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Following efforts can be made to conserve energy resources in India: 

(i) Using public transport instead of individual vehicle. 

(ii) Switching off electricity when not in use. 

(iii) Using power-saving devices. 

(iv) Non-conventional resources should be used more and more because they are renewable and eco-friendly. 

(v) Use of automobiles, engines should be decreased and electric motors should be introduced. 

(vi) Judicious use of our limited energy resources. 

Firewood, cattle dung cake, coal and natural gas are conventional sources of energy.

(i) Energy is a basic requirement for economic development. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop a sustainable path of energy development. Promotion of energy conservation and increased use of renewable energy sources are the twin planks of sustainable energy.

(ii) We have to adopt a cautious approach for the judicious use of our limited energy resources. As concerned citizens we can do our bit by using public transport systems instead of individual vehicles. 

(iii) Switching off electricity when not in use, using power-saving devices and using non-conventional sources of energy are other important steps for saving energy.

The use of non-conventional sources of energy is becoming necessary because of the following reasons:

(i) The growing consumption of energy in the country has made us dependent on fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas and it may lead to shortages in the supply of oil, gas and coal in future. 

(ii) Rising prices of oil and gas has adversely affected the foreign exchange.

(iii) The growth of the national economy is getting slowed down. 

(iv) Ever-increasing use of fossil fuels is causing serious environmental problems. 

(v) Non-conventional sources of energy are renewable and also eco-friendly.

Conventional and non-conventional sources of energy.

(b)  Biogas.

About sixty per cent of India’s petroleum production comes from the region of  Mumbai High

Decaying plants in swamps produce what Lignite

The major resources of Gondwana coal are located in Godavari valley

Lignite is a low grade brown coal. 

Feature: It is soft with high moisture content.

The principal lignite reserves are used for Generation of wind power

Biluminous coal is the most popular coal. 

The principal lignite reserves are found in Neyveli in Tamil Nadu.

The largest solar plant of India is located at Madhapur

Uranium and thorium are available in Jharkhand and the Aravali ranges of Rajasthan. They are used for generating atomic or nuclear power.

(i) Bhakra Nangal 

(ii) Damodar Valley Corporation 

(iii) Kopili Tydel Project

Hydro-electricity is generated by fast flowing water. 

The power and fertiliser industries are the key users of natural gas.

Nagarcoil and Jaisalmer are well known for effective use of wind energy in the country.

There are over 310 thermal power plants in India.

Using dung cake is being discouraged because it consumes most valuable manure which could be used in agriculture.

Coal is the most abundantly available fossil fuel. 

Jharia and Bokaro.

There are over 310 thermal power plants in India.

The full form of CNG is  Compressed Natural Gas

The differences between thermal power and hydel power project are given below:

Geothermal energy refers to the heat and electricity produced by using the heat from the interiors of the Earth.

from the interiors of the Earth. Geothermal energy exists because the Earth grows progressively hotter with increasing depth. Where the geothermal gradient is high, high temperatures are found at shallow depths. Ground water in such areas absorbs heat from the rocks and becomes hot. It is so hot that when it rises to the earth’s surface, it turns into steam. This steam is used to drive turbines and generate electricity.

There are several hundred hot springs in India which could be used to generate electricity. Two experimental projects have been set up in India to harness geothermal energy. One is located in the Parvati valley near Manikarn in Himachal Pradesh and the other is located in the Puga Valley, Ladakh.

The energy obtained from the sun is known as the solar energy. Its importance can be understood by the following points. 

(i) Solar energy does not cause environmental problems as it is pollution free. 

(ii) India has enormous possibilities of tapping solar energy. 

(iii) It is becoming popular in rural and remote areas of India. Thus, it will be able to minimise the dependence of rural households on firewood and dung cake.

Peat is produced by decaying of plants in swamps.

Features: It has a low carbon high moisture contents and low heating capacity.

Tidal energy can be produced from ocean water.

Nuclear energy is obtained by altering the structure of atoms. When such an alteration is made, much energy is released in the form of heat and this is used to generate electric power. Uranium and Thorium, which are available in Jharkhand and the Aravalli ranges of Rajasthan are used for generating atomic or nuclear power. The monazite sands of Kerala is also rich in Thorium.

In India, the Gulf of Kuchchh provides ideal conditions for utilising tidal energy.

Coal provides a substantial part of the nation’s energy needs. It is used: 

(i) for power generation 

(ii) to supply energy to industry as well as for domestic needs. India is highly dependent on coal for meeting its commercial energy requirements. 

Petroleum is a major energy source in India after coal. The two advantages of petroleum are:

(i) It provides fuel for heat and lighting, lubricants for machinery and raw materials for a number of manufacturing industries. 

