News: The NTPC REL (Renewable Energy Limited) a full subsidiary of NTPC is all set to build the biggest Solar Park of 4750 MW in Gujarat’s Rann Of Kutch, Khevada. This will be India’s largest renewable energy park by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Read News Here.
About India’s Renewable Energy:
India with the world’s second-largest population is also the 3rd largest consumer of electricity and also the3rd largest producer of Renewable Energy from clean sources. Moreover, India is a signatory to the 2016 INDC (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) of the Paris Agreement where India decided to set a target of producing 40 percent of its total energy through renewable sources till the year 2030. Not just this, but the government also decided to produce 175 GW of energy through renewable means.
What is meant by Renewable Energy?
Renewable source of energy means all those sources which do no get exhausted and which are sustainable in its use. They are less or non-polluting and the benefits of which can be experienced by the future generations as well. Nowadays it’s also most commonly called Alternative fuel. Read More about alternative fuels here.
Types Of Renewable Energy:
Solar energy:
The Sun is main source of energy here. The heat from the sun is converted into thermal energy by the use of photovoltaic cells, artificial photosynthesis, etc. Since solar energy is the most abundant form of energy in the world, harnessing and using it proves to be very beneficial as well as sustainable. But, the production, rather the conversion of solar heat waves in energy form is quite costly and also different geographical locations recieve differing amount of sunlight, which makes it quite difficult to use the solar energy.
Wind energy:
Just like Solar energy, wind energy is also a clean and abundant source of energy. You might have seen wind farms in movies or in villages, these giant-looking fans are connected to the turbines which rotate following the movement of the fan blades. Once they start rotating, they generate electricity which is connected to the Grids which then helps to distribute this electricity. But a special geographical region is suitable for the setting up of such windmills, not every location works.
Hydro energy:
Hydro Power is one of the most abundant and earlier forms of renewable energy methods used to produce electricity. A large dam or a reservoir can be used for the purpose, to store water and make the connected turbine move in a controlled manner. By this electricity gets generated and an excess amount of electricity can be stored too when the demand reaches its threshold.
Tidal energy:
Tidal energy can be termed as another form of hydro energy. In this particular type, tides are used to move the turbines through their tidal force. Usually, two tidal forces are used daily, high tide and low tide. Just like Hydropower, electricity from the tidal forces can too be stored when the demand is fulfilled.
Geothermal energy:
As the name suggests, this type uses energy that is available below the surface of the earth. Below the earth’s surface, there exist various kinds of gases and hot sources which can be used directly to generate electricity. However, just like Solar energy, geothermal energy is also not adequately available in all geographical locations. It even seems that some areas like Ice Land have an abundance of geothermal energy whereas other parts of the United Kingdom lack the same.
Biomass energy:
Biomass energy or Biofuel is the conversion of plant waste into electricity. Though this process requires the materials to be burnt in order to produce energy, nowadays it is done in a much clean and sustainable manner. A point to remember here is that the production of energy from biomass comes at a very cheap cost since plant and animal waste are easily available.
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