Advantages And Disadvantages Of Conventional Sources Of Energy | Conventional Source of Energy Advantages and Disadvantages, Definitions and Types

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Conventional Sources Of Energy: Conventional sources of energy are those which if once get exhausted, cannot be replenished again in a specific period of time. Coal, gas, oil are some types of conventional energy sources. Usage of these energy sources to meet the demands for a longer period of time, leads to the depletion of these sources. And once finished, it is difficult to regain them back. Say for example, the wood coal formation takes hundreds and sometimes thousands years. And the rate of consumption of these sources is increasing extensively leading it towards depletion. Conventional sources of energy are also called non renewable sources. This is again, because of the reason that once finished; they cannot be generated at a faster pace to maintain the sustainability for the consumption over and over again.

Students can also find more Advantages and Disadvantages articles on events, persons, sports, technology, and many more.

What is Conventional Source of Energy? Advantages and Disadvantages of Conventional Source of Energy

Conventional sources of energy are natural energy resources that exist in limited quantities and have been used for a long time. They are called non-renewable sources because once they are exhausted, they cannot be generated at a rate that can sustain its consumption rate. These sources are formed from the dead and decaying matter dumped deep inside the earth over the hundreds and millions of years ago.

Due to their continuous exploitation, these resources have been exhausted to a great extent. It is believed that the reserves of petroleum in our country will be exhausted in a few decades and the reserves of coal can remain for another hundred years. Coal, petroleum, natural gas, and electricity are some common examples of conventional sources of energy. These Conventional sources of energy are primarily and mostly used in commercial and industrial purposes. This is because the maintenance of such sources requires heavy expenditure. Also these Conventional sources of energy are used comparatively at a larger scale than the non conventional sources of energy.

• Advantages of Conventional Source of Energy
• Disadvantages of Conventional Source of Energy
• Comparison Table for Advantages and Disadvantages of Conventional Source of Energy
• FAQ’s on Advantages And Disadvantages Of Conventional Sources Of Energy

Conventional energy is generation is done via two types-

Commercial Energy Sources

Coal: India is the biggest coal producing country in the world. Coal is the traditional and the most important source of energy. India has over 140000 deposits of coal, primarily in Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.

Natural Gas & Oil: Natural gases are the most essential and important source of energy whereas oil is known as the liquid gold. Natural gases are formed when the decomposed parts of the animals and plants get suppressed and embedded in the earth’s surface and get exposed to the intense pressure and heat over hundreds and thousands of years. Natural gases are widely used for household purposes and transportation purposes. Similarly, a huge number of aquatic animals and plants get embedded in the sea bed, under layers over layers of sand and rocks and when they get exposed to immense heat and pressure then oil is formed. Oil is a very important conventional source of energy as it is used in trains, ships, automobiles, and planes.

Electricity: The most common form of conventional source energy used is electricity. Reason being, electricity is used for domestic and commercial purposes. Electricity is produced by fossil fuels, nuclear power, and renewable resources like solar, wind, or hydropower.

Non-commercial Energy Sources

As the name suggests, the sources of energy that are available for free of cost are called the non-commercial energy sources. For example- straw, dried dung, firewood.

Advantages of Conventional Source of Energy

Most efficacious: The efficiency of the conventional source of energy is extremely high. They provide instant energy with abundance of effect. This is the most logical and primary reason why they are used in domestic and commercial purposes. Simply, if we take the example of traditional sources of energy like coal, cow dung, kerosene oil, then they clearly provide more energy than non Conventional sources of energy such as wind or solar power. So clearly the conventional energy sources provide more energy that is why they are the primary source of electricity generation too.

Well-known source: It’s been decades and centuries over centuries; we are using the conventional source of energy. Probably that is the reason that even after explaining the advantages of renewable energy, people still prefer to opt for the conventional one. For example, to use the energy from wind or sun, you need to have an installation for the same. Say, to use sunlight, one needs to have a proper set up for the solar panel, how to use it, when to use it, dos and don’ts. On the other hand the conventional sources of energy are quite flexible to use and easy to deal with in daily life for various purposes. Therefore, Most of the nations are dependent on it to fulfil their power requirements.

Abundant: Sounds contradictory but right at the same time. At present and for a century, we have an abundance of conventional sources of energy. That is why; it is easily available every year at any time. As compared to renewable energy sources, there is no dependency criterion. Because coal is in abundance, cow dung is in abundance.

Cost-effective: When we talked about the installation of the solar panel, we hesitated once. Reason being, it is too costly. Whereas conventional sources of energy have been used since time immemorial and are still widely used in all sections of the society. Because it is cost effective.

Convenient: When we use anything then, convenience is the top priority. In this case also, the conventional sources of energy are very easy and convenient to transport if the purpose is business. As far as the domestic usage is concerned, they are quite easy to use. This is because some people still find it difficult to use the machines and really want to get engaged with their traditional sources that are conventional sources of energy. Apart from that, there is no storage problem. You can store these sources by making them a better option among the people. People living in backward areas, where there is lack of access to renewable sources of energy due to any reason, then can access conventional sources of energy easily.

Disadvantages of Conventional Source of Energy

Makes reliant: Above, we have discussed how the Conventional Source of Energy has been of a great advantage to us. But there are certain limitations too. We have been too reliant on this Conventional Source of Energy. Because of which, we feel it is difficult when it comes to the idea of switching to the Non-Conventional Source of Energy, like sun wind etc. However, there is an abundance of the resources, yet we should understand that these resources take centuries and millennia for the formation. And the ratio between the formation and consumption is way disbalanced. Morally, we should understand the best choice out of two so that later in years, so that we do not end up running out of these conventional energy sources.

Creates health issues: When conventional sources of energy are burned, they emit gases that cause health problems. The most common type of problem seen is respiratory problems. The burning of conventional energy sources also pollutes the air, water and land. The people involved in the mining process are at greater risk. Mining of coal while operating heavy machinery is a dangerous job. Harmful gases are released in this process, and they can cause an explosion.

Creates deadly byproducts: As with conventional sources of energy, there are many byproducts that cause problems. When coal is burned, the by-product is fly ash. This puts workers at coal power plants at risk, as well as residents who live near coal ash disposal sites. The byproducts like Carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides of conventional sources of energy are extremely dangerous to health.

Harms the environment: We discussed, in short, the release of harmful byproducts into the environment, putting millions of lives at risk. Especially when accidents happen where the contents of oil-tankers and cargo ships spill into water bodies, the consequences are fatal. It endangers the health of animals. In addition, there is a negative effect on humans coming into contact.

Comparison Table for Advantages and Disadvantages of Conventional Source of Energy

FAQ’s on Advantages And Disadvantages Of Conventional Sources Of Energy

Question 1.
What is the main element in fossil fuels?

Answer:
Carbon is the main element in the fossil fuels

Question 2.
Which conventional source of energy has the highest net worth?

Answer:
Fossil fuel industry has a high net worth.

Question 3.
Are Conventional energy sources environmentally friendly?

Answer:
NO, the Conventional energy sources are not environment friendly and it can deplete soon.

Question 4.
Which forms of energy leave more carbon residues in the environment?

Answer:
Non- Conventional energy sources have much lesser carbon impacts on the environment than Conventional energy sources.