GAS

• Gas is incompletely utilized

• Gas has high transportation cost
• Gas transportation is more costlier than oil
transportation
• Some gases used in industries are acetylene,
ethylene, methane
 Water Power
• Potential energy of water is converted to mechanical
energy
• Capital Cost of hydroelectric plant is more but
operating cost is very low
• The development rate of hydropower is low because
1. 6-10 years on planning , investigating and
construction
2. High capital investment is needed
3. Relocation of villages
• Micro and mini hydro electric plants
 Nuclear Power
• The controlled fission of unstable atoms like Uranium ,
Thorium liberate large amount of energy
• The heat produced is utilized in the heat exchangers for
the production of steam
• Limitation of nuclear energy
1. High capitol cost of nuclear plants
2. Limited availability of raw material
3. Difficulties with the disposal of radioactive waste
4. Shortage of well trained personnel.
 Nuclear Power
• Uranium Reserves in India :
Jaduguda , Narwapahar, Bhattin ,
Singhbhum (Bihar).

• Thorium Reserves : In the form of

monazite sand in the west coast

• Nuclear Power Plants in India :

1. Tarapore nuclear power station
[Maharashtra] (400 MW)
2. Rana Pratab Sagar [Kota ,
Rajasthan] (400 MW)
3. Kalapakkam [Tamil Nadu] (440
MW)
4. Kakrapar [Gujrat] (940 MW)
 Non Conventional Sources
• Fossil fuels will exhaust
in near future
• Systems based on
‘renewable’ sources are
being tried
• These are solar, wind,
sea, geothermal and
biomass
 Solar Energy
• Solar energy has greatest potential of all the sources of
renewable energy
• The solar power which hits the atmosphere is 10^17
Watts
• The solar power on the earth surface is 10^13 Watts
• The total world-wide demand of all civilization is
10^10 Watts
• Sun gives us 1000 times more power than we need
• The energy radiated by the sun on a bright sunny day is
1KW/m^2
 Solar Energy
• The basic research in solar energy is being carried in
universities, institutions and in BHEL and Central
Electronics Limited.
• The solar energy are enjoying most success in
1. Solar water heating
2. Solar drying of agriculture and animal products
3. Solar cookers
4. Solar engines for water pumping
5. Solar Electric power generation :
• Steam generators using reflectors
• Solar photovoltaic cells
 Wind Energy
• Winds are caused due to :
1. Heating and cooling of atmosphere generating
conventional currents
2. The rotation of the earth with respect to
atmosphere
• The energy available from the wind is estimated
to be 1.6*10^7 MW
• Winds are used to run wind mill which is then
coupled to drive a electric generator
• High wind speeds are available in coastal areas
 Wind Energy
• The practically suitable wind mills are
1. Multi blade type wind mill
2. Sail type wind mill
3. Propeller type wind mill
4. Savonius type wind mill
5. Darrieus type wind mill
• The first three are horizontal axis wind mills while
the last two are horizontal type wind mills
 Energy from Bio-gas
• The potential for bio gas as an alternate source of energy in
India is very great
• The main source of production of bio-gas is wet cow dung
• India has large cattle population (250 million )
• Some other sources of bio-gas are
1. Sewage
2. Crop residue
3. Vegetable waste
4. Poultry droppings
5. Pig-manures
6. Algae
 Energy from bio-gas
• Bio-gas thus produced can
be used to run pumps
• The bio-gas is found to
contain 84 % of methane
• Methane could be
economically used to run
engines to drive electric
generator
• In rural sectors, bio-gas
finds applications in
cooking, lightning and
generation of small
electricity
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
• The surface of water acts as collector for solar
heat
• The temperature difference between the warm
surface water of tropical oceans and colder
waters in the depths is about 20-25 degree K
• The surface water at higher temperature could
be used to heat some low boiling organic fluid
• The vapors are condensed by pumping cold
water from deeper regions
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
• The huge amount of
energy is available from
OTEC
• Largest OTEC is in
France with 7.5 MW
capacity
• In India department of
non conventional energy
