A paper presentation on ‘Alternative Energy Sources’

Author: Amit B. Deshpande.

Contact: amitdeshpande96@gmail.com

Abstract: Today we are depending on energy for almost everything we do. There are many
forms of energy but the few with which we are very familiar are electrical energy, heat energy,
mechanical energy, etc. Among these, electrical energy is very important as it can be transferred
over large distances. To generate this energy, other forms of energies are used. Conventionally
we’ve been using coal, oil, gases, water power and atomic power to generate electricity, but
nowadays these sources are rapidly reducing as their consumption has increased alarmingly fast.
These sources are also one of the biggest reasons for pollution. Therefore it has become
necessary to find new sources which will generate electricity more economically and will not
cause pollution. Solar energy, wind energy and biogas are helping us to get over the energy crisis.
They are available in large and they cause almost zero pollution while generating electricity.
Hence, these three are widely favored as alternative energy sources to conventional ones.

Keywords: Energy crisis, conventional sources, solar energy, wind energy, biogas.

1. Introduction:
Today we are living in the 21st Century. We are surrounded by technical
innovations that are helping us to live our life comfortably. We are being dependent on
those devices for almost every work. E.g.: we find it easy to drive somewhere near we
want to go rather than walking. And, at the heart of these machines is the Energy. Energy
is the one that drives all the devices. It has many forms, but electricity is widely
consumed. Electricity is the heart of modern world. We need it for almost everything.
Whether to charge our phone or to light our room, we are dependent on electricity. Thus,
electricity plays a crucial role in our day to day life.
Conventionally, electricity is generated by using coal, oil or gas, water energy and
nuclear energy. These sources have been generating large amount of electrical energy that
is used for every industrial as well as domestic purpose.
 But the electricity generation by these sources is one of the biggest reasons for
pollution of environment. These sources, as useful as they maybe, however, are limited.
Now, we know that they are about to end. If they do end, it will create a large crater in
energy production.
In last few centuries the population of world has increase tremendously and it is
growing alarmingly. This is creating a large demand of energy in every sector.
Hence, it is very necessary to find alternative energy sources which will produce
electrical energy. The most famous and widely favored alternative energy sources are:
1. Solar Energy
2. Wind Energy &
3. Biogas
These sources are not only easily available in nature but the production of
electricity from them is almost pollution free.
2. Solar Energy:
Sun is a highly rich source of energy. It gives us tremendous energy every year.
The atmosphere, oceans and lands of Earth absorb 3,850,000 exajoules (i.e. 1EJ =1018 J)
of energy every year. The energy consumed by all biomass on earth for photosynthesis is
equal to 3000 exajoules. Thus, sun provides us more energy than we need but the problem
is there are limited sources which can generate electricity from solar energy.

Solar energy is used differently over the world.

2.1. Solar Thermal energy:

Solar energy is used for the large amount of heat it gives. This heat can be used for
various purposes like water heating, distillation of water, purification of water and
cooking food. Almost 60% to 70% of domestic hot water can be supplied by solar water
heating systems in regions below 40° latitude. China is the leader in hot water systems by
installing 70GW systems. Solar thermal energy is also used for water treatment. By using
thermal energy, water can be distilled from saline water. The first attempts to distill water
by solar energy were made in 16th century by Arab alchemists.
 In many countries including India, heat obtained from sun is also used for cooking
food. A basic box cooker is made by insulating material and a transparent lid. In open sky
it can generate 70°C to 150°C temperature.
2.2. Solar Power:

Solar power is the generation of electricity from solar energy. It is done by using
photo volatile cells. Photo volatile cells operate on principle of photoelectric current. They are
available for both commercial and domestic purposes. As they are very expensive to install,
they are not widely used in domestic level.

Another type of solar power generator is concentrated solar power (CSP) systems.
These systems are used for grand production of electricity. They are large parabolic mirrors
or lenses which concentrate heat received from sun in a single beam. The heat concentrated in
such way is further used in a conventional electricity generator.

Solar energy is pure energy in which production of harmful gases is very low.
According to a statement in New York Times, “Even after our sources of oil and coal die,
human race can receive unlimited power from rays of sun.”

The diagram below shows a domestic photo volatile cell system

3. Wind Energy:
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into electric energy by using wind
turbines. These turbines rotate due to wind and produces torque that drives the generator.
Wind turbines are of two types:
 Mechanical Power Windmills: These windmills are used to pump water out
of river, to grind the grains and to saw the wood. They are high torque, low
speed windmills
 Electrical Power Windmills: These windmills are used to generate electricity
and they are low torque, high speed windmill

On Commercial Basis, large wind farms are developed which contains hundreds of
wind turbines. In a general wind farm, a wind turbine is connected to medium
voltage power collector (34.5kW).

Wind farms are also classified on basis of their location:

 Onshore Wind farms: These are located on land.

 Offshore wind farms: These are located on large water bodies.

As of 2012, the Alta Wind Energy Center s largest onshore wind farm in the world
with capacity of 1020MW. As offshore wind farms are constructed on large water
bodies, they are very, very expensive.
 Following chart shows nations and their yearly production of electricity by wind
power:

Electricity (in MW)

14000

12000

10000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0
China USA Germany Spain India UK

4. Biogas:
Biogas is replacing the natural gas as domestic fuel for cooking. It is also widely
used as fuel for buses and even locomotives. Biogas production is very easy, cheap and
mess- free once it is installed. It is produced in anaerobic digester which converts waste of
animals and plants into methane gas. Methane is highly combustible and hence need to be
handled very carefully. This gas generated is then stored in tanks and is used as per
demand.
In an experiment made at Alaska University, A 1000 liter digester can produce
300 to 400 liter of methane every day. There are many advantages of biogas. As methane
is responsible for green-house effect, it is necessary to control its percentage in air. The
methane generated in biogas plants is used for various purposes and hence it reduces
percentage of methane in air.
  Composition of Biogas:

Following chart shows composition of Biogas:

Composition of biogas

Methane
Carbon Dioxide
Nitrogen
Hydrogen
H2S
Oxygen

As the above graph shows, Methane is the main component of biogas. Biogas is preferred
by farmers for their energy needs and government also helps financially to the domestic
or village level plants of biogas.

5. Conclusion:
In conclusion, Alternative energy sources are better than conventional sources in
many ways. They are economic, less polluting and renewable. Alternative sources are
helping to satisfy growing demand of energy. Though their installation and initial
expenditure is more, they are maintenance free and long lasting sources of energy. In
order to reduce pollution and degradation of natural sources such as woods, coals, oil, etc.
we must prefer these renewable sources and conserve the energy.
6. Acknowledgement:
I feel obliged to thank Mr. Deepak More sir and Mr. Ajit Deshpande for their
valuable support and help.
7. References:
 A handbook of alternative energy sources
 www.wikipedia.com
 www.sciencedirect.com
 Images from: www.bing.com