Energy

Resources

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Module 4
Energy Resources:
 Non renewable energy resources - Advantages and
disadvantages - oil, Natural gas, Coal, Nuclear
energy.
 Energy efficiency and renewable energy. Solar
energy, Hydroelectric power, Ocean thermal energy,
Wind and geothermal energy.
 Energy from biomass, solar-Hydrogen revolution.

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 Energy Resources
 Energy is defined as ‘the capacity to do work’.

 Energy resource : anything from which we can obtain energy

 Energy consumption – an index of development of a nation

USA and Canada – (5 % of world’s population)

– consume 1/4th of global energy resources
– per head 300 GJ (giga joules) equal to 60 barrels of oil
(annually)

By contrast, an average man in a poor country (like Bhutan, Nepal

or Ethiopia) consumes less than 1 GJ in a year

Fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas which at present
are supplying 95% of the commercial energy of the world resources.

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4
Energy Resources
1. Fossil fuels
2. Nuclear fuels
3. Hydro energy
4. Geothermal
5. Solar energy
6. Wind energy
7. Tidal energy
8. Ocean Thermal energy
9. Biomass

Among these,
Fossil, Nuclear fuels exist in fixed amounts on earth
– used up during energy extraction and get exhausted
Others do not exhaust

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 Classification
 Renewable and Non-renewable energy sources
 Renewable energy sources are continuously
available and never get exhausted
Wind, Tidal energy, wave energy..
 Non-renewable energy sources exist in fixed
amounts and get exhausted
Fossil fuels- Petrol, natural gas, coal..

 Primary and Secondary energy

 If the source is obtained directly from environment it
is primary ….Coal, wood etc..
 If the energy is obtained after the primary source is
processed then it is secondary.. Petrol, diesel etc…

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Classification of Energy Resources

Renewable Non-renewable

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 Conventional Non-Renewable Energy Sources

These are fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, and natural gas and nuclear fuels.
a. Coal:
 Coal is a complex mixture of compounds of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, sulfur
etc.. and some free carbon.
b. Petroleum
 Petroleum is dark-colored liquid with a characteristic smell.
 The main component of petroleum is butane, the other being propane and
ethane and others.
C. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
 Petroleum gas is a byproduct of petroleum refining
 The petroleum gas is easily converted to liquid form under pressure as LPG.
 LPG (also called Autogas) consists mainly of propane, propylene, butane, and
butylene in various mixtures
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D. Natural gas
 Natural gas is found above the oil in oil well.
 It is also called Marsh gas.
 It consists of mainly of methane and other saturated
hydrocarbons.
 Its calorific value varies from 12,000-14,000 KCal/m3.
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
 Natural gas can be compressed and stored in cylinders for easy
transportation. It is the cleanest of all fossil fuels
 It is being used as an alternative to petrol and diesel for
transport of vehicles.
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 Nuclear Energy
Nuclear energy is released in a nuclear reaction
Types of nuclear reactions
1. Nuclear fission
2. Nuclear fusion
1. Nuclear Fission: Nuclear Fission Reaction
The process in which a heavier atom is
broken into lighter atoms with the
liberation of huge amount of energy is
known as ‘nuclear fission’
2. Nuclear Fusion:
The process in which many lighter nuclei
fuse together to give a heavier nucleus
with the liberation of huge amount of
Nuclear Fusion Reaction
energy is known as ‘nuclear fusion’. 10
Nuclear Power
– Fission reaction is
utilized to get
electricity

-Radioactive
Uranium is
commonly used

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Nuclear Power
Advantage:
Little amount of fuel produces vast
amounts of energy
No green house gases
Disadvantage:
Waste disposal is difficult
Safety measures are needed – makes it
costly

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Renewable Energy Sources
Alternate energy resources

Solar energy
 Sun is the ultimate source of energy,
directly or indirectly for all other forms of energy.
 Energy from fossil fuels
 Energy of winds
 All due to Sun energy
 Nuclear fusion reactions – cause the sun energy

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 Solar energy
- Methods of Harnessing :
1. Solar cell or photovoltaic cell, - solar battery and solar panels
– convert sun energy to electricity
2. Solar heat collectors -Solar furnace, Solar cooker, Solar geyser
and Solar heating of living spaces
- used for direct heating
- Solar heat collectors are passive or active
- Passive – like rocks and bricks, collect heat from sun and give
out slowly
- Active – heat is collected by flowing material like wind, water
etc..
3. Solar thermal power plant
– electricity after first heating water to steam

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 Solar energy - Methods of Harvesting :
Solar cell or photovoltaic cell,

 A simple p-n junction formed

by wafer of silicon with wires
attached to the layers.
 When sunlight falls on the
wafer, current is produced.
 Each cell=0.5 volts.
 Battery needed as storage
 Lifespan is about 20 years.
 Several solar cells put together
form a solar panel
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Solar heating systems –Passive systems

 Employ generally a black

substance coated on a
good conductor of heat
 Solar cooker – black
coating on copper coil
 Solar cooker – a mirror
directs sunrays to a black
surface and blackened
metallic container through
a glass

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 Heating Living Spaces -Passive Solar systems

South

Passively heated home in Colorado

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Heating Water: Solar geyser/room heating -
Active System

Active System uses antifreeze so

that the liquid does not freeze if
outside temp. drops below
freezing.

