Chapter 5 · Question 3
Describe conventional sources of energy and their importance.
Answer
Direct Answer
Conventional energy sources include coal, petroleum, natural gas, and electricity from thermal and hydel power. They have long supported industry, transport, agriculture, and domestic needs, but fossil fuels are exhaustible and cause pollution when used carelessly.
Simple Explanation
Conventional sources — coal, petroleum, natural gas, thermal, and hydel power — support industry, transport, and daily life, though fossil fuels are exhaustible and polluting.
Exam-Ready Structure
Conventional energy sources are those that have been in widespread use for a long time:
1. Coal:
• The most abundant fossil fuel in India, used for thermal power generation, in iron and steel industries, and as domestic fuel.
• India's major coalfields are in Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal.
2. Petroleum:
• A liquid fossil fuel used for transport (petrol, diesel), power generation, and as raw material for petrochemicals (plastics, fertilisers, synthetic fibres).
• Major oilfields are in Mumbai High, Assam, and Gujarat.
3. Natural gas:
• Used for power generation, as industrial fuel, as domestic cooking fuel (CNG/PNG), and as feedstock for fertilisers.
• Cleaner than coal and oil; found along with petroleum or independently.
4. Thermal electricity:
• Generated by burning coal, oil, or natural gas to produce steam that drives turbines.
• The largest source of electricity in India.
5. Hydel power (hydroelectricity):
• Produced from flowing or falling water, a renewable conventional source.
• Dams and multipurpose projects are the main sources.
Importance: These sources have powered industrialisation, transport, and modern agriculture for over a century. However, coal, oil, and gas are exhaustible, non-renewable, and cause air pollution and climate change when burned.
Key Points
- Conventional energy sources include coal, petroleum, natural gas, and electricity from thermal and hydel power.
- They have long supported industry, transport, agriculture, and domestic needs, but fossil fuels are exhaustible and cause pollution when used carelessly.
Relevant Maps and Figures
Conventional and Non-Conventional Energy Sources
table
Use the comparison to group coal, petroleum, natural gas, and electricity under conventional sources cleanly.
It helps avoid mixing renewable examples into this answer.
This chapter comparison is useful for separating fossil-fuel-based energy from solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biogas, and atomic options.
Answer Sources
- Conventional energy resourcestextbook section | Contemporary India-II | Minerals and Energy Resources | Conventional sources of energy | Pages 9-11