Sources of Energy

Submitted by- Darsh Kansal

Submitted to- Mr. Jitendra Bhagat

Certificate
This is to certify that Darsh Kansal of class 11 A has successfully completed the
project on the topic Conventional and Non-Conventional Sources of Energy
under the guidance of Mr. Jitendra Bhagat

Acknowledgement
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my teacher Mr. Jitendra Bhagat
who gave me this golden opportunity to do this wonderful project which has aided
me in doing multi-faceted research and allowed me to learn many new things.

Contents
S.no Topic Page no.
.
1 Introduction 3,4
2 Objective 4,5
3 Causes 5
4 Advantages and Disadvantages 6,7,8,9
5 Cost analysis 9,10,11,12
6 Validity and relevance of data 13
7 Personal perception 13,14
8 Bibliography 14
Introduction
Energy has grown to have central importance modern human life. It was the
actual basis of the medieval industrial revolution and has become the economic
basis of industrial and post industrial economies. Thus the production and
consumption patterns and energy regulation have been important issues facing
governments around the world.

Through ancient and medieval times, the focus was on maximum production of
energy to meet the ever increasing demands of world population. Therefore,
concepts like energy regulation and conservation were poorly conceived poorly
received and poorly implemented.

With time, however, humans have grown to realize the unsustainability of the
ongoing cavalierly indifferent approach to energy conservation. This has been
noticed through increase in pollution, reduction in an ultimately limited supply of
fossil fuels, discovery of cleaner and greener sources and climate change crises.
Indiscriminate energy production efforts have led to depletion in fossil fuel
resource and unsustainable development.

With increased focus on these issues there has been an effort to change and
diversify the sources of energy generation. Scholars have divided these sources
into two types- conventional sources (fossil fuels, nuclear) and non-conventional
sources (hydro, wind, geothermal). Non-conventional sources are generally
renewable and eco-friendly. Conventional, on the other hand, are generally non-
renewable and polluting.

Governments the world over have tried to promote the switch towards non-
conventional sources to encourage production of more green energy and
gradually reduce dependence on conventional sources.

Indian government’s green energy policy, creation of multiple dams, wind farms,
solar power plants etc. are examples of establishment’s thrust toward change in
energy sources. Encouragement of switchover to e vehicles that operate on
battery instead of petroleum in India and dedicated policy regarding same in UK
is an important example of ever increasing efforts to increase consumption of
energy generated through nonconventional sources.
Non-conventional sources carry their own limitation in conception and
implementation though which is there widespread use is being contested and
protested. Higher generation costs, lower reliability and lesser infrastructure build
along with huge chances of disruption in livelihoods are some problems
associated with changes in energy produced through different sources.

Objective
Understanding the world economy through one of its most important driving
forces -the energy industry.

Exploring the various forms of energy and difference processes of energy

generation

Understanding the availability, advantages and limitations of different sources of

energy

Understanding the need for change in energy production and consumption

patterns and energy conservation

Realizing governmental societal and community based efforts and response to

energy conservation

Forming an informed personal opinion regarding the respective use of the

differing energy sources

Suggesting certain reform and solutions to the problems being faced on the basis
of the research conducted
Causes of Different Sources of Energy
Localization of Resources
Different resources like coal, petroleum, natural gas, wind, running water etc. are
available at different places in different amounts. This leads to different places
using sources readily available there.
e.g. Guj and Raj have highest solar energy consumption in Indian states while
TN has highest wind energy consumption

Cost Effectiveness
Certain sources of energy are more cost effective than others which makes them
an attractive choice for the masses. This may be due to low cost of generation,
less transport and storage charge or greater infrastructural availability for the
particular source.

Creation of source
Different energy sources exist because these are created in different ways. While
conventional sources like coal, petroleum and natural gas are fossil fuels and are
created by intense sedimentation of dead biomass, nuclear energy is created
through fission. Hydro energy is created through the kinetic energy of flowing
water while solar energy through sunlight’s heat energy. Thus different sources
exist as they are formed due to differing factors.

Different sources of Energy

a) Conventional
1) Coal
Coal is a one the oldest sources of energy known to man. It is a fossil fuel which
is burnt to provide energy. It is formed through a process spanning millions of
years. Wherein dead plant matter decays into pet and gets converted to coal
through heat and pressure of deep burial under multiple layers. It supplies about
25% of the world’s total energy and is primary source of energy in India.
It is a fossil fuel and energy generation through it causes considerable pollution
with emission of poisonous gases like carbon mono oxide and carbon di oxide
into the atmosphere and water bodies.

