Human civilization has started realizing how much harm they have

already caused to the environment; and when it comes to taking a stand

against these environmental problems, the focus shifts to the use
of Renewable Energy.
Have you ever wondered what Alternative Energy Sources are?and
why are they supposed to help us sustain? Alternative sources of energy
are the ones which do not cause any undesirable consequences to the
environment, are renewable and are free!
Alternative energy sources can be implemented for houses, for cars,
factories and any other facility you can imagine. Scientists around the
world are researching on developing and discovering new Alternative
Energy Sources so that the growing energy needs of the human
population can be met more easily, safely and efficiently.
Alternative energy sources are available free of cost and do not tax the
environment for their usage. Power generation through alternative
sources of energy is clean and ‘green’. If we shift to use power
generated from these sources, then carbon dioxide emission from the
conventional energy sources will be greatly reduced, and the problem of
global warming will be solved in a few years. Also, the fast depleting
traditional energy sources can be preserved. Along with air pollution, the
use of traditional energy resources also causes soil pollution and water
pollution by releasing various toxins to the land and water. This can also
be controlled reasonably.
The damage that we have caused to earth after the industrial revolution
is huge and we will have to take action immediately if we want to keep
the planet sustainable for our future generations. The biggest leap that
mankind can take to prevent further damage is to start using alternative
energy sources.
As promising as the use of alternative sources of energy may sound, it is
still under research as to how to tap energy from these resources in the
most efficient and effective way. Although small power generation
systems can be put in place, power production from these resources on a
large scale is still a challenge with hydroelectric power generation being
an exception.
Many countries are not yet ready to move from using conventional
energy sources to the alternative energy sources as it involves a huge
amount to decommission the old power generation infrastructure and
establish new infrastructure. Therefore, the shift is ideal to be made in
phases.
As the developing world invests in solar, wind and geothermal energy
resources, their dependence on oil and natural gas will be reduced, and
with it the expense of fossil fuel energy systems and grid electricity.
When employed in isolated rural areas, renewable energy sources can
replace diesel generators and the use of costly kerosene lamps, together
with traditional biomass energy sources such as wood which may be
limited. While some renewable forms of energy can be labor-intensive,
many developing countries have the man power necessary, as well as
communities who would be buoyed by the employment opportunities of
a decentralized power system.
As each of these five countries illustrates, the push to invest in
renewable energy resources comes in very different forms and the
solutions vary widely across the world.

As each of these five countries illustrates, the push to invest in

renewable energy resources comes in very different forms and the
solutions vary widely across the world.

India – Shift to Solar Due to Increasing Power Demands

India’s shift towards renewable energy has come largely from a demand
for power that can’t be met with the current infrastructure and a reliance
on fossil fuels. The government has promised that all households will
have a reliable and constant source of power by 2019 (including the 20%
of the population who currently don’t have access to electricity), as well
as a significant expansion in manufacturing capabilities in India.
Solar is the big player here, with the government announcing a target of
175GW of renewable energy by 2022, 100GW of which would come
from solar. Not only would this create a significant number of jobs in the
country, but allow citizens a greater control over their power supply,
particularly in the country’s remote rural regions.

Growth of renewable energy in India

Renewable energy has arrived. In matter of a decade, it has grown from
a fringe player to a mainstream actor in the energy sector

Renewable energy has arrived. In matter of a decade, it has grown from

a fringe player to a mainstream actor in the energy sector.

In the past ten years, installation of renewable energy for electricity has
grown at an annual rate of 25 per cent. It has reached 30,000 MW as of
January 2014. During this period, wind power installation has grown ten
times and solar energy has grown from nothing to 2,500 MW. Currently,
renewable energy accounts for about 12 per cent of the total electricity
generation capacity and contributes about 6 per cent of the electricity
produced in the country. Renewables, therefore, produce more than
twice the amount of electricity produced by all nuclear power plants in
the country. In 2012-13, the electricity produced by renewables was
equivalent to meeting the per capita annual electricity requirement of
about 60 million people. More than a million households in the country,
today, depend solely on solar energy for their basic electricity needs.
The growth of renewable energy has changed the energy business in
India. It has, in many ways, democratised energy production and
consumption in the country. Before the renewable sector became a
significant player, the energy business was all about fossil fuel-based big
companies and grid-connected power—they dominate even today. But
today there is an alternate energy market in which thousands of small
companies, NGOs and social businesses are involved in selling
renewable energy products and generating and distributing renewables-
based energy. This trend is likely to accelerate because of two key
policies of the government.

