These are the resources that are found in the environment and are developed without the intervention of humans. Common examples of natural resources include air, sunlight, water, soil, stone, plants, animals and fossil fuels.
Natural resources are naturally occurring materials that are useful to man or could be useful under conceivable technological, economic or social circumstances or supplies drawn from the earth, supplies such as food, building and clothing materials, fertilizers, metals, water and geothermal power. For a long time, natural resources were the domain of the natural sciences.
Energy resources
The ability to do work is called energy. Humans require energy to do many things, including various processes within the human body from eating to digesting that food. Energy plays a crucial role in our lives, providing comfort, increasing productivity and allowing us to live the way we want to. Since the beginning of the mankind, we have made use of Sun, wood, water, wind and fossil fuels as a means of heating making the machines do work and also other things we do on a daily basis.
The energy around us exist in various forms, and as per the laws of physics is neither created nor destroyed but converted from one form to another, the concept is called conservation of energy.
The energy we see around us are of the following forms:
- Mechanical energy: The energy stored in a body by virtue of its state of rest or motion. When the body is in rest, it is said to possess the energy of rest called potential energy. When the body is moving, it is said to be having Kinetic energy.
- Thermal Energy: The energy a system has in relation to its temperature. The energy is manifested by the movements of the molecules within the body.
- Chemical energy: the energy stored within the bonds of molecules.
The energy is further divided into two various categories according to their generation and regeneration capability;
Non-Renewable Sources
Resources that are limited in abundance due to their non-renewable nature and whose availability may run out in the future are called non-renewable resources. Examples include fossil fuels, minerals, etc.
1. Fossil fuels
They consists of oil and coal and gas. These fuels usually have a high calorific value. These are easily available, and we have the technology to exploit them fully. But they come with their disadvantages like global warming, pollution, side-effects to health. At present, we get most of our energy from non-renewable energy sources which include fossil fuels such as coal, crude oil and natural gas. Over 85% of our energy demands are met by the combustion of fossil fuels. Carbon is the main constituent of these fossil fuels.
Natural Gas is another non-renewable source of energy, comprising mainly of methane, butane, ethane and propane, and also has a high calorific value. The heat and pressure over the years converted the organic matter into coal and oil, whereas some of the natural gas remained trapped in the crust of the Earth.There are different types of coal such as peat, lignite, sub-bituminous and bituminous. Peat is the lowest quality of energy source and anthracite being the highest and least polluting variety of coal.
2. Nuclear energy
There are some atoms like radioactive elements that contain nuclei which disintegrate into lighter nuclei with energy being released during the chain reaction. The process is called Nuclear fission. The energy is released as per the equation E=mc^2. The Uranium isotope U-235 is used for the fission process.
Renewable Source of Energy
Most renewable or non-renewable energy sources are obtained directly or indirectly from the Sun. The solar energy can be used directly or indirectly for heating and lighting; also it drives the wind energy also causes rain by evaporation which is in turn used as hydro-electric energy. Some of the major renewable energy sources are:
1. Solar Energy
Solar energy is the ultimate form of energy. Solar energy is used commonly for heating the panels, cooking using solar cookers, production of electricity, and even in the desalination of seawater. With the help of solar cells, solar energy is converted into electricity. One of the most common uses of the Sun’s energy has been for water heating systems. The advantages of solar energy are it is clean, available in plenty and uninterrupted. The solar energy devices can be installed even in remote villages and now are even getting inexpensive with the advancement in technology and increased competition. The limitations with solar energy are that it can’t be used in the temperate regions, also consumes land and can’t be used to run heavy machines. The target for India has been set under the National solar mission, around 100 GW, including both rooftops and large and medium scale grid installations.
2. Wind energy
The wind energy possesses kinetic energy due to its movement, which can be converted into electric energy. It can be harnessed using windmills. Like solar power, harnessing the wind is highly dependent on weather and location. However, it is one of the oldest and cleanest forms of energy. It occupies less space and area below the windmills can be used for other purposes like farming. The wind energy farm is generally set where the wind speed is around 15 kmph. Tamil Nadu is a leader in wind power in India having the largest wind farm of India i.e Muppandal windfarm.
3. Hydroelectric Power
The energy generated using the force of running water. The water has potential energy when stored in any reservoir or dam, and this energy is converted into kinetic energy. By channelling water that is flowing downhill, the force of the water can be used to turn the blades of turbines and via a generator, produce electricity. It is generally a capital-intensive plant and heavily dependent on rainfall for its efficient working. The large multi-purpose river valley projects are not environmentally viable and are a large threat to the diversity of the ecosystem and cause large-scale human displacement.
4. Geothermal energy
The Earth from within is very hot, and the heat generated within could be used to generate electricity. This heat is received in the form of hot springs and geysers, which may be used to run turbines. These turbines generate electricity.
5. Biomass
Biomass is basically organic material made from plants and animals. It includes garbage, industrial waste, crop residue, manure, wood, sewage and dead parts of living objects. Like all other sources of energy, it also contains stored energy from the Sun. Therefore, biomass is also a very good source of energy. Biomass can be converted to other useable forms of energy, such as biogas or methane, ethanol and biodiesel. The biofuels are extensively used mixed with petrol as ethanol under the National biofuel policy of India.
Energy is the most vital part of our survival without which the existence of human being would be in danger. A major part of the energy pool (around eighty-five percentage) comes from the non-renewable source of energy like coal, petroleum, oil gas etc. Sooner the times will be there when we will face dire energy shortages. It is about time we move towards the clean sources of energy which are in abundance as well for the protection of both the environment and the Earth as a whole.
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