Advantages
1) It is quite cost effective compared to other sources of fuel
2) It is fairly ubiquitous and is still available in considerable quantities
3) Clean Coal tech can remove harmful elements
4) As it is a fairly traditional source, infrastructure to generate store and transport
it is fairly developed

Disadvantages
1) Its usage has hugely negative impact on environment as it causes extreme
air and water pollution
2) Clean Coal tech required to purify it is a costly technology which ultimately
pushes up costs associated with it
3) Being fossil fuel it is limited resource i.e. it is non-renewable and at current
rate of use it will be exhausted
 4) Coal mining is an extremely hazardous process and has led to multiple
accidents and deaths

2) Nuclear Energy
Nuclear energy is the use of nuclear reaction (fission and fusion) to produce
huge amount of heat which is then used as electrical energy. It has the lowest
rate of fatalities per unit energy generated. It is unique in the sense it is a
conventional renewable source of energy.
Proponents argue it a safe, sustainable source while opponents contend it poses
serious threat to human and marine ecosystem and lifestyles due to devastating
effects of nuclear radiation.

Advantages
1) It reduces carbon emissions hugely and thus can help in reducing the
carbon footprint greatly.
2) It is much more efficient and more dependable than fossil fuels
3) It allows generation of huge amount of power at comparatively low risk so
has lowest fatalities per unit generated
4) The operating cost for generating nuclear power is pretty low

Disadvantages
1) It generates highly toxic radioactive nuclear waste which is difficult to
dispose/destroy
2) The installation cost for nuclear power plants is considerable
3) There is always threat for disasters due to radiation which can cause
serious possibly permanent health complications
4) Uranium is a finite exhaustible resource

b) Non-conventional
1) Solar energy
Solar energy is derived by energy conversion of sunlight into electricity through
either Photovoltaic (PV) cells or through concentrated solar power. It is a clean
non-polluting and reliable source of energy whose usage is consistently on the
rise. Currently solar energy provides for about 2% of the worldwide electricity
consumption.

Advantages
1) It is a clean non-polluting source of energy
2) It is a ubiquitous resource i.e. it is available worldwide
3) It is a renewable natural and fully sustainable source of energy
4) It is a low maintainenece source of energy and upkeep costs are low

Disadvantages
1) It involves a very high upfront investment and installation costs of solar cells
and grids is exorbitant
2) It’s an intermittent source as it can’t be used during the night or on
cloudy/windy days
3) Many solar cells require huge expensive and rare materials like CIGS and
CdTe

2) Hydro power
Hydro power is energy derived from falling or fast running water. The kinetic
energy of this water is used to run turbines which in turn run generators to
produce electrical energy. It is the most widely used non-conventional
renewable source of energy worldwide and is fast replacing fossil fuels as the
major source of energy.

Advantages
1) It is a non-polluting, clean and reliable source of energy
2) It has low operating costs
3) It’s a continuous source of energy which makes it low cost/high value source
as amount of energy generated increases
4) It reduces carbon emissions which can help reduce the carbon footprint

Disadvantages
1) It causes huge displacement and loss of livelihood for communities living
close to reservoir
2) It leads to huge methane generation as reservoirs are created in tropical
regions
3) It causes water sharing disputes among different territories
4) It greatly harms the marine ecosystem and aquatic lifestyle as it abruptly
changes the rate and direction of water flow

Cost analysis of Sources of Energy

For quite a while now economic feasibility comparisons for different sources
have been rampant. This is for humans to be able to understand the cheaper
sources of energy to reduce the overall cost of energy for consumers. These
costs however vary widely in different countries and regions. Certain
methods for cost analysis are-

Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE)

LCOE is a measure of power source which allows for cross source
comparison on consistent basis. It can be regarded as net value of all costs
(installation, operating, storage etc.) divided by value of energy output during
asset’s lifetime. Mathematically-

LCOE= sum of costs over lifetime/sum of energy produced over lifetime

Tech Type Min ($/MWh) Max ($/MWh)

Solar PV—Roof top Residential 151 242

Solar PV—Community 64 148

Solar Thermal Tower with Storage 126 156

Geothermal 69 112
 Tech Type Min ($/MWh) Max ($/MWh)

Wind – Onshore 28 54

Wind – Offshore (Only Midpoint

89 89
cost)

Gas Peaking 150 199

Nuclear 118 192

Coal 66 152

Gas Combined Cycle 44 68

The following is LCOE in Germany-

ISE (2018)

Technology Low cost High cost

brown coal 46 80
Coal-fired power
plants
hard coal 63 99
 ISE (2018)

Technology Low cost High cost

CCGT power plants 78 100

Onshore wind farms 40 82

Wind power
Offshore wind farms 75 138

Solar PV systems 37 115

Biogas power plant 101 147

This is the latest LCOE comparison for various sources of energy in two
countries. This shows both the cheaper sources of energy (onshore wind solar
PV) and also differences among different regions.

2) Marginal cost of energy

Marginal cost of energy is a method that works by comparing added system cost
of increasing energy generation from one source to another.
Merit order is used to rank energy sources according to MCE. Sources high on
the order are dispatched first while those lower are dispatched later. This has
helped reduce the cost of energy production.
Renewables generally appear higher on the merit order as their operational and
maintenance costs are low and cost of generating additional units is always
lesser than that of fossil fuels. Wind power and solar power have thus helped in
cost reduction of energy by almost 10% worldwide, up to 40% in the early
afternoon. The following is a typical merit order.
1) Solar energy (with PV cells)
2) Wind energy
 3) Hydropower
4) Coal energy
5) Petroleum

3)Capital costs
These are counterpoint to MCE. While that focuses on cost of power generation
after installation, this focuses on one-time, fixed asset expenditure. In MCE,
operation and maintenance costs are primary, here Installation charges and
upfront investment are major factors in this measure.
These are capital costs of different sources in 2019-

 gas/oil combined cycle power plant - $1000/kW

 onshore wind - $1600/kW
 offshore wind - $6500/kW
 solar PV (fixed) - $1060/kW (utility), $1800/kW
 solar PV (tracking)- $1130/kW (utility) $2000/kW
 battery storage power - $2000/kW
 conventional hydropower - $2680/kW
 geothermal - $2800/kW
 Clean coal - $3500–3800/kW
 advanced nuclear - $6000/kW
 fuel cells - $7200/kW

Certain facts about solar and wind energy- two of the most important non-
conventional sources are given below-

Renewables
1) Solar PV energy has been declared as the cheapest source of energy
scientifically (generated in lab without practical constraints)
2) LCOE of solar power has been falling rapidly across regions when time of
generation is considered, as energy is worth more during the day than at
night.
3) Cost of solar thermal power has been falling which can be further reduced
by combination with PV cells
4) When this plant lies ideal for want of sunlight, the stored energy can be
used through the PV cells
5) Onshore wind energy (through windmills in wind farms) is the cheapest
source of energy practically
 6) Cost of wind energy is falling due to major improvements in turbine
technology (this has boosted hydropower also).
7) Taller turbines with longer blades are able to capture quicker moving wind
at higher elevation

Validity and relevance of material presented-

1)The cost comparisons amply illustrate that different sources of energy occur
at different times relative to energy generated
2) While LCOE is like an average cost measure, MCE focuses on operational
and running costs while capital costs focus on investment and upfront costs
3) These show that most dynamism is present in renewables (primarily solar
and wind) and thus it makes economic and environmental sense to shift
towards those
4) Problem with most renewables is that capital costs and upfront investment
is very high which is slowing the pace of their growth
5)This material can help governmental and community based organization to
obtain a clearer picture of economic costs of various sources of energy
generation and take steps required to reduce cost of energy production

Perception
My personal perception after carrying out the research work is that an urgent shift
in governmental and societal attitude to energy generation is required. The cost
benefit analysis with latest figures indicate the sources which have highest
growth trajectory. Along with institutional efforts, citizen awareness is of utmost
importance and knowledge of economic and environmental advantages and
disadvantages of various energy sources is a must.
Personally, I also believe India is currently one the least energy efficient
countries of the world. Our energy portfolio is depressingly skewed towards
polluting non-renewable sources like coal, petroleum, natural gas etc. India’s
overdependence on petrol has already cost us with large import bills as there are
insufficient coal reserves in India. We have huge untested and unexplored
energy generation capacity in solar, solar thermal wind and geothermal sectors.
These sources have been summarily overlooked and are therefore horribly
underutilized. Improvement will also involve creation of infrastructure to
supplement these industries (wind farms, turbines, solar plants and grids, nuclear
reactors) which will help reduce unemployment and thus give economy two-fold
boost.

Bibliography
1) archive.org (internet library)
2) Investopedia.com
3) Energycentral.com
4) US Energy Information Administration website
5) Department of Atomic Energy, India
6) www.wikipedia.org
7) www.aje.com
8) www.solarschools.net
9)