Sources of Energy: Observe your surroundings; you will find a lot of machines and devices that consume energy for functioning. You will also observe that different devices use different forms of energy. For example, your mobile consumes electricity, bike consumes petrol (Fossil fuel), and for cooking, we use LPG gas. We use a lot of energy for our living. Day by day, the consumption of energy is increasing due to overconsumption and the increase in the population of the world. A large percentage of our energy needs is fulfilled by fossil fuels. Due to this, it is getting overutilized. Fossil fuels produce pollution and greenhouse gases. Thus, to meet the demands of energy and to reduce pollution, people are looking for a cleaner and renewable source of energy. In this article, we will learn more about different sources of energy.

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Classification of Sources of Energy

Sources of energy can be classified into two broader categories. These are,
I. Non-renewable sources of energy
II. Renewable sources of energy

Non-renewable Sources of Energy

Non-renewable sources of energy cannot be regenerated in a short period of time or used again and again. We know that crude oil, coal, and natural gas occur in limited and exhaustible quantities. Hence, these sources of energy are called non-renewable sources of energy. At present, most of our energy requirements are fulfilled from non-renewable energy sources, which include fossil fuels such as coal, crude oil, and natural gas. Looking at the present and future energy requirements, we will have to start utilizing renewable sources of energy as fossil fuels are in limited amounts.

Advantages of Non-Renewable Sources of Energy

1. Technology-wise the generation of energy is easy and relatively cost-effective.
2. Transportation of fossil fuels like oil and gas to the power stations( to generate electricity) can be made through the use of pipelines, making it an easy task.
3. Easy to store.

Disadvantages of Non-Renewable Sources of Energy

1. Pollution is a major disadvantage of these sources of energy.
2. The supply of fossil fuels is limited, and they cannot be replenished. They are being consumed at very fast rates; they will last soon.
3. The extraction of fossil fuels, including coal, has destroyed wide areas of land and has endangered the environmental balance in some areas.

Know about Alternative Sources of Energy

Renewable Sources of Energy

Renewable sources of energy can be regenerated in a short period of time. Renewable sources are a clean form of energy. It comes from natural sources or processes that are replenished in a short interval of time. For example, wind or sunlight keeps blowing and shining. Their availability depends on location and weather.

While renewable energy is often thought of as a new technology, harnessing nature’s power has long been used for heating, transportation, lighting, and more. In the early days, the wind has powered boats to sail the boats in the seas and windmills to grind grain. But over the past \(500\) years or so, humans developed new technologies and started using cheaper, dirtier energy sources such as crude oil, coal, and fracked gas. But it is leading to serious environmental and health issues. Now again, people are looking towards renewable sources of energy. Due to upgraded technology and R & D, renewable sources of energy are becoming cheaper day by day.

There is a large number of renewable energy sources. Some of them are given below:

Solar Energy

The energy which we get directly from the sun is called solar energy. Humans are harnessing solar energy for thousands of years. They were using it to grow crops, stay warm, and dry foods. According to an estimation, if we can harness all the solar energy falling on the earth in one hour, it will be equivalent to the yearly energy consumption of the whole world. Nowadays, we use the sun’s energy in many ways—to heat homes, warm water, or power devices.

One of the best ways to convert solar energy into an easily consumable form( electricity) is converting solar energy into electricity by using Solar or photovoltaic cells. These are made from silicone or other semiconductor materials that transform sunlight directly into electricity. Large Solar farms are made to generate power for thousands of homes, using mirrors to concentrate sunlight across acres of solar cells.

Solar energy systems don’t produce harmful greenhouse gases or air pollutants. When they are responsibly sited, most solar panels have few environmental impacts beyond the manufacturing process.

Wind Energy

You may have seen old windmills used to power pumps. Today, turbines as tall as skyscrapers, with advanced turbines blades having a very large diameter, stand at attention worldwide. Wind energy rotates the turbine’s blades, which run an electric generator and produces electricity. Wind, which accounts for a little more than \(5.3\) percent of world energy consumption, has become the cheapest energy source in many countries. But there are many limitations in utilizing wind energy. Firstly, wind energy farms can be made only at those places where the wind blows almost throughout the year, and the wind speed should be higher than \(15\,{\rm{km}}/{\rm{h}}\) to maintain the required speed of the rotor of the turbine. As the winds are not continuous, there should be some backup facilities (like storage cells) to care for the continuous energy needs.