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Solar Power Plant

 Large scale
 The steam turbine drives a
generator to produce
electricity.
 Solar power plant has been
installed -Gurgaon-
Haryana (50 K Watt)

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 Solar Furnace
 Focus the sun rays from
many reflectors spread over
a large area at one central
point to achieve high
temperature (3000 ºC).

Use the high temperature to

convert water to steam

Run turbine with the steam

Power tower in Barstow, California.

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 Wind energy
Devices that use wind are,

1. Windmill
The wind blows the propeller round,
which turns a generator to produce
electricity.
Can also be used as flour mill
2. Wind farms
Large space is required for a farm
But the area can be used for certain Kanyakumari
crops
The min. wind speed required – 15 km/hr
380 MW power generation at
Kanyakumari – largest in India
Wind Power Potential of India-20,000
MW,
We generate ~1020 MW at present 21
Hydroelectric Energy ( Hydro Power)
 Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by hydropower, i.e., the
production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling
or flowing water.
 It is the most widely used form of renewable energy.

Advantages:
1. High efficiency (80%)
2. No CO2 emission during operation
3. Long life span
Disadvantages:
1. High construction cost
2. High environmental Impact
3. Decreases fish harvest below dam
4. Decreases flow of natural fertilizer (silt) of land below dam
5. Socio-economic problems
6. Displacement of people while constructing dam
 Hydro power potential of India is 4x1011 KW-hours
 We are utilizing only ~11% at present
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 Geo-thermal energy
 The interior or
deeper regions of
earth’s crust are
very hot.
 If this heat utilized
as a source of
energy, it is called
‘geothermal
energy’.
 Run a pipe to a hot
rock, send water
and get steam out

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 Geo-thermal energy

Advantages
1. Very high efficiency
2. Low land use and Low
land disturbances

Disadvantages
1. Hazardous gases and
minerals may come
up from underground,
2. Selection of location
to build is difficult

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 Ocean energy
Ocean can also be used for generating energy
in the following ways:

Water level at the coasts of sea rises and falls

twice a day.

This rise and fall of water is known as tides.

The energy developed by tides is ‘tidal energy’.

The ebb and flow of the tides can be used to

turn a turbine, or it can be used to push air
through a pipe, which then turns a turbine.
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1.Tidal Energy:
The ebb and flow of
the tides can be
used to turn a
turbine, or it can be
used to push air
through a pipe,
which then turns a
turbine.

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Offshore turbines – moved by water flow in the sea

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2. Ocean thermal energy (OTE)
 In tropical oceans, temperature
difference exists between surface
water and the colder deep water.

 About 20oC temperature difference

can be harnessed to produce power.

 The warm water boils liq. Ammonia

and the pressure developed is used to
run a turbine

 This concept is known as Ocean

Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)
power plant

 Later designs did not require ammonia

but less efficient

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Ocean thermal energy (OTE)

Advantages:
Can be operated for 24
hours, throughout the
year.

Disadvantage:
Costly and maintenance
cost is high.

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 Sagar Shakthi
India’s OTEC ship

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Applications
OTEC can be used to
 Generate electricity,
 Desalinate water,
 Support deep-water mariculture,
and
 Provide refrigeration and air-conditioning
 Aid in crop growth and mineral extraction.

For Further study:

http://www.nrel.gov/otec/applications.html
http://www.rise.org.au/info/Tech/otec/index.html

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 Biomass energy
Biomass is organic material, which
has stored sunlight in the form of
chemical energy.
Bioenergy stored in crops:
— to different extent in different
plants.
 Petro crops like oil seeds and
palms give out latex – that can be
burnt
 Potato, aquatic weeds, sugar beet
etc.. Contain large amounts of
carbohydrates – can be converted
by fermentation/can be burnt
directly
 Agriculture and urban waste
biomass – waste from sugar cane,
even animal dung, contain
biomass.
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 Biomass energy
We can use waste biomass to obtain energy
Eg:
 Leftover wood from sawmills.
 Leftover paper and wood waste from
paper mills.
 Sugar cane and Corn stalks, corn cobs
and seed corn from farms.
 Animal waste
 Paper and cardboard that can’t be
recycled in other ways.
 Fast-growing crops and trees.

They can be used directly as fuels

or can be used to generate
biogases
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 Biogas
 Biogas is a mixture of methane, hydrogen, carbon
dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.

 Methane is the major constituent (65%).

 Animal and plant wastes contain many carbon

compounds like carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

 Such waste is made into a slurry with water and

fed to the plant

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 Biogas plants used in our
country are of two types:
a. Floating gas holder
type biogas plant
b. Fixed dome type
biogas plant

 Fixed dome type plant

cannot be corroded and
thus used over the years.

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Uses of biogas:
i) It can be used for cooking food and other domestic
heating purposes.
ii) It can be used for street lighting.
iii) It can be used to run small engines like water pumping sets
for irrigation purposes.

