Q 1. Explain the term energy.
Distinguish between renewable and
non-renewable sources of energy with suitable examples.
Describe solar energy and its potential as alternative source of
energy with reference of India.
Answer- Energy is the capacity of doing work. It is most
important and primary input for development. All living organism
needs energy for their operations .which they derived from the
environment. Man has required and used the energy ever since he
came on the earth. Primitive man gets energy in the form of by
eating plants and animals. Later on he discovered fire and with
the advancement he discovered various energy. Which he used
for his domestic, industrial, transportation, agricultural, and other
needs Energy is available in number of forms such as mechanical,
thermal, electrical, chemical, biological energy and energy in
matter. Energy is also a fundamental quantity, which in joules (J)
and can be defined the work done. When a force of one Newton
moves through one meter.
Renewable Resources:-
Natural resources that can be regenerated through rapid natural
cycles are called renewable natural resources. Renewable natural
resources may be inexhaustible, that is, resources that are not
likely to be exhausted by human consumption such as wind,
sunlight and water. Soil, groundwater, forests and living
organisms are exhaustible resources, which are replenished
naturally after their consumption.
However, if the renewable resources are used at a rate faster than
the rate at which they are renewed, they may get exhausted. In a
natural cycle, a resource is never lost; it is simply passed on from
one form to another. For example, water evaporates from the
water bodies to the atmosphere, forms clouds and falls down as
rain. This water either collects as groundwater or is returned to
rivers and oceans.
Non-renewable resources:-
Non-renewable resources include coal, petroleum, natural gas,
mineral ores, diamonds, etc. These resources were formed in
millions of years and hence will get exhausted, eventually.
Judicious use of these resources would help in making them last
longer.
Solar energy is the energy produced and radiated by the sun,
more specifically , the sun’s energy that reaches to the earth.
Solar energy which is the primary source of all kind of energy on
the earth, originates in the sun as a result of thermo nuclear
fusion reaction... Sun can be considered as a large sphere
containing helium gas , which is continuously producing hydrogen
through fusion reactions and liberating a large amount of heat
energy.... This energy is radiated by sun in the form of
electromagnetic radiations of which 99% having their
wavelengths in the range of .4 micro metre. Solar power reaching
the top of earth’s surface is 10 ^17 watts and that on earth’s
surface is 10^16 watts , while total power requirement of the
world is 10 ^13 watts. So if we can use only 5% of this energy , it
will be 50 times more than our requirement . Solar radiation can
be converted into other forms of energy , such as heat , electricity
etc.
Solar energy keeps the temperature of earth above that in colder
space , causes air currents in atmosphere and water currents in
oceans , causes the water cycle and helps in photosynthesis in
plants
As our reserves of coal , oil, gas will last only for few more years
and nuclear energy involves considerable hazards , solar energy
can be a very important source of energy ... Since sun can radiate
at this constant rate for over a few billion years , it can be
considered as a in exhaustible source of energy
