Non-Conventional Sources of Energy

Question 1

define non conventional sources of energy

Answer 1

those which have been developed in the recent past as an alternative to conventional sources of energy

Question 2

why are non conventional sources preferred

Answer 2

inexhaustible, non polluting
less expensive
easy to maintain

Question 3

why does India receive 5000 kWh solar energy per year?

Answer 3

india’s location of tropic of cancer: most parts of country enjoy 300 clear sunny days in a year and per hour per square km availability of solar energy bw 5 to 7 kW

Question 4

world’s largest solar park

Answer 4

Bhadla Solar park in Bhadla tehsil in Jodhpur, Rajasthan
capacity of 2245 MW

Question 5

gandhi solar park

Answer 5

india has gifted 193 solar panels, one panel for each member state. they have been installed on the roof of UN headquarters

Question 6

generation of solar energy

Answer 6

1. solar cell
2. solar cooker
3. solar water heater

Question 7

define solar cell/ solar panel

Answer 7

solar cell AKA photvoltaic cell. they are made of thin wafers of semiconductor materials from silicon and gallium

a group of solar cells joined together is called a solar panel, which gives out a large amount of solar energy and electricity to run street light, irrigation water pump, heater etc

Question 8

define solar cooker

Answer 8

use solar heat by reflecting the solar radiations using a mirror on to a glass sheet which covers the black insulated box

Question 9

why are inside walls of solar cooker painted black

Answer 9

efficient absorption of light

Question 10

india’s first solar village

Answer 10

Modhera, in Mehsana district of Gujarat

Question 11

advantages of solar energy

Answer 11

1. renewable
2. diverse purposes
3. do not require maintenance
4. saves fossil fuels, reduces electricity bills

Question 12

why is solar energy easy to maintain

Answer 12

1. manufacturers give 20-25 year warranty
2. no moving parts, so no wear and tear

Question 13

why are wind farms installed on coastal refions, open grasslands or hilly regions

Answer 13

because winds blow at very high speed without any obstruction

Question 14

india’s largest windfarm

Answer 14

Nagercoil to Madurai, in TN

others- AP, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala

Question 15

advantages of wind energy

Answer 15

1. renewable
2. cleanest form of renewable energy
3. reduces use of fossil fuels
4. land owners look for additional income by installing wind turbines on land that can be even used for agriculture

Question 16

how do land owners get additional income by installing wind turbines

Answer 16

1. electricity used for domestic consumption
2. reduce monthly electric bills
3. surplus can be sold back to local grid

Question 17

generation of tidal energy

Answer 17

can be harnessed by constructing a tidal barrage
during high tide, the sea water flows into the reservoir of the barrage and turns the turbine, which in turn produces electricity by rotating the generators

Question 18

location of tidal energy

Answer 18

gulf of cambay
kutch
sunderbans

Question 19

why can tidal energy be harnessed in the sunderbans and kutch?

Answer 19

massive amounts of water in the oceans move in extremely predictable patterns.

Question 20

advantages of tidal energy

Answer 20

1. water moves in extremely predictable patterns
2. controlled by gravitational pull between earth, sun, moon, and is inexhaustible
3. require little maintenance and little personnel
4. can be produces even if water is at low speed
5. no carbon emissions

Question 21

define geothermal energy

Answer 21

is the heat contained in the rock and fluid that fills the fractures and pores within the rock in the earth’s crust.

Question 22

advantages of geothermal energy

Answer 22

1. easily accessible
2. low emission of sulphur, CO2, other greenhouse gases
3. independent of external supply and demand effects and fluctuations in exchange rates
4. independent of weather and season

Question 23

distribution of geothermal energy

Answer 23

1. Manikaran in HP
2. puga Valley in Ladakh
3. Tattapani in Chhattisgarh
4. Cambay Graben in Gujarat

Question 24

define nuclear power

Answer 24

obtained from energy stored in the nuclei of atoms of naturally occurring radioactive elements like uranium, thorium, plutonim .

Question 25

define nuclear fission

Answer 25

when atoms of these radioactive substances react, they split apart

Question 26

first nuclear station

Answer 26

Tarapur, Maharastra

Question 27

2 types of nuclear generators

Answer 27

1. pressurised water reactors- water heated by nuclear reaction, but not boiled because it is pressurised
2. boiling water reactors- water is boiled and turns into steam to turn the turbine

Question 28

distribution of nuclear energy

Answer 28

4th largest source of electricity in India

uranium and thorium- Jharkhand, Aravalli
thorium- in monazite sands of kerala

Question 29

advantages of nuclear energy

Answer 29

1. reduces the use of fossil fuels, lowers greenhouse gas emissions
2. saves on raw material
3. most reliable as nuclear plants can run 24/7

Question 30

how does nuclear energy save on raw materials

Answer 30

1 atom of uranium produces 10 times the energy released by burning of one atom of carbon

Question 31

define biogas

Answer 31

composed of methane, CO2, Hydrogen, hydrogen sulphide
formed by the anaerobic degradation of animal and plant wastes in the presence of water

Question 32

advantages/uses of biogas

Answer 32

1. residue left behind in the tank is rich in nutrients and used as manure
2. direct supply of gas from the plant, no storage
3. sludge left behind is a rich fertiliser

Question 33

biogas plants which use cattle dung are called

Answer 33

gobar gas plants

Question 34

define compressed biogas

Answer 34

biogas is purified to remove hydrogen sulphide, CO2, water vapour, and compressed to obtain CBG
methane content is more than 90%