Energy

The energy is the ability to do work. In India 70% population resides in rural areas; thus supplying energy to villages is vital to maintain pace in development. 21% of villages and nearly 50% rural households are yet not electrified.

The per capita consumption of energy was 4816 KWH in 2010-11, according to Central Statistics Office.

Sources of Energy

There are two main types of sources – Commercial and Non Commercial

Commercial Sources of Energy – These includes fossil fuels, oil, coal and natural gases etc. It accounts for more than 50% energy demand in India.

Non Commercial Sources of Energy – These are the energy sources which are supposed to be free. Example includes- firewood, agricultural wastes, animal dung etc.

Energy Resources 

Resource	Value	Units	Rank	Period	Source
Wind Potential	0	Area(km²) Class 3-7 Wind at 50m	120	1990	NREL
Solar Potential	9,877,095,200	MWh/year	8	2008	NREL
Coal Reserves	66,800.07	Million Short Tons	5	2008	EIA
Natural Gas Reserves	1,075,000,000,000	Cubic Meters (cu-m)	26	2010	CIA World Factbook
Oil Reserves	5,800,000,000	Barrels (bbl)	23	2010	CIA World Factbook

Energy Density of Various Fuel Sources

Material	Energy Density (MJ/kg)	100W light bulb time (1kg)
Wood	10	1.2 days
Ethanol	26.8	3.1 days
Coal	32.5	3.8 days
Crude oil	41.9	4.8 days
Diesel	45.8	5.3 days
Natural Uranium	5.7x105	182 years
Reactor Grade Uranium	3.7x106	1171 years

Non Renewable Sources of Energy

Coal Reserves- Coal has to be mined from under the ground or from the surface. Its one of the most hazardous energy sources to environment. Miners working in coal fields have chances to develop lung disease. Coal is responsible for 36% of carbon dioxide emission in the world.

Natural Gas- Natural gas is mix of methane, ethane, propane and butane. It is found in abundance over all oil reserves. About 40% of natural gas reserves are in Russia and Kazakhstan. There are three types of fuels that comes from natural gas- 1. LPG – Liquid Petroleum Gas; 2. LNG – Liquefied Natural Gas and 3. CNG – Compressed Natural Gas.

Nuclear Power- Nuclear energy is the energy that is produced using a controlled nuclear reaction. Many countries use nuclear energy to generate electricity. However, cost of running nuclear power plant is high due to fissile nature of energy sources that works in nuclear power generating plants. Thus nuclear power does not make an alternative to energy problems.

Renewal Sources of Energy

Renewable energy is derived from natural processes. Renewable energy has various forms. It can be derived directly from the sun, or from heat generated deep within the earth.

Renewable energy is also known as green or clean energy, because the process of transformation of renewable energy sources into renewable energy does not produce green house gas emissions (toxins or pollutants) that are harmful to the environment.

There are five often used renewable sources - solar energy, water energy, geothermal, wind, biomass (wood, wood waste, municipal solid waste, biogas, and landfill gas).