The first is the Electricity Act, 2003. The Act has opened up the rural
electrification market to decentralised distributed generation systems. It
promotes decentralised generation and distribution of electricity
involving institutions like the panchayats, users' associations,
cooperative societies and NGOs in rural India not under the purview of
distribution companies. In addition, private developers are free to set up
renewable energy based generators and sell electricity to rural
consumers.

The second impetus to decentralized renewables comes from rooftop

solar policies of state governments.

States like Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, and Tamil

Nadu have policies to promote solar energy generation from rooftops of
residential, commercial and industrial buildings. The response to these
policies has been highly encouraging. Although the results of this policy
are likely to be realized slowly, the stage for re-inventing electricity
generation with power from rooftop installations has been set.

In the coming years we could see thousands of energy producers feeding

the grid or supplying electricity to consumers through local mini-grids.
We could also see millions of consumers generating their own electricity
and feeding the surplus to the grid. The fact is we are just beginning to
realize the potential of the renewables to open up the energy market and
democratise energy generation and consumption.

Commonly known alternative energy sources

Hydroelectric Energy
The potential energy stored in the water held in dams is made to drive a
water turbine and generator. Which in turn produces electric power. This
form of energy generation is called hydroelectric power. Out of all the
alternative energy sources, this one has been most commonly adopted in
the current time.

Advantages of hydroelectric power generation

– The source of hydroelectric power generation i.e., water is free of cost.
– Dams can provide virtually continuous electricity generation.
– The water used for power generation can be put to use again.
– There is no chemical process involved in the power production
process, therefore, the power generated is clean and does not harm the
environment.

Solar Energy
This is the energy which the earth receives from the Sun. This is one of
the most promising alternative energy sources, which will be available to
mankind for centuries to come. The only challenge remains to tap solar
energy in the most efficient way. The solar power generation is done by
using a series of photovoltaic cells where the solar rays are converted
into electricity. Apart from electricity production solar energy is also
being used for heating water, cooking food, etc.

Advantages of solar energy

– The source of energy is absolutely ‘free’.
– Solar power which is generated in the day time can be stored to be
made available in the night time as well.
– Solar power generators can be used to generate power in rural and
remote areas where there is no reach of the conventional form of energy.
– The generation of solar power is quite and absolutely clean.
– Solar energy is a renewable form of energy will not deplete until
thousands of years.

Wind Energy
The power of the wind is harnessed to propel the blades of wind turbine
attached to an electric generator to generate wind energy. Wind
energy is an effective alternative source of energy in areas where the
velocity of wind flow is high.

Advantages of wind energy

– Wind energy is a clean form of energy.
– The source of power generation i.e., the wind is free of cost.
– Wind energy is a renewable source of energy.

Biomass Energy
This is the energy developed from the wastes of various human and
animal activities like the by-products and wastes from the timber
industry, agricultural yields, municipal solid waste, etc. Out of the many
alternative sources of energy, this is the one which takes into account the
utilization of waste material to develop energy thereby disposing of
them in a profitable and effective way.

Advantages of biomass energy

– It is an environmentally friendly way of energy production in which
biological mass is recycled and re-used.
– The biomass will keep generating and decomposing as part of the
natural biological cycle. Therefore, biomass energy is considered a
renewable source of energy.
 New alternative energy sources
To answer the question of which Alternative Energy Source has been
brought to picture newly, you should understand that as you are reading
this, there are developments being carried on to find more and more
alternative energy sources. Apart from the commonly known alternative
energy sources, there have been recent advancements in terms of
discovering new alternative energy sources to add to the list of
alternative energy sources.

Geothermal Energy
This is the energy tapped from the heat inside the earth. Hot rocks
residing in the core of earth heat water which emits the surface of the
earth with pressure and as steam. This pressurized steam can be used to
run steam turbines to generate electricity.

