RENEWABLE AND NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

Renewable (Non-Conventional) Energy Sources

A renewable resource is a resource that can be replenished naturally over time.

Eg: the sun, wind, water, the earth's heat (geothermal), and biomass.

A non-renewable resource (also called a finite resource) is a natural resource that cannot be
readily replaced by natural means
Eg: Petrol, LPG etc

The advantages of renewable energy sources are:

1. These energy sources (recur in nature) are inexhaustible.

2. They do not have any fuel cost and hence their running cost is negligible.
3. No pollution or more ecofriendly.
4. These energy sources can help to save foreign exchange and generate local
5. These are more site specific.

Demerits/Limitations:

1. Low energy density

2. These energy sources are intermittent and also lack dependability.
3.Huge investment before deriving any benefit from it
4. These energy sources, have low efficiencies”.
5. Cause thermal pollution.

Wind Energy
Wind is moving air mass, contains Kinetic energy (K.E) which can easily convert into electrical energy.
Sources of wind

1. Local wind: produced due to unequal heating/cooling of ground due difference in the specific
heat capacity of the material.
2. Planetary wind: Produced because of the un equal heating of polar and equatorial region of the
earth because of earth’s rotation.

Advantages of wind energy

1. It is a renewable energy and cheep.

2. Environment friendly source of energy
3. No transportation expense and economically competitive
4. Ideal choice for remote and rural part

Disadvantages
 1. Fluctuation in availability and need battery for storage
2. Noisy system and erratic
3. Large area required
4. Low energy density
5. Not fit in extreme condition

Environmental impact of wind energy

 It creates mechanical aerodynamic noise pollution

 Wind turbine produce electromagnetic interference with television and radio stations
 Safety consideration because of accidental breaking of blade
 Fatal collisions of birds with rotating blades

Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS))

(You can expect an essay from this part,

with block diagram explain each block in detail, refer your text book)

Here K.E of wind is converting into mechanical energy.

Power of the moving air, P =

Where

D - Density of air

A –Area through which air flow

Uw- Wind Velocity (speed)

ie power output of wind mill vary with cube of the wind speed.
Practically 16/27 part of wind power is recoverable. This limit is called Gilberts limit or Bets co efficient.

Basic components of WECS

1. Wind mill (which convert kinetic energy of the wind into rotary mechanical energy)
2. Mechanical interface (convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy)
3. Control unit (contains various sensors)

Wind –Electric power generating Unit

When turbine blade rotates, the attached shaft of generator also rotates. The Main parts are

1. Rotor
2. Wind mill head
3. Electric generator
4. Supporting structure.

Applications of wind mill

1. Electric power generation

2. Pumping
3. Grain grinding
4. Saw milling

Major Challenges in wind power generator operation

1. Location selection with good average wind speed

2. Variation in wind velocity
3. Need of storage system
4. Need of strong supporting system
5. Need of large areas of land

Geothermal Energy
Earth’s interior heat energy is the geothermal energy. It is produced y radioactive decay of unstable
isotope. This heat energy in coming out by

1. Convection (Via magma)

2. Conduction (Via hot rock)
3. Radiation (via heat flux)

Geothermal recourses

1. Hydro-geothermal resources (here water is heated by contact with hot rock)

a) Vapor dominated or dry stream field (here high saturated steam with high pressure and
temperature used for steam engine)
 b) Liquid dominated or wet field stream (water above boing point is utilized for steam
engine)
c)Hot water field (Hot water field found in the earth can also use to feet steam engine)
2. Geo pressured resources (methane contained high pressured hot brine is used for heat
engine)
3. Petro thermal resources Hot dry Rock system (heat energy from the hot try rock is utilized
by pumping water into the rock, and the hot water is used for heat engine)
4. Magma resources Molten rock chamber system (this good source of heat can also use, but
technology is not developed yet.)

Advantages of Geothermal recourses

1. Cheaper
2. Least polluting
3. High annual load factor
4. Greater amount of net energy

Application of Geothermal recourses

1. Power generation
2. Space heating
3. Production of salt from sea
4. Paper manufacture
5. Sewage heat treatment
6. Industrial heating

Nuclear Energy
Nuclear reactor is the apparatus to utilize nuclear energy by controlling the chain reaction.