Advantages
1. It is clean, non-polluting and low cost fuel
2. There is direct supply of gas from the plant and there is no
storage problem
3. The sludge left over is a rich fertilizer, containing bacterial
biomass with most of the nutrients preserved as such and
therefore can be reused.

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 Biofuel
 Biofuel can be broadly defined as solid, liquid,
or gas fuel consisting of, or derived from biomass.

Use: transportation fuel needs.

- Biofuels can be used in cars, trucks, buses,
airplanes, and trains.

 The most common types of biofuels are biodiesel, ethanol and

methanol.

 As an additive to gasoline (typically 20%), biodiesel has successfully

reduced vehicle emissions. In its pure form, it can be used in diesel
engines.

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Hydrogen Fuel
 Used to produce water, and
electricity, by indirectly
combining hydrogen with
oxygen.
2 H2 + O2 → 2 H2O + 150 KJ

 Hydrogen needs to be produced

again from other sources like
thermal heating of substances,
photolysis or electrolysis of
water

 It can explode when exposed to

oxygen

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Working of a Fuel Cell
The voltage
generated by a
single cell is
typically rather
small ( < 1 volt),
so many cells are
connected in
series to create a
useful voltage.

Anode: 2H2  4H+ + 4e-

Cathode: O2 +4e-  2O2-
Overall: 2H2 + O2  2H2O
 Description of a Fuel Cell
 Anode
 Negative post of the fuel cell.
 Conducts the electrons that come from the hydrogen
molecules so that they can be used in an external
circuit.
 Hydrogen gas – dispersed over the surface of catalyst.
 Cathode
 Positive post of the fuel cell
 Oxygen - dispersed over the surface of the catalyst.
 Conducts electrons back from the external circuit to the
catalyst
 Recombine with the hydrogen ions and oxygen to form
water.
 Description of a Fuel Cell
• Electrolyte
Proton exchange membrane
Specially treated material, only conducts positively
charged ions
Membrane blocks electrons
• Catalyst
Special material that facilitates reaction of oxygen and
hydrogen
Usually platinum powder very thinly coated onto carbon
paper or cloth
Rough & porous maximizes surface area exposed to
hydrogen or oxygen
The platinum-coated side of the catalyst faces the PEM.
 Fuel Cell Operation
 Pressurized hydrogen gas (H2) enters cell on anode side.
 Gas is forced through catalyst by pressure.
 When H2 molecule comes contacts platinum catalyst, it
splits into two H+ ions and two electrons (e-).
 Electrons are conducted through the anode
 Make their way through the external circuit (doing useful
work such as turning a motor) and return to the cathode
side of the fuel cell.
 On the cathode side, oxygen gas (O2) is forced through the
catalyst
 Forms two oxygen atoms, each with a strong negative
charge.
 Negative charge attracts the two H+ ions through the
membrane,
 Combine with an oxygen atom and two electrons from the
external circuit to form a water molecule (H2O).
Advantages/Disadvantages of Fuel Cells
 Advantages
 Water is the only discharge (when pure H2 is used)

 Disadvantages
 Efficiency is only slightly higher than alternatives
 Technology currently expensive
 Many design issues still in progress

 Hydrogen often created using “dirty” energy (e.g., coal)

 Pure hydrogen is difficult to handle
 Refilling stations, storage tanks, …
Applications of Fuel cells
Fuel Cells in Use: Stationary Systems
 Fuel Cells in Use: Stationary Systems

Fuel cell system for submarine

 Fuel Cells in Use: Transportation Systems

Buses are most commercially

advanced applications of fuel
cells to date.

Are currently being used by

many American and European
cities.

XCELLSiS fuel cell bus prototypes

 Fuel Cells in Use: Transportation Systems
Many of the major car companies are developing fuel cell car prototypes
which should come to market during the next decade. The cars use either
pure hydrogen or methanol with an on board reformer.
Solar – Hydrogen Revolution

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Integrated energy network
system created by water
electrolysis to produce
Hydrogen as an energy carrier

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 Comparison of
Renewable and Non-renewable sources
Energy Advantages Disadvantages
Type
 Wide Availability  Unreliable
Renewable  Lower Running  Small production
cost  Low efficiency
 Low pollution  Difficult to store and
 Unlimited Transport
 Available in high  Available only in few
Non- concentration places
renewable form  High cost
 Easy to store and  High pollution
transport  Limited supply
 Reliable supply
 High efficiency
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Problems concerned with energy resources
 Increasing need for energy
 Agriculture, mining, lighting, cooling and
heating, transportation - all need energy
 Increase in use of electrical gadgets,
vehicles that consume fuels..
 This need grows with population
 Need of energy is more in developed
countries

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Energy conservation methods..
 Search for better efficiency fuels that are
 Renewable
 Can be Stored and Transported
 And have High Efficiency and Pollution Free

 Save energy in
 Transportation- Use public transport instead of
individual fuel run vehicles; Walk short distances or
use bicycles
 Avoid wastage: Stop lights and fans while leaving a
room. Do not leave the mains on – even indicators
consume energy
 Use more energy/fuel efficient devices: like energy
saving bulbs and gadgets
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