Problems with Energy resources in India

Energy is basically a physical quantity which can manifest itself as heat, mechanical work, motion, etc. primarily, energy is seen in two brackets of resources namely renewable and non-renewable energy. India has abundance of both types of energy however it faces various challenges in regard to them.

Briefly describing, renewable resource of energy includes energy from sun, water, agriculture residue, etc. non-renewable energy includes energy from limited quantity resources such as coal, oil, etc. in the past few years, with the increase in population and technological developments, the need for energy has increased. India is a significant consumer of coal, oil, electricity, fossil fuel and fuel food. And with all of this comes problems associated with the use of these resources. Further we discus some problems associated to the use of energy resources.

1) Solar Energy

An abundant source of energy, the problems faced by it is the availability of it only during the daytime. Additionally, environmental impact of this includes emission of ultra-violet rays that have harmful effect on the human health. Also, for India, it is essential that a resource is cost efficient as well. Installing solar panels are a massive expense burden and thus pose an issue for the country. 

2) Hydroelectric Power

While India has massive potential in water resources, it takes a toll on the environment to utilize this potential. Creation of hydroelectric power requires large forest to be removed or submerged. Silting of reservoirs takes place because removal of forest reduces life of hydroelectric power plants. In India, large number of tribal communities have been affected as they are displaced due to construction of dams. Their resettlement creates a huge problem for the country. 

3) Wind Energy

Wind energy is a natural resource and thus it has less environmental impacts. But the main problems are bird kills, noise, aesthetic objection, etc. Also, it can’t be used as the only source of energy and electricity because wind depends on geographic distribution of wind.

4) Biomass energy

Biomass energy is responsible to create some pollutants such as CO2. But it is naturally low in Sulphur and generates less Sulphur dioxide. If it is burnt in open air, some may emit nitrous oxide. Biomass fuels in India account for about one-third of total fuel in the country. It is used by 90% of rural population in India.

5) Geothermal energy

Geothermal energy doesn’t have any environmental problems. However, the steam consists of hydrogen sulfide gas which has the smell of rotten eggs and is unpleasant form of air pollution. The minerals are also toxic to fish that are present in the steam. The corrode pipes and equipment cause maintenance problems because of minerals and steam pipes.

Thus, all sorts of energy resources have their own pros and cons. It is vital that resources are used wisely for the betterment of energy supply in country and least damage is caused to the people and the environment.