NCERT Solutions For Class 10 Science Chapter: Sources of Energy

Hydroelectric Power

Hydropower is the largest renewable energy source for electricity in most countries globally, though wind energy is soon expected to take over the lead. Hydropower relies on water (rainfall). Typically fast-moving water in a large river or rapidly descending water from a high point converts the force of that water into electricity by spinning a generator’s turbine blades.

Large hydroelectric plants—or mega-dams—are used to hold a large amount of water. In large dams, a lot of vegetation is submerged and can cause an environmental issue. Small hydroelectric plants (below about \(40\) megawatts) will not cause much environmental damage, as they divert only a fraction of the flow.

Biomass Energy

Organic material, which comes from animals and plants and includes crops, waste wood, and trees, is called biomass. When biomass is burned in the air, heat is released and can generate electricity with a steam turbine. 
Biomass is a renewable fuel and a greener alternative to coal and other fossil fuels for producing electricity. It is not as clean as solar or wind energy source.

Geothermal Energy

You may have heard about hot springs.  The water in hot springs used to be warmer due to geothermal energy. The earth’s core is so hot.  The earth core contains molten material due to the slow decay of radioactive particles(exothermic) in rocks at the centre of the planet. We use it to drill deep wells and bring very hot underground water to the surface to use this heat. It is used to produce steam and then pumped through a turbine to create electricity.

Ocean

Tidal and wave energy can also be used as an energy source. Tides (Rise and fall of water) are formed due to the moon’s gravitational pull on the spinning earth. This rise and fall of the water can be used to generate electricity. But at some locations, tidal energy may harm wildlife. For example, the tidal barrages, which work much like dams, may harm fish and other species in ocean water.

Advantages of Renewable Sources of Energy

1. It is a natural source and.
2. It is available in plenty amount.
3. It is non-polluting.
4. It does not emit any greenhouse gases.
5. One of the biggest advantages of renewable sources of energy is the ability to avoid the politics and price volatility that is increasingly characterizing fossil fuel markets.
6. It doesn’t cause the destruction of forests and ecosystems that occurs with most fossil fuel operations.

Disadvantages of Renewable Sources of Energy

1. They are not continuous, they are dependent on the change in seasons/weather.
2. It requires very large initial investments for productive use.
3. It needs a storage system.
4. It requires a large piece of land.

Summary

Sources of energy can be classified into two broader categories. These are renewable sources of energy and non-renewable sources of energy. Renewable sources of energy regenerated in a short period of time or are used again and again, but non-renewable sources of energy can not be regenerated in a short time. Crude oil, coal, and natural gas occur in limited and exhaustible quantities, so these are non-renewable sources of energy. They produce pollution and greenhouse gases. With technological progress, the energy demand is increasing day by day. As our energy demand is increasing, we need to look for more and more sources of energy. We can develop the technology to use the available or known sources of energy more efficiently. Due to climate change, people are looking for a cleaner and renewable source of energy.

FAQs on Sources of Energy

Q.1. What are the disadvantages of fossil fuels?
Ans: Pollution is a major disadvantage of these sources of energy. The supply of fossil fuels is limited, and they cannot be replenished.

Q.2. Why are we looking at alternate sources of energy?
Ans: Day by day, the consumption of energy is increasing due to overconsumption and the increase in the population of the world. Thus to meet the demands and avoid pollution, we are looking at different sources of energy.

Q.3. How has the traditional use of wind and water energy been modified for our convenience?
Ans: Due to development in technology, wind, and water energy are converted in the form of electrical energy. They are more convenient to use.

Q.4. What is geothermal energy?
Ans: The earth’s core is hot due to the presence of hot molten lava. We use this heat energy to generate electricity called geothermal energy.

Q.5. What are the limitations of the tidal energy that can be obtained from the oceans?
Ans: Some limitations of tidal energy obtained from the ocean are,
(i) The formation of tidal barrages may harm wildlife.
(ii) A large initial investment is needed.
(iii) Infrastructure may be harmed by cyclones.

We hope you find this article on ‘Sources of Energy‘ helpful. In case of any queries, you can reach back to us in the comments section, and we will try to solve them.