Different Sources of Power :
- Coal. Coal is a conventional source of power. It is a prime source of industrial energy. It is also an indispensable input in steel and chemical industries. In the beginning of 20th century, coal used to account for over 90 per cent of world’s power requirement, but now it is around 30 per cent, Power generated by coal is used to energise locomotives, steam ships, boilers and steam engines. It also generates electricity.
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- Hydro-electricity. Of all the power resources, hydro-electricity is the cleanest. Hydro-power uses a renewable source i.e. water. Electricity is generated by rotating turbines at a very high speed coupled with generators. India has number of Multipurpose valley projects such as Damodar Valley Project, Bhakhra Nangal Dam, Nagarjun Sagar Dam, which produce hydro-electricity.
- Mineral Oil. It is also a very important source of thermal electricity. Oil is an exhaustible resource and is not pollution free as hydro-electricity is. Mineral oil as a source of energy is used in mining, storage and transportation. It is found in India in Assam, Gujarat, the Thai- Desert, the Coastal strip and around Andaman. Bombay High is a recent find of geologists and is considered as the richest oil field.
- Nuclear Power. It is obtained by splitting nuclear substances .under controlled conditions. India is rich in certain atomic or nuclear minerals. Bihar and Rajasthan have rich uranium deposits. Our four atomic power plants at Tarapur, Kola, Kalpakkam and Narora are functioning.