Advantages of geothermal energy

– Similar to other alternative energy sources, the geothermal
energysource is free of cost.
– With a proper power generation system in place, no harmful by-
products are produced.

Tidal Power
The surface of the earth is 71.11% covered by water bodies especially
oceans. The tides in water rise and fall due to the gravity of the sun and
moon. Since we know about how the position of moon changes we can
predict the rise and fall of tides. This rise and fall of tides can be utilized
by setting up small dams and passing water through the turbines to
generate power.

Advantages of tidal energy

– The source of power generation is free and renewable.
– The power generated is clean and does not cause any pollution.
 Hydrogen gas

Unlike other forms of natural gas, hydrogen is a completely clean

burning fuel. Once produced, hydrogen gas cells emit only water vapor
and warm air when in use.

The major issue with this form of alternative energy is that it is mostly
derived from the use of natural gas and fossil fuels. As such, it could be
argued that the emissions created to extract it counteract the benefits of
its use.

The process of electrolysis, which is essential for the splitting of water

into hydrogen and oxygen, makes this less of an issue. However,
electrolysis still ranks below the previously mentioned methods for
obtaining hydrogen, though research continues to make it more efficient
and cost-effective.

Natural gas

Natural gas sources have been in use for a number of decades, but it is
through the progression of compression techniques that it is becoming a
more viable alternative energy source. In particular, it is being used in
cars to reduce carbon emissions.

Demand for this energy source has been increasing. In 2016, the lower
48 states of the United States reached record levels of demand and
consumption.

Despite this, natural gas does come with some issues. The potential for
contamination is larger than with other alternative fuel sources and
natural gas still emits greenhouse gases, even if the amount is lower than
with fossil fuels.

Biofuels
In contrast to biomass energy sources, biofuels make use of animal and
plant life to create energy. In essence they are fuels that can be obtained
from some form of organic matter.

They are renewable in cases where plants are used, as these can be
regrown on a yearly basis. However, they do require dedicated
machinery for extraction, which can contribute to increased emissions
even if biofuels themselves don’t.

Biofuels are increasingly being adopted, particularly in the United

States. They accounted for approximately seven percent of transport fuel
consumption as of 2012.

Wave energy

Water again proves itself to be a valuable contributor to alternative

energy fuel sources with wave energy converters. These hold an
advantage over tidal energy sources because they can be placed in the
ocean in various situations and locations.

Much like with tidal energy, the benefits come in the lack of waste
produced. It is also more reliable than many other forms of alternative
energy and has enormous potential when used properly.

Again, the cost of such systems is a major contributing factor to slow

uptake. We also don’t yet have enough data to find out how wave energy
converters affect natural ecosystems.

Nuclear power

Nuclear power is amongst the most abundant forms of alternative

energy. It creates a number of direct benefits in terms of
emissions and efficiency, while also boosting the economy by
creating jobs in plant creation and operation.
Thirteen countries relied on nuclear power to produce at least a
quarter of their electricity as of 2015 and there are currently 450
plants in operation throughout the world.

The drawback is that when something goes wrong with a nuclear

power plant the potential for catastrophe exists. The situations in
Chernobyl and Fukushima are examples of this.

India is a developing country and for its sustained economic

growth the development of power infrastructure plays a significant
role. Realizing the fact that Conventional Sources of Energy in the
country (and outside) has a limited potential to meet the imposing
energy requirement, the well conceived and timely initiated
Energy Security Plan has to be formulated for promotion of
Renewable Sources of Energy.

Accordingly the Govt. of India has initiated several schemes to

make the Solar and Wind energy development in the country a
techno-commercially viable proposition. In order to create high
potential market for the solar and wind energy and to promote
these developers in investing into these technologies, the state
authority has seriously worked on various incentive-schemes
through launching of ‘Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission’ and also
created conducive market through appropriate regulatory
measures.
Thus the otherwise expensive energy has been made comparable
with the energy procured through open-market. The RE
developers have been assured the market through imposing
‘Renewable Purchase Obligation’ (RPO) and developing a
mechanism for trading of Renewable Energy Certificates. Seeking
high end technology in RE-generation from developed countries
and harnessing the huge solar potential of India is an appropriate
step towards development of R.E. in India.
Though, the path is difficult during the initial stages, with the full
support of Indian Govt. the development of ‘Renewable Energy’ in
India would certainly turn out to be a ‘success story’ .
Measures taken by our government to conserve energy and
encourage the use of other alternate energy sources
1. 12.31 crore LED bulbs distributed so far
2. 31,472 Solar Pumps installed in 2015-16, higher than total
number of pumps installed during last 24 years i.e. since
beginning of the programme in 1991

