What's Energy??

What is Energy?

In Layman terms, Energy is the amount of force or power when applied can move one object from one position to another or Energy defines the capacity of a system to do work. Energy exists in everybody whether they are human beings or animals or non living things for eg: Jet, Light, Machines etc..

Energy can have many forms: kinetic, potential, light, sound, gravitational, elastic, electromagnetic or nuclear. According to the law of conservation of energy, any form of energy can be converted into another form and the total energy will remain the same. For eg: a laborer when pushes the pile of bags, his potential energy stored inside him is converted into the kinetic energy from the movement of matter or when you burn the wood it's chemical energy is converted into the heat energy or when you charge your mobile phone the electrical energy is converted into the chemical energy which gets stored inside the battery's molecules.

The many different natural and renewable energy technologies highlighted throughout the website are by no means breakthrough. Many of the renewable energy technologies have been around for years, and as time goes by, are increasing in efficiency.

What are the sources of energy?

Energy are broadly classified into two main groups: renewable and Non-renewable.

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is energy which is generated from natural sources i.e. sun, wind, rain, tides and can be generated again and again as and when required. They are available in plenty and by far most the cleanest sources of energy available on this planet. For eg: Energy that we receive from the sun can be used to generate electricity. Similarly, energy from wind, geothermal, biomass from plants, tides can be used this form of energy to another form.

Here are some of the pros and cons of using renewable sources of energy:-

Pros

• The sun, wind, geothermal, ocean energy are available in the abundant quantity and free to use.
• The non-renewable sources of energy that we are using are limited and are bound to expire one day.
• Renewable sources have low carbon emissions, therefore they are considered as green and environment friendly.
• Renewable helps in stimulating the economy and creating job opportunities. The money that is used to build these plants can provide jobs to thousands of people.
• You don't have to rely on any third country for the supply of renewable sources as in case of non-renewable sources.
• Renewable sources can cost less than consuming the local electrical supply. In the long run, the prices of electricity are expected to soar since they are based on the prices of crude oil, so renewable sources can cut your electricity bills.
• Various tax incentives in the form of tax waivers, credit deductions are available for individuals and businesses who want to go green.

Cons

• It is not easy to set up a plant as the initial costs are quite steep.
• Solar energy can be used during the day time and not during night or rainy season.
• Geothermal energy which can be used to generate electricity has side effects too. It can bring toxic chemicals beneath the earth surface onto the top and can create environmental changes.
• Hydroelectric provide pure form of energy but building dams across the river which is quite expensive can affect natural flow and affect wildlife.
• To use wind energy, you have to rely on strong winds therefore you have to choose suitable site to operate them. Also, they can affect bird population as they are quite high.

Non-Renewable Energy

Non-Renewable energy is energy which is taken from the sources that are available on the earth in limited quantity and will vanish fifty-sixty years from now. Non-renewable sources are not environmental friendly and can have serious affect on our health. They are called non-renewable because they can be re-generated within a short span of time. Non-renewable sources exist in the form of fossil fuels, natural gas, oil and coal.

Here are some of the pros and cons of using non-renewable sources of energy:-

Pros

• Non-renewable sources are cheap and easy to use. You can easily fill up your car tank and power your motor vehicle.
• You can use small amount of nuclear energy to produce large amount of power.
• Non-renewable have little or no competition at all. For eg: if you are driving a battery driven car your battery gets discharged then you won't be able to charge it in the middle if the road rather it is easy to find a gas pumping station.
• They are considered as cheap when converting from one type of energy to another.

Cons

• Non-renewable sources will expire some day and we have to use our endangered resources to create more non-renewable sources of energy.
• The speed at which such resources are being utilized can have serious environmental changes.
• Non-renewable sources release toxic gases in the air when burnt which are the major cause for global warming.
• Since these sources are going to expire soon, prices of these sources are soaring day by day.

Why should we conserve energy?

Energy needs to be conserved to protect our environment from drastic changes, to save the depleting resources for our future generations. The rate at which the energy is being produced and consumed can damage our world in many ways. In other words, it helps us to save the environment. We can reduce those impacts by consuming less energy. The cost of energy is rising every year. It is important for us to realize how energy is useful to us and how can we avoid it getting wasted.

To start saving energy is not a big thing at all. We can start saving the energy from our home itself, just by turning off the lights during day hours, washing clothes in cold water or using public transport instead of using our own vehicle and later can implement these things on much wider scale at society level, then at city level then district level and finally at country level. You might notice a small change in your monthly bills by implementing these changes as they would be getting decreased more and more. With so many alternatives and so many techniques about there, if millions of people like us start doing these things, it will help us to save much more money and also help the environment.