EXPLOITING SOURCES OF ENERGY
We have studied various sources of energy in the previous sections. Exploiting any source of energy disturbs the environment in some way or the other. In any given situation, the source we would choose depends on factors such as the ease of extracting energy from that source, the economics of extracting energy from the source, the efficiency of the technology available and the environmental damage that will be caused by using that source. Though we talk of ‘clean’ fuels like CNG, it would be more exact to say that a particular source is cleaner than the other. We have already seen that burning fossil fuels causes air pollution. In some cases, the actual operation of a device like the solar cell may be pollution-free, but the assembly of the device would have caused some environmental damage. Research continues in these areas to produce longer-lasting devices that will cause less damage throughout their life.
Activity 14.8:
* Gather information about various energy sources and how each one affects the environment.
* Debate the merits and demerits of each source and select the best source of energy on this basis.
Questions
1. Can any source of energy be pollution-free? Why or why not?
1. Hydrogen has been used as a rocket fuel. Would you consider it a cleaner fuel than CNG? Why or why not?
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK