Natural Sources of Energy

Energy is mainly the ability of a system to perform and make things happen. Energy is mainly a property of an object which cannot be created or destroyed but can be transferred. There is a huge number of sources are available in nature such as thermal energy, nuclear energy, sunlight energy, etc. Sources of energy change from time to time. In the stone age, humans used wood as their primary natural sources of energy.

In the iron age, human used coal as their primary natural sources of energy, and in the modern era, humans use fossil fuels such as petroleum, natural gas as their source of energy. There should be certain qualities in energy sources such as should be economical, easy to transport, least polluting.

Types of Natural Sources of Energy

There are mainly two different types of natural sources of energy available such as conventional sources of energy and non-conventional sources of energy. Conventional sources of energy have been in use for a very long time of period. Conventional sources of energy are exhaustible and they cause pollution as they emit smoke and ash

. The maintenance and transport cost is very high and storing cost is also high. Coal, natural gas, petroleum, water power all are examples of natural sources of energy. Non-conventional sources of energy are mainly which are in the process of development to use in the near future. Non-conventional sources of energy are inexhaustible and they are pollution-free.

The maintenance cost is very less than the conventional sources of energy and they can be easily stored. Solar, biomass, wind, biogas, tidal geothermal all are the example of non-conventional sources of energy.

Sun

Sun is our life source and it is the source of light, heat. In passive heating of house or water is done by the thermal heat obtained from the sun. Natural light can be useful during the daytime to reduce the use of electricity. The photochemical reaction in tree leaves occurs due to the sunlight which is the primary source for the tree to produce food. We can produce electric power directly from sunlight by using photovoltaic cells.

Wind, Water, and Fossil Fuel

We can use the combustion of air for fire. Americans used windmills to pump water. We can generate power by using power by holding water in hydro-electric dams. Turbines are useful to generate power from water. Fossil fuels like petroleum, natural gas are very useful sources of energy. From petroleum, we can manufacture various products such as plastics, tires, polyester, etc.

FAQs about Natural Sources of Energy

Q.1 What is the advantage of conventional sources of energy over non-conventional sources of energy?

Answer: Non-conventional sources of energy such as coal, petroleum emits carbon while burning which is harmful to the environment. This causes global warming and increases the greenhouse effect.

Q.2: What is the primary carrier of energy in cells?

Answer: The primary carrier of energy in cells is adenosine triphosphate or ATP.