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Non-Conventional Energy is a process of producing energy by using wind, solar, tides, geothermal heat and biomass. We use all these natural sources to generate electricity. Non-Conventional sources of energy are eco-friendly to the environment. These sources are easily accessible to us. They are present in nature itself. Ocean Thermal Energy is another kind of non-conventional energy that is produced when there is a difference in the temperature of water.
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Key Terms: Non - Conventional Sources of Energy, Ocean Thermal Energy, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, Types of Non-Conventional Source of Energy
Read More: Difference between Renewable and Non-Renewable sources
Non-Conventional Source of Energy
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There are natural as well as artificial processes of generating electricity for various purposes. The production of energy is very important for the development of mankind. Non-Conventional Source of energy is a process of producing energy with the use of natural resources like wind, solar, tides, biomass and geothermal heat, etc. Non- Conventional Sources are also known as renewable energy sources. They are used particularly for household purposes. They are a part of nature. The best part of these sources is that they do not lead to any environmental pollution.
Non Conventional Sources of Energy
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Types of Non-Conventional Source of Energy
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The various types of Non- Conventional sources of energy are as follows.
- Wind Energy
- Solar Energy
- Tidal Energy
- Biomass
- Ocean Thermal Energy
Wind Energy- Wind energy is a non-conventional source of energy. Energy is generated by the power of wind. This is mainly used for agricultural processes like irrigation of land. Electricity is generated with the help of wind turbines. Due to the rotational motion of the turbines, wind energy is first converted to mechanical energy which is in turn converted to electrical energy.
Wind Farm
Solar Energy- Solar panels play an important role in producing solar energy . The panels are kept on the rooftop so that it can receive sunlight. The solar cells convert the heat energy into electrical energy. Solar water heaters, solar street lights, solar cookers are all sustainable options for energy use.
Solar Panel
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Tidal Energy- In this process tides are the main source that produces electricity. The mechanical energy of the waves is converted to electrical energy. Similar to this, Hydroelectric energy is set up near waterfalls and dams to produce electricity from the force of the waterfalls. Although these technologies are quite expensive to set up, they are very beneficial to the environment.
Tidal Energy Plant
Biomass: Biomass can be defined as the process of producing heat and electricity by the use of materials that are made from plants and animals. Hence they are used in the form of fuels.
Wood Biomass
Wood, forests, wastes and crops are some of the examples which are rich sources of biomass energy.
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Ocean Thermal Energy
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Ocean thermal energy is the process of generating electricity from the thermal differences occurring in oceanic surfaces. This is also known as Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC).
OTEC Process
In this process, the upper surface of the ocean gets warmed by the heat of the sun whereas the bottom surface of the ocean remains unaffected. This is because the heat of the sun cannot penetrate to the bottom level. This leads to a temperature difference in both the surfaces of water. The difference in temperature is known as thermal gradient. In this system, a heat engine produces electricity.
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How to Harness Ocean Thermal Energy?
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OTEC or Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion is harnessed by the temperature difference between the deep ocean water and ocean surface water. The process by which Ocean thermal energy is harnessed is given below.
- Heat energy of the sun warms the surface water of the ocean whereas the bottom part of the ocean remains cold.
- This difference of water temperature between the two levels can be used for the production of electricity. It can also be used for the desalination of ocean water.
Working of OTEC
- The OTEC system powers the turbine for electricity production with the help of temperature differences. The difference of temperature should be at least 77 Fahrenheit.
- The warm surface water with the fluid is pumped with the use of an evaporator. This vapourised fluid is used for driving the generator or turbine.
- It then turns back into liquid form in a condenser and gets cooled with the ocean water under the deeper level.
Things to Remember
- Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) is done through the temperature differences between deep ocean water and surface ocean water due to the sun’s energy.
- Non-conventional energy is a type of energy that is mainly generated by using solar, wind, biomass and geothermal heat etc.
- Seawater temperature cannot change continuously as the output power is stable and the potential power generation is more reliable than any other renewable source of energy.
- Fossil fuels, Biomass, Thermal power plants, hydropower plants, and wind energy are some of the sources of Energy.
- The cost of ocean energy conversion is very high and it is not environmentally friendly as it affects both aquatic animals and plants.
Sample Questions
Ques. What is Ocean Thermal Energy? (2 marks)
Ans. The water at the outer layer of a sea gets warmed by the heat of the sun and achieves a higher temperature than the colder water at deeper levels in the sea. The energy accessible because of the difference in the temperature of water at the outer layer of the sea and lower levels is called ocean thermal energy.
Ques. Is thermal energy conventional or non-conventional? (2 marks)
Ans. Energy created by using wind, tides, hydro, geothermal and biomass is known as non-conventional energy. These sources of energy are inexhaustible and don't cause environmental pollution.
Ques. Is ocean thermal energy renewable or nonrenewable? (2 marks)
Ans. Upwelling of cold water from the deep sea is recharged by the downwelling of cold surface ocean water. Among the sources of ocean energy, the OTEC is one of the continuously accessible environmentally friendly resources that could add to base-load power supply.
Ques. What are the causes of ocean thermal energy? (2 marks)
Ans. The ocean thermal energy is a type of energy accessible because of the difference in the temperature of water at the outer layer of the sea and lower levels. Tropics get a lot of sunlight which warms the outer layer of the seas. Consequently the temperature may increase.
Ques. What is the disadvantage of using ocean thermal energy? (2 marks)
Ans. The major disadvantage of using ocean thermal energy is that its initial costs of conversion is very high and it is not environmentally friendly because the construction of such helps results in affecting the aquatic life of plants and animals.
Ques. Describe the need of using non-conventional sources of energy? (2 marks)
Ans. With the consumption of energy growing, the population majorly relies increasingly more upon fossil derivatives such as coal, oil and gas day by day. There is a need to get the energy supply in the future since the costs of gas and oil continuously increase day by day.
Ques. How are non-conventional energy sources used? (2 marks)
Ans. The renewable sources of energy might be utilized directly, like solar ovens, geothermal warming, and water and windmills or by implication by changing to other more advantageous types of energy such as generation of electricity through wind turbines or photovoltaic cells, or creation of energizes (ethanol and so on) from biomass.
Ques. Which is the largest non-conventional source of energy? (2 marks)
Ans. The largest non-conventional source of energy is sun energy, that is, the energy that comes from the Sun. Non-conventional energy is the energy produced by utilizing wind, solar, hydro, tides, geothermal heat and biomass.
Ques. What are the disadvantages of non-conventional energy? (2 marks)
Ans. Some of the disadvantages of non-conventional energy sources are as follows.
- It is expensive to set up the systems.
- It has to be maintained from time to time.
- Wind mills, OTEC, hydroelectric energy, tidal energy, etc can cause disruptions to wildlife and marine ecosystems.
- The energy thus produced is in less quantity when compared to conventional sources of energy.
Ques. What are all the non-conventional energy produced in India? (2 marks)
Ans. In India, wind energy is produced at a large scale in many Indian states. Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are the leading producers of wind energy.
Solar energy is produced at large scale by setting up solar plants in many states of India. Rajasthan and Punjab are leading producers of solar energy.
India has set up many hydroelectric power plants across many dams and reservoirs. Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh are some of the states leading in hydroelectric power production.
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