The Limited Stock of Non-renewables in Our Power Mix

Non-renewable resources have a  limited stock. Once the stocks are exhausted it may take thousands of years to be renewed or replenished. Minerals and fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas are examples of non-renewable sources of energy. Mineral fuels are essential for generation of power, required by agriculture, industry, transport and other sectors of the economy. 

Fuels like coal, petroleum and natural gas, firewood, cattle dung cake, nuclear energy minerals, electricity (both hydel and thermal) are the conventional source of energy and are exhaustible resources (Refer below Figure ). 

Coal as a Source of Energy: Formation, Distribution, and Implications

Coal: Exploring its Significance as a Key Source of Energy

• Abundant Fossil Fuel as Sources of Energy: In India, coal is the most abundantly available fossil fuel which is mainly used in the generation of thermal power to supply energy to industry as well as for domestic needs and smelting of iron ore. 
  • India is highly dependent on coal for meeting its commercial energy requirements. 
• Coal Formation and Variability:  This essential source of energy originates in rock sequences mainly of two geological ages, namely Gondwana a little over 200 million years in age and tertiary deposits about 55 million years old. 
  • It is formed due the compression of plant material over millions of years, therefore, is found in a variety of forms depending on the degrees of compression and the depth and time of burial. 
• Peat: Decaying plants in swamps produce peat which has a low carbon and high moisture contents and low heating capacity. 
• Lignite: It is a low grade brown coal, which is soft with high moisture content, it serves as a crucial source of energy. The principal lignite reserves are in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu and are used for generation of electricity. 
• Bituminous Coal: Coal that has been buried deep and subjected to increased temperatures is bituminous coal emerges as a significant source of energy. 
  • It is the most popular coal in commercial use. 
  • Metallurgical coal is high grade bituminous coal which has a special value for smelting iron in blast furnaces. 
  • About 80% of the coal deposits in India is of bituminous type and is of non-coking grade.
• Anthracite: It is the highest quality hard coal.

• Distribution: The most important Gondwana coal fields of India are located in Damodar Valley which lie in Jharkhand-Bengal coal belt and the important coal fields in this region are Raniganj, Jharia, Bokaro, Giridih, Karanpura. 
  • Jharia is the largest coal field followed by Raniganj. 
  • The Godavari, Mahanadi, Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh (part of Singrauli coal field lies in Uttar Pradesh), Korba in Chhattisgarh, Talcher and Rampur in Orissa, Chanda–Wardha, Kamptee and Bander in Maharashtra and Singareni and Pandur in Andhra Pradesh are other fields. 
  • Tertiary coals occur in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland. 
    • It is extracted from Darangiri, Cherrapunji, Mewling and Langrin (Meghalaya) Makum, Jaipur and Nazira in upper Assam, Namchik – Namphuk (Arunachal Pradesh) and Kalakot (Jammu and Kashmir). 
  • Besides, the brown coal or lignite occurs in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir . 
• Weight Loss and Ash Production: Coal is a bulky material, which loses weight on use as it is reduced to ash. Hence, heavy industries and thermal power stations are located on or near the coalfields.

Natural Gas a Source of Energy: Resource, Applications, Implications for Heavy Industries and The Gas Authority of India Limited

• Clean Energy Resource: Natural gas is an important clean energy resource found in association with or without petroleum. 
• Versatile Applications: It is used as a source of energy as well as an industrial raw material in the petrochemical industry. 
  • Primary Consumers: The power and fertilizer industries are the key users of natural gas. 
• Environmental Advantages: It is considered an environmentally friendly fuel because of low carbon dioxide emissions and is, therefore, the fuel for the present century. 
• The Gas Authority of India Limited: It was set up in 1984 as a public sector undertaking to transport and market natural gas. 
• Cross Country Gas Pipeline: The 1700 km long Hazira-Vijaipur Jagdishpur cross country gas pipeline links Mumbai High and Bassein with the fertilizer, power and industrial complexes in western and northern India. 
  • This artery has provided an impetus to India’s gas production. 
• Distribution: Large reserves of natural gas have been discovered in the Krishna- Godavari basin. 
  • Andaman and Nicobar islands are also important areas having large reserves of natural gas. 
  • It is obtained along with oil in all the oil fields but exclusive reserves of this vital source of energy have been located along the eastern coast as well as Tripura, Rajasthan and off-shore wells in Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Conclusion

In summary, diverse sources of energy, from fossil fuels like coal to natural gas, are crucial for powering our world. Understanding their distribution and characteristics is vital for sustainable energy planning, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach to ensure a resilient and efficient energy future.

Also Read: Conventional Sources of Energy in India: Wealth, Challenges, Sustainable Future