(DNES) sources has
proposed 1 MW plant in
Lakshadweep
 Tidal Energy
• The tides in the sea are the results of universal
gravitational effects
• The periodic rise and fall of the water level of sea
is called as tide
• To harness the tides, a dam is built , it will have
large gates and a low head reversible turbines
• By the use of reversible turbines , turbines can run
continuously during high tide and low tides.
Tidal Energy
 Geothermal Energy
• Geothermal energy is the energy which lies embedded
within the earth
• The steam and hot water comes naturally to the surface of
the earth in some locations (Hot water geysers)
• Two ways of electric power production from geothermal are
:
1. Heat energy is transferred to a working fluid which
operates power cycle
2. The hot geothermal steam is used to operate turbines
directly
• At present only steam coming out of ground is used to
generate electricity
• Hot water contains dissolved salts and minerals
 Geothermal Energy
• Research is being carried out to build turbines
which can withstand the corrosive effects of
hot water
• Himachal Pradesh is reported to have
enormous amount of geothermal energy
• World’s first geothermal power station was
established at Lardarello in Italy in 1905, 450
MW
• Wairaki , New Zealand , 250 MW
 Hydrogen Energy
• Hydrogen energy can play an important
alternative to conventional fuels
• Hydrogen can be produced from water which
is available abundantly in nature
• Hydrogen has highest energy content per unit
of mass
• Its burning process is non polluting
• It is used in fuel cells to produce electricity
 Fuel Cells
• Fuels cells convert the chemical energy to
electrical energy
• It is distinguished from battery in that it operates
on the continues replenishment of the fuel
• Hydrogen oxygen fuel cells (Hydrox) are efficient
and most highly developed
• Two porous carbon or nickel electrodes
• Electrolyte is typically 30 % KOH
• Hydrogen and oxygen is fuel
 Fuel Cells
• A single hydrogen cell can produce an EMF of 1.23
volts. Cells can be connected in series to form the
voltage level of 100 to 1000 volts.
• Power levels of 1 KW to 100 MW can be achieved
• Fuel cells involve direct conversion process
• The unit is lighter, smaller, needs less maintenance
• Little pollution, little noise , accepted in residential
areas
• The primary drawbacks are their low voltage and
high initial costs , low service life
 Magneto Hydro Dynamics Generator
• MHD Generators are based on faradays law of induction
• In MHD generators, the solid conductors are replaced by a fluid
which is electrically conducting
• The working fluid may be ionized gas or liquid metal
• Ionized gas is expanded in a duct, and forced through a strong
magnetic field
• Ionized gas can be produced by heating it to high temperature
• High temperature in excess of 2800 degree Celsius is needed to
produce ionized gas
• Seeding the gas with potassium or cesium helps in ionization
• The system has no moving part
• The system can be brought to full power in 45 seconds.
 Thermionic Converter
• Heat energy to electrical energy
• Set up consists of two electrodes
• Heating one electrode boils out electrons that flow
travel to opposite colder electrodes
• The electrons flow though resistor to develop electric
power
• Anode materials (Collector ) : Barium , strontium
oxides
• Cathode materials (Emitter ) : tungsten with barium
compound
• These systems have efficiency of 8%
 Advantages of renewable energy
1. Indigenous resources available in considerable quantities
2. Renewable options are financially and economically
competitive, such as in remote locations where the costs of
transmitting electrical power are high
3. Reduced transmission and distribution cost
4. The resources are environmental friendly , no pollution is
created
5. Ease in adding new units
 Obstacles to the implementation of
renewable energy
1. Weak or non-existent of the policies to finance
and commercialize renewable energy systems.
2. High economic and financial costs
3. Technical and economic uncertainties in many
renewable energy systems
4. Lower efficiencies of the systems
5. Problems with the integration of these
technologies with the Utility grid.
6. Complex control circuitries