1. Energy efficient LED fans and agricultural pumps launched

2. Increasing overall renewable capacity by more than 5
times to 175 GW by 2022
3. Largest ever wind power capacity addition of 3,300 MW in
2015-16 exceeding target by 38%
4. Biggest ever solar power capacity addition of 3,019 MW in
2015-16 exceeding target by 116%
5. Solar projects of capacity 20,904 MW were tendered in
2015-16. Of these 11,209 MW are already awarded and
9,695 MW are in process
6. International Solar Alliance of 121 tropical countries to
develop and promote solar energy, to be headquartered in
India
7. First Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet (Re-Invest)
held. Received total commitments of 266 GW by Power
Producers in the solar, wind, small hydro and bio energy
sectors and 41 GW by Manufacturers in the solar and wind
energy sectors
8. Sanctioned 32 Solar Parks of capacity 19,400 MW in 20
states
 9. Rs. 38,000 crore Green energy corridor being set up to
ensure evacuation of renewable energy
10. Clean Environment cess increased 8 times from Rs. 50
to Rs. 400 per tonne to finance Clean Energy Projects and
Ganga Rejuvenation.

Currently India has five separate ministries for the energy

sector: Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural
Gas, Department of Atomic Energy, Ministry of Power and
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). These
ministries are only concerned about their own turf. There is a
huge scope for synergies between different energy sources
that can enhance economic efficiency as well as meet the
energy needs of the country. For instance, the growth of grid-
connected renewable energy will depend on the stability of
the transmission grid and need for balancing power in the
grid. This can only happen if there is integration between
quick startup power sources like hydropower and gas and
intermittent power sources like wind. Such synergy can only
be developed if plans for each energy source are devised
keeping interlinkages in view.
REASONS TO INVEST
 Economic growth, increasing prosperity, a growing rate of urbanization and rising per capita
energy consumption has led to increased demand for energy in the country.
 The target of National Solar Mission has been up-scaled to 100 GW from 20 GW of grid
connected solar power by 2022, which creates a positive environment among investors keen to
tap into India’s renewable energy potential.
 India has an estimated renewable energy potential of about 1096 GW from commercially
exploitable sources viz. Wind – 302 GW (at 100-meter mast height); Small Hydro – 21 GW;
Bio-energy – 25 GW; and 750 GW solar power, assuming 3% wasteland
 A target of 145.5 GW grid renewable power (wind 4 GW, solar 10 GW, small hydro power 200
MW, bio-power 340 MW and waste to power 10 MW), has been set for 2017-18
 Under off-grid renewable system, targets of 15 MW waste to energy, 60 MW biomass non-
bagasse cogeneration, 7.50 MW biomass gasifiers, 0.5 MW small wind/hybrid systems, 100 MW
eq. solar photovoltaic systems, 150/25 Nos. eq. micro hydel and 110,000 nos. family size biogas
plants have been set for 2017-18.
 India is the fourth largest importer of oil and the 15th largest importer of petroleum products and
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) globally. The increased use of indigenous renewable resources is
expected to reduce India’s dependence on expensive imported fossil fuels.

FDI POLICY
 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) up to 100% is permitted under the automatic route for
renewable energy generation and distribution projects subject to provisions of The Electricity
Act, 2003.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
 Bank loans up to a limit of USD 2.3 million will be given to borrowers for purposes like solar
based power generators, biomass based power generators, wind power systems, micro-hydel
plants and for renewable energy based public utilities viz. Street lighting systems, and remote
village electrification. For individual households, the loan limit will be USD 15,384 per
borrower.