Classification of Nuclear reactor

1. Based on neutron energy

a. Fast reactor
b. Intermediate reactor
c. Slow reactor
2. Based on fuel moderator assembly
a) Homogeneous reactor
b) Heterogeneous reactor
3. Based on physical state of the fuel
a) Solid
b) Liquid
c) Gas
4. Based on fuel material
 a) U-235
b) U-235
c) Pu-239/Pu-241/Pu -239
d) U-233
5. Based on moderator used
a) Water
b) Heavy water
c) Graphite
d) Beryllium oxide
e) Hydrocarbon of hydride
6. Based on product
a) Research reactor
b) Power reactor
c) Breeder reactor
d) Production reactor
7. Based on type of coolant
a) Air/carbon/He cooled
b) Water/other liquid cooled system
c) Liquid metal cooled system
8. Based on construction of core
a) Cubical
b) Cylindrical
c) Octagonal
d) Spherical
e) Slab
f) Annulus

Advantages of Nuclear Power

1. Need less space

2. High load factor
3. Very low fuel consumption
4. Low fuel transportation cost

Disadvantages

1. Capital cost is high

2. Fuel production is very risky
3. Maintenance is very risky
4. Disposal of used fuel is very risky
Syllabus
Unit 1 4 Hours Energy Resources-Non Conventional Energy Sources-Renewable and Non-
Renewable energy sources.(Section 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 from Non- Conventional Energy Sources
and Utilisation by R.K.Rajput,S.Chand Publishers, 1st Edition.)

Unit 2:Solar energy 12 Hours

Solar Energy Terms and Definitions- Solar Constant, Solar radiation measurements, Solar energy
collector, Physical principle of the conversion of solar radiation in to heat, solar air heaters and
drying, solar cookers, solar distillation, solar furnaces, solar greenhouses, solar power plants,
solarphotovoltaic cells(no need of mathematical equations)
(Section 2.2.1 and 2.2.2, 2.3, 3.1.2, 3.1.3-3.1.5, 3.2, 3.3.1-3.3.3, 3.4.1-3.4.10, 4.16, 4.17, 4.18,
4.19,4.20, 4.21.4, 4.21.8, 4.21.9, 4.21.10, 4.21.4 from Non- Conventional Energy Sources and
Utilisationby R.K.Rajput, S.Chand Publishers, 1st Edition.)

Unit 3 Wind energy 10 Hours

Introduction, Utilisation aspects of wind energy, Advantages and Disadvantages of wind
energy,Environmental impact of wind energy, Sources/Origins of wind, Principle of wind
energy conversionand wind power, Basic components of wind energy conversion
system(WECS), Advantages andDiadvantages of WECS, Wind-Electric Generating Power
Plant, Wind Energy Economics, Problems
in operating large wind power generators.(Section 5.1-5.6, 5.8, 5.10, 5.11, 5.20, 5.25, 5.26
from Non- Conventional Energy Sources andUtilisation by R.K.Rajput, S.Chand Publishers, 1st
Edition.)

Unit 4 16 Hours:Geothermal energy

Introduction to Geothermal energy, Important aspects of Geothermal Energy, Structure of
Earth‟s interior, Geothermal system-Hot Spring structure, Geothermal
Resources(Hydrothermal, Geopressured, Petro-thermal system, Magma Resources),
Advantages anddisadvantages of geothermal energy over other energy forms, application
of geothermalenergy.(Section 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.5, 7.8.1, 7.8.2, 7.8.3, 7.8.4, 7.9, 7.10 from Non-
Conventional EnergySources and Utilisation by R.K.Rajput, S.Chand Publishers, 1 st Edition.)

Energy from biomass:

Introduction to biomass, Biomass resource, Biomass Conversion process (Densification,
Combustion and incineration, Thermo Chemical conversion, Biochemical conversion), Biogas:
Biogas Applications, Biogas Plants (Raw materials used, Main Components of a Biogas Plant)
(Section 6.1, 6.2, 6.5.1, 6.5.2, 6.5.3, 6.5.4, 6.6.1, 6..6.2, 6.7.1, 6.7.2, 6.7.3 from Non-
Conventional Energy Sources and Utilisation by R.K.Rajput, S.Chand Publishers, 1st Edition.)
Unit 5. Energy from Oceans and Thermal and Chemical effects 12 HoursOcean Energy, Ocean
Energy Sources, Tidal energy, Components of a Tidal Power Plant, Economicaspects of tidal
energy conversion, Wave energy, Advantages and disadvantages, Factors affecting
Wave energy, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC), Working principle of OTEC,
Efficiencyof OTEC, Types of OTEC Plants (Closed system, Thermoelectric OTEC system),
Advantages andDisadvantages and Applications of OTEC.Thermo electric effects, Fuel Cells,
Hydrogen energy, Nuclear Reactors, Advantages andDisadvantages of Nuclear power plants
(Basic Principles/concepts only)(Section 8.1, 8.2, 8.3.1, 8.3.8, 8.3.14, 8.4.1, 8.4.2, 8.4.3, 8.5.1,
8.5.3, 8.5.4, 8.5.5.1, 8.5.5.5,8.5.6, 9.2, 9.7.1, 9.7.2, 9.7.3, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 11.2.1, 11.5 from Non-
Conventional EnergySources and Utilisation by R.K.Rajput, S.Chand Publishers, 1 st Edition.)

Books of study:
1. Non- Conventional Energy Sources and Utilisation by R.K.Rajput, S.Chand Publishers