(ii) Petroleum refineries act as a “nodal industry” for synthetic textile, fertiliser and numerous chemical industries. 

(iii) About 63 per cent of India’s petroleum production is from Mumbai High, 18 per cent comes from Gujarat and 16 per cent from Assam.

(i) Biogas is produced from shrubs, farm waste, animal and human wastes. It is mostly used for domestic consumption in rural areas. 

(ii) Decomposition of organic matter yields gas, which has higher thermal efficiency in comparison to kerosene, dung cake and charcoal. 

(iii) Biogas plants are set up at municipal, cooperative and individual levels. Biogas plants using cattle dung are known as Gobar gas plants in rural India. 

(iv) These provide twin benefits to the farmer in the form of energy and improved quality of manure. 

(v) Biogas makes the most efficient use of cattle dung. 

(vi) It prevents the loss of trees and manure due to burning of fuel wood and cow dung cakes.

(i) In India, coal is the most abundantly available fossil fuel. It provides a substantial part of the nation’s energy needs.

(ii) It is used for power generation, to supply energy to industry as well as for domestic needs. 

(iii) It is used as a raw material in the making of coal tar and coal gas.

(i) Rawat Bhata in Rajasthan 

(ii) Naraura in Uttar Pradesh 

(iii) Kaiga in Karnataka 

(iv) Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu

Tertiary coal occur in the region of  North-eastern states

Oceanic tides can be used to generate electricity. Floodgate dams are built across inlets. During high tide water flows into the inlet and gets trapped when the gate is closed. After the tide falls outside the flood gate, the water retained by the floodgate flows back to the sea via pipe that carries it through a power generating turbine. In India, the Gulf of Kuchchh, provides ideal conditions for utilising tidal energy. A 900 mw tidal energy power plant is set up here by the National Hydropower Corporation.

(i) Western Rajasthan is blessed with an abundance of sunlight. 

(ii) It has less tree cover. 

(iii) It has very less rainfall as it is located on the leeward side of the western ghats.

Petroleum, also known as mineral oil, is the next major energy source in India after coal. Its uses are given below: 

(i) It provides fuel for heat and lighting. 

(ii) It provides lubricants for machinery. 

(iii) It provides raw materials for a number of manufacturing industries.

(iv) Petroleum refineries act as a ‘vodal industry’ for synthetic textile, fertiliser and numinous chemical industries. 

Two Ways to Save Petroleum 

(i) Maximum use of public transport instead of individual vehicles. 

(ii) Putting off vehicles at red lights.

The petroleum occurrences in India are usually associated with anticlines and fault trap in rock formations of the tertiary age. In regions of folding, anticlines or domes, it occurs where oil is trapped in the crest of the up fold. The oil bearing layer is a porous limestone or sandstone through which oil may flow. The oil is prevented from rising or sinking by interviewing non-porous layers. Petroleum is also found in fault traps between porous and non-porous rocks. Gas, being lighter, usually occurs above the oil.

Coal is formed due to the compression of plant material over millions of years. Coal is found in a variety of forms depending on the degrees of compression and the depth and time of burial.

Natural gas is a conventional source of energy. It is an important clean energy resource found in association with or without petroleum. It is used as a source of energy as well as an industrial raw material in the petro-chemical industry.

Natural gas is considered an environment friendly fuel because of low carbon dioxide emissions and is, therefore, the fuel for the present century.

Large reserves of natural gas have been discovered in the Krishna-Godavari basin. Along the west coast the reserves of the Mumbai High and allied fields are supplemented by finds in the Gulf of Cambay. Andaman and Nicobar islands are also important areas having large reserves of natural gas.

The 1700 km long Hazira-Vijaipur-Jagdishpur cross country gas pipeline links Mumbai High and Bassien with the fertiliser, power and industrial complexes in western and northern India. The power and fertiliser industries are the key users of natural gas. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is now being used in vehicles.

(i) Natural gas is an important clean energy resource found in association with or without petroleum. 

(ii) It is used as a source of energy as well as an industrial raw material in the petrochemical industry. 

(iii) It is considered an environment-friendly fuel because of low carbon dioxide emissions.

Differences between natural gas and bio-gas are given below:

(i) Large reserves of natural gas are found in Krishna Godavari basin. 

(ii) Along the west-coast the reserves of the Mumbai High and allied fields are supplemented by finds in the Gulf of Cambay. 

(iii) Andaman and Nicobar islands are also important areas having large reserves of natural gas.

(d) all of the above

Natural gas is used as a source of energy as well as an industrial raw material in the petrochemical industry.

The oldest oil-producing state in India is  Assam