NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY
Energy is the primary and most universal measure of all kinds work by human beings and nature. Everything what happens the world is the expression of flow of energy in one of its forms. Energy is the major input to drive the life cycle and improve it. Energy consumption is closely related to the progress of the mankind. In future, improvement in the living standard of the mankind, industrialization of the developing countries and the global demand for energy will increase with the every growing population. The development of infrastructure plays a significant role to sustain economic growth. The power sector is one of the major significant constituents of infrastructure. In general, India is dependent on conventional sources of energy like thermal, hydro and nuclear.
NONCONVENTIONAL SOURCES OF ENERGY
The conventional sources of energy are generally nonrenewable sources of energy, which are being used since a long time. These sources of energy are being used extensively in such a way that their known reserves have been depleted to a great extent. The sources of energy which are being produced continuously in nature and are in exhaustible are called nonconventional energy. Different non-conventional sources are briefly discussed as follows-
1.Solar energy
Solar energy is the most readily available and free source of energy since prehistoric times. It is estimated that solar energy equivalent to over 15,000 times the world's annual commercial energy consumption reaches the earth every year. Solar energy can be utilized through two different routes, as solar thermal route and solar electric (solar photovoltaic) routes. Solar thermal route uses the sun's heat to produce hot water or air, cook food, drying materials etc. Solar photovoltaic uses sun's heat to produce electricity for lighting home and building, running motors, pumps, electric appliances, and lighting. In solar thermal route, solar energy can be converted into thermal energy with the help of solar collectors and receivers known as solar thermal devices.
2.Wind energy
Wind energy is basically harnessing of wind power to produce electricity. The kinetic energy of the wind is converted to electrical energy. When solar radiation enters the earth's atmosphere, different regions of the atmosphere are heated to different degrees because of earth curvature. This heating is higher at the equator and lowest at the poles. Since air tends to flow from warmer to cooler regions, this causes what we call winds, and it is these airflows that are harnessed in windmills and wind turbines to produce power. Now wind power is harnessed to generate electricity in a larger scale with better technology.
3.Bio energy
Bio-energy, in the form of biogas, which is derived from biomass, is expected to become one of the key energy resources for global sustainable development. Biomass is a renewable energy resource derived from the carbonaceous waste of various human and natural activities. Biomass does not add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere as it absorbs the same amount of carbon in growing as it releases when consumed as a fuel. Its advantage is that it can be used to generate electricity with the same equipment that is now being used for burning fossil fuels. Bio energy is being used for cooking, mechanical applications, pumping, power generation etc.
4.Hydro energy
The potential energy of falling water, captured and converted to mechanical energy by waterwheels, powered the start of the industrial revolution. Wherever sufficient head, or change in elevation, could be found, rivers and streams were dammed and mills were built. Water under pressure flows through a turbine and causes it to spin. The Turbine is connected to a generator, which produces electricity.
5.Ocean energy
The ocean contains two types of energy: thermal energy from the sun's heat, and mechanical energy from the tides and waves. Ocean thermal energy is used for many applications, including electricity generation. There are three types of electricity conversion systems: closed-cycle, open cycle, and hybrid. Closed cycle systems use the ocean's warm surface water to vaporize a working fluid, which has a low boiling point, such as ammonia. The vapour expands and turns a turbine. The turbine then activates a generator to produce electricity. Open-cycle systems actually boil the seawater by operating at low pressures. This produces steam that passes through a turbine / generator. The hybrid systems combine both closed-cycle and open-cycle systems. Ocean mechanical energy is quite different from ocean thermal energy. Even though the sun affects all ocean activity, tides are driven primarily by the gravitational pull of the moon, and waves are driven primarily by the winds. A barrage (dam) is typically used to convert tidal energy into electricity by forcing the water through turbines, activating a generator.
6.Energy from Wastes
An estimated 50 million tons of solid waste and approximately 6,000 million cubic meters of liquid waste are generated annually in the urban areas of India. In India, there is a great potentiality of generating approximately 2,600 MW of power from urban and municipal wastes and approximately, 1,300 MW from industrial wastes, respectively. A total of 48 projects with aggregate capacity of about 69.62 MW ex. have been installed in the country thereby utilizing only 1.8% of the potential that exists.
PRESENT STATUS OF NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY
In India, the Department of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (DNES) was created in the Ministry of Energy in the year of 1982 to look after all the aspects relating to new and renewable energy. The Department was upgraded into a separate Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES) in 1992 and was rechristened as Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in October, 2006. As per the information furnished by MNRE, starting with the 9th Plan, there has been consistent increase in pace of renewable energy development. Reportedly, India's renewable energy installed capacity has grown at an annual rate of 23%, rising from about 3900 MW in 2002-03 to about 24000 MW in 2011-12. Energy generated by using wind, solar, small hydro, tides, geothermal heat and biomass is known a non-conventional energy. All these sources are renewable process of energy generation and do not cause environmental pollution. Our country has been endowed with adequate natural resources.
ADVANTAGES OF NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES
Non-conventional/renewable energy is an indigenous source available in considerable quantities to all developing nations and capable, in principle of having a significant local, regional or national economic impact.
There is a great scope of research and development in non-conventional/renewable energy sectors regarding its future development and scientific utilization.
The power plants based on renewable do not have any fuel cost and hence negligible running cost.
Renewable have low energy density and more or less there is no pollution or ecological balance problem. Provide energy in environmentally benign manner.
The use of non-conventional/renewable energy could help to conserve foreign exchange and generate local employment if conservation technologies are designed, manufactured, assembled and installed locally.
In India, there is great scope for the development of non-conventional and renewable energy sectors. India is the only country that has an exclusive Ministry for New and Non-Conventional Energy Sources. India possesses the largest decentralized solar energy programme, the second largest biogas and improved stove programs, and the fifth largest wind power programme in the world.
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