Non-Conventional Energy Sources

While fossil fuels will be the main fuels for thermal power, there is fear that they will get exhausted eventually in this century. Therefore other systems based on non-conventional and renewable sources are being tried by many countries. These are solar, wind, sea, geothermal and biomass. After making a detailed preliminary analysis of biomass energy, geothermal energy, ocean thermal energy, tidal energy and wind energy, I focused mainly on Wind power for 7th semester. In wind power, I have studied mechanical design of various types of wind turbines, their merits, demerits and applications, isolated and grid-connected wind energy systems with special attention to power quality. In the end I wrote, compiled and successfully executed a MATLAB program to assess the impact of a wind farm on the power system. Solar radiation represents the earth’s most abundant energy source. This energy resource has a number of characteristics that make it a very desirable option for utilization. The perennial source of solar energy provides unlimited supply, has no negative impact on the environment, is distributed everywhere, and is available freely. In India, the annual solar radiation is about 5 kWh/m2 per day; with about 2300-3200 sunshine hours per year. Solar energy can be exploited for meeting the ever-increasing requirement of energy in our country. Its suitability for decentralized applications and its environment-friendly nature make it an attractive option to supplement the energy supply from other sources. In 8th Semester, I have made an attempt to study the ways through which solar energy can be harnessed and stored. I have also written MATLAB program to evaluate performance of fuel cell