are located in Kalpakkam in Tamilnadu, Tarapur in Maharastra, Ranapratap Sagar near Kota in Rajasthan, Narora in Uttar Pradesh, and Kaiga in Karnataka.
Geothermal Energy
Heat energy obtained from the earth is called geothermal energy. The temperature in the interior of the earth rises steadily as we go deeper. Sometimes his heat energy may surface itself in the form of hot springs. This heat energy can be used to generate power. Geothermal energy in the form. of hot springs has been used for cooking, heating, and bathing for several years. The USA has the world’s largest geothermal power plants followed by New Zealand, Iceland, the Philippines, and Central America. In India, geothermal plants are located in Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh and Puga Valley in Ladakh.
TIDAL ENERGY
Energy generated from tides is called tidal energy. Tidal energy can be harnessed by building dams at narrow
Low tidal energy is used to produce electricity
openings of the sea. During high tide, the energy of the tides is used to turn the turbine installed in the dam to produce electricity. Russia, France, and the Gulf of Kachchh in India have huge tidal mill farms.
BIOGAS
Organic waste such as dead plant and animal material, animal dung, and kitchen waste can be converted into a gaseous fuel called biogas. The organic waste is decomposed by bacteria in biogas digesters to emit biogas which is essentially a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide. Biogas is an excellent fuel for cooking and lighting and produces a huge amount of organic manure each year.
Manure
Fertilizer
Outlet
: Biogas
e following questions.
Energy is everywhere but we can see that harnessing this energy is both difficult as well as costly. Each one of us can make a difference by not wasting energy. Energy saved is energy generated. Act now and make a brighter energy future
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