Non-Conventional Sources of Energy

The Sun is the ultimate source of energy on our planet and all other examples that are mentioned above are obtained either directly or indirectly from the sun. For example, the wind energy that we obtain from the winds and the winds is produced by the unequal heating of two different regions of the surface of the earth. Thus, we can use these sources of energy till our earth receives light from the sun, which is there for the next millions of years. This is also the reason why non-conventional sources of energy are also called renewable sources of energy as every day these energies are getting renewed in nature.

Non-conventional sources of energy, often known as renewable sources of energy, are energy sources that are continually renewed by natural processes. Non-conventional energy sources are not quickly depleted and may be created at a consistent pace for repeated usage.

Tidal, Wind, Solar, Nuclear, Biomass, and other natural resources geothermal energy, are referred to as “non-conventional resources.” Because they are pollution-free, we can use them to generate clean energy with minimal waste.

Furthermore, these energy sources are less expensive and do not contaminate the environment or natural surroundings. They are also known as renewable energy sources since they may be created or created through natural processes at a rate greater than or equal to the rate at which they are used.

Let’s discuss each example of non-conventional sources of energy with their examples, advantages, and disadvantages:

Tidal Energy

Before knowing what is tidal energy, let’s first understand what are tides. Tides are the periodic movement of ocean waters due to the gravitational force of the moon and the sun. Tides are of two types – high tides i.e. the rise of water and low tides i.e. the fall in the level of water. Since it is caused due to the sun and the moon’s gravitational effect, tidal energy is called renewable energy.

Tidal energy is the energy possessed by the rise and fall of water during high and low tides. The tidal energy can be processed to electricity by building dams across the narrow openings of the sea.

The tidal energy from tides is obtained and used to generate electricity using a machine called Tidal Energy Generator. Tidal barrages or dams are built over a limited sea entrance. When the sea level rises, water pours into the dam. This causes the turbine blades, which are connected at the dam’s entrance, to shift. As a consequence, power is generated.

Advantages of Tidal Energy

Some advantages of tidal energy are:

1. Tidal energy is a renewable energy source, which implies that it does not deteriorate as it is consumed.
2. Tidal power plants, in addition to being a sustainable energy source, do not release greenhouse gases during electricity generation.
3. The tidal currents are quite predictable. Low and high tides follow predictable patterns, making it easy to predict when electricity will be generated throughout the day.
4. Tidal power plants are capable of producing large amounts of electricity. One of the key reasons for this is that water is extremely dense – over 800 times denser than air.
5. Also, the system established to obtain tidal energy has low operational and maintenance costs.

Disadvantages of Tidal Energy

Some disadvantages of tidal energy are:

1. The possible installation location must fulfill extremely precise conditions in order for a tidal power plant to be developed. Because they must be positioned on a coastline, possible station locations are limited to coastal states.
2. Because of the high density of water, tidal energy turbines must be substantially more robust than wind turbines. The cost of building a tidal power-producing facility varies based on the technology used.
3. The fact that tidal energy is renewable does not imply that it is fully ecologically benign. The development of tidal energy power plants can have a significant influence on the surrounding ecology.
4. While tidal power generates predictable power, it does not produce steady power. We can predict when the tidal power plant will create electricity, but that output may not match the demand for energy.

Wind Energy  

The energy obtained from the wind is called wind energy. The wind contains kinetic energy which can be used to harness energy by converting it to mechanical energy through the use of windmills. Although wind energy has been used by us for a long time, it was used in propelling the sails of the ship in ancient times.

Advantages

1. Like solar energy, it is also a renewable form of energy.
2. It does not cause any air pollution or global warming by releasing harmful gases.
3. It is space efficient and requires very little space on the land surface and the land between two windmills can be used for agriculture and other different purposes.

Disadvantages

1. It is very location specific as windmills cannot be set up in all places. It can only be installed at places where there is strong winds
2. It is very costly to set up and difficult to repair.
3. Storms and cyclones cause great damage to windmills.

Now having understood the advantages and disadvantages of wind energy, let’s understand the working of a windmill and how it produces energy.

A windmill is a tall tower-like structure having blades (mostly three). Under the influence of winds, these blades rotate and these rotate the coil connected to the blades. This coil is placed between the North and south poles of the magnet which acts as an electric generator and produces electricity.

Can you picture driving a car that is powered by water? Or one that is powered by the Sun? The fact is that you may have to become used to such outlandish thoughts. Conventional fuels are increasingly running out, while non-conventional energy sources are becoming our future. And, in order to run them, let us study more about non-conventional energy sources. 

Energy is a critical component of the economic infrastructure, as it is the primary input required to support economic growth. Economic development and energy usage have a close relationship. The greater a country’s per capita energy usage, the more developed it is, and vice versa. Human civilization is reliant on a variety of energy sources. In this article, we will discuss the non-conventional sources of energy and their usage, advantages, and disadvantages. Before, that let’s first understand what is energy.