INTRODUCTION TO ENERGY & SOCIETY

Importance of energy in our daily life:

Consider the beginning of a typical day. As we get out of bed, we’re probably
concerned with whether we feel warm enough, with turning on lights so we can
see, and with cooking something for breakfast.

All of these activities depend on energy. Many of us live in homes with electric
heating; if not, natural gas or heating oil arc other popular choices. We rely on
electricity for lighting. Most of us would use electric stoves or electric microwave
ovens for cooking; the rest of us probably rely on gas stoves. Energy is the central
topic of this course. Although we are introducing the word