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
 USD 5.8 billion Green Energy Corridor being set up to ensure evacuation of Renewable Energy
in the next 3-4 years
 Scheme for Development of Solar Parks and Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects has an approved
capacity of 40,000 MW, which entails setting up of atleast 50 solar parks, each with a capacity of
over 500 MW. Planned Central Government financial support of USD 1.2 Billion.
 Upcoming 100 Smart City projects will have huge scope for being powered by Renewable
Energy.
 Hydro projects exempt from competitive bidding till 2022
 Setting up of small hydro projects declared as ‘Priority’ under National Mission
 Upgradation of watermills and micro hydro projects
 Battery packs for Electric vehicles.

FOREIGN INVESTORS
 Enercon (Germany)
 Vestas (Denmark)
 Applied Materials (USA)

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
 A total of 100 billion units of power have been generated in the country during the year 2017-18
from all renewable energy sources.
 The cumulative renewable energy installed capacity has increased from 35.51 GW as on
March 31, 2014 to 69.98 GW as on March 31, 2018
 40 solar parks of aggregate capacity of 21,144 MW sanctionedfor 21 states
 Wind Atlas 2015, a Geographic Information System (GIS) launched
 Renewable energy sector re-classified as ‘white category’ sector

Alternative energy sources - Conclusion

As the issues that result from the use of traditional fossil fuels
become more prominent, alternative fuel sources like the ones
mentioned here are likely to gain further importance.

Their benefits alleviate many of the problems caused by fossil fuel

use, particularly when it comes to emissions. However, the
advancement of some of these technologies has been slowed
down due to the amount of investment needed to make them
viable.

Through combining them all we may be able to positively affect

issues like climate change, pollution and many others.

As you can see there are number of different alternative energy

sources that are more than capable to replace currently dominant
fossil fuels, of course given enough money for their further
development. The main advantage of these alternative energy
sources is that they are ecologically acceptable energy sources,
that unlike fossil fuels do not release large quantities of CO2 and
other harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, causing
global warming and climate change.

This is really the advantage that should mean faster development

of different alternative energy technologies because world will
otherwise lose the battle against climate change. Even politics
has become aware of this fact, and world looks ready to embrace
new rules that should reduce current emission levels.

In order to succeed in this world will need to stop relying on fossil

fuels to satisfy its energy demand, and will have to focus on
alternative energy sources, especially renewable energy sources,
and make them more effective.

A change in dominance will of course not happen overnight but

what really matters here is that we start this energy revolution as
soon as possible because the sooner we start it the sooner we'll
finish it. In some parts of the world renewable energy sources are
slowly but surely becoming dominant energy sources, but big
countries, that are also big polluters, are still heavily relying on
fossil fuels to satisfy energy demand.

However, even in these big countries significance of renewable

energy sources is constantly growing (though not as fast as many
were expected) as there are more and more funds available for
new energy technologies.

Green future can only be renewable energy future, and many

energy companies have become aware of that. The only question
that still remains is how much more will we have to wait for this
"green future" to happen?

Learning objectives
Today, renewable energy is small. But it will grow. If we don’t have
environmental safeguards now, the ecological impacts of this ‘clean’
energy source might become unmanageable.
Fossil fuels are the major energy resource consumed by mankind.In the
future the fossil fuels will not suffice, so alternative methods have to be
utilized.
 The burning of fossil fuels emits large quantities of CO2. The amount
of CO2 in the atmosphere is on the increase. The consequences of this
are a point of contention. But the risk of doing nothing or too little is
alarming. Any means to reduce the use of fossil fuels as soon as possible
is extremely urgent.
After energy generation, transportation is the second biggest emitter of
CO2 globally. To reduce their use of fossil fuels is also urgent. Here a
transition to electric feeding would appear to be the best solution.
Lastly, renewable energy must benefit the local community.
Communities must have the first right over the electricity from
renewables and they must benefit from the installation of renewable
energy on their land.
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https://www.ems.psu.edu/

https://www.downtoearth.org.in

http://elways.se

https://alternativeenergysourcesv.com/

https://www.renewableresourcescoalition.org

https://www.quora.com/

http://www.iitk.ac.in

https://interestingenergyfacts.blogspot.com

https://en.wikipedia.org

http://www.makeinindia.com/sector/renewable-energy