Energy Resources Essay Example for Free

Energy Resources Essay Trade – offs for the energy resources Large scale hydroelectric power This taps the abundant energy resource presented to humanity by Nature in the form of water streams flowing under potential energy gradient presented by natural topography. This energy resource is practically free, practically renewable and exploiting this form of energy hurts the environs to the minimal extent. We can term it as green energy. This form of energy is very advantageous of economic development in remote and hilly terrain, where it is not easy to transport other forms of energy. This has disadvantages and limitations too. Construction of large dam required for large hydroelectric power in many cases leads to rehabilitation of a large population. A large dam (water mass) may lead to unduly high pressure on the tectonic plates and cause earth quakes with disastrous consequences. Besides, such plants have to be constructed in remote and hilly terrains, which is not an easy task in itself. Operation of the plant is made difficult by the silt that comes with the flowing water during rainy season. Passive solar power This converts solar energy into useful form of energy say heat which can be utilized for room heating, water heating etc. This is renewable or non exhaustive form of energy. This is highly eco friendly or green form of energy. This is distributed form of energy in the sense that this is consumed where it is produced, therefore, issues pertaining to energy transportation is not at all there. The features for exploiting can be designed in a building during construction or even retrofitted afterwards. What we get is heat only, which is not very useful form of energy. This is highly localized and can not be transported. This is not useful during night. It is not so easy to incorporate features for exploiting this form of energy in an existing building. This is not at all useful for those regions devoid of ample sunlight. Active solar power This converts solar energy into electrical energy by using photovoltaic cells. This is also renewable or non – exhaustive form of energy. This is green or eco friendly form of energy. This can be stored using batteries. This is also highly distributed form of energy as an active solar panel can be made of each household. This is working even when sun is not there i.e. during night or cloudy hours as the electrical energy can be stored in batteries. The disadvantages are very low conversion efficiency of solar energy into electrical energy. Small scale of solar power plants; large scale plants are yet become a reality and therefore, limited applications. Besides, toxic materials are required for construction of photovoltaic cells required for active solar power. Wind Power This converts energy of naturally flowing air current or wind into electricity. This is also renewable or non – exhaustive form of energy. This is green or eco friendly as it causes no harm to nature. This is available on large and industrial as well as small domestic scales. This can be very useful for development of regions devoid of other energy resources. This energy resource is not easily predictable or controllable. This is prone to seasonal variation as wind pattern follows a seasonal variation. The wind turbine is noisy.