Categories: Mechanics

List of Sources of Energy

Energy is the ability of a body to do work.”It is present everywhere in sunlight, water, wind, plants, animals etc..It is required for walking, reading, and playing. Energy does make things for us like makes toast, plays music etc..A good source of energy would be the one which would:

Do a large amount of work per unit volume or mass.
Be easily be accessible
Be easy to store and transport.
It should be economical

List of sources of energy

Wind energy
Hydal energy
Fossil fuel energy
Nuclear energy
Geothermal energy
Solar energy
Tidal energy

Fossil fuel energy

Fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon deposit, such as petroleum, coal, or natural gas, derived from living matter of a previous geological and used for fuel.

Tidal energy

Tidal energy, sometimes called tidal power, is the power achieved by capturing the energy contained in moving water in tides and ocean currents.

Wave energy:

The huge moving waves possess kinetic energy. This energy is used to power a turbine. Most wave energy systems are very small. But, they can be used to power a warming body or a small lighthouse.

Ocean Thermal energy:

The energy obtained by converting the solar energy trapped by the ocean into useable energy is known as ocean thermal energy. The water at the surface of the sea or ocean is heated by the sun while the water, in deeper sections, is relatively cold. This difference in temperature is exploited to obtain energy in ocean thermal energy conversion plants. These plants can operate only if the temperature difference between the water at the surface and water at depths up to 2km is 293k 20 ⁰c or more.

Geo thermal energy

“Energy obtained by tapping underground reservoirs of heat, usually near volcanoes or other hot spots on the surface of the earth is known as geothermal energy.”

Solar energy

“Solar energy is the solar radiation that reaches the earth.”
Uses of solar energy

Heating water for domestic use
Space heating of buildings
Heating swimming pools
Drying agricultural products
Generating electrical energy

Draw backs of solar energy

It arrives at the surface of the earth intermittently and invariable manner.
It has to be concentrated using parabolic mirrors.

Solar cells:
“A solar cell is a device that converts solar energy into electricity.”A typical solar cell develops a voltage of 0.5 – 1 volt and can produce about 0.7 watts of electricity when exposed to the sun.
Uses of solar cells

Artificial satellites and in space probes like Mars orbiters.
Wireless transmission systems or Tv relay stations in remote locations.
Traffic signals, calculators, and in toys.

Hydal energy

The source of this energy is water at some height. To store this water at height various dams are constructed. This water is also used to derive electrical generation. The electricity thus produced is used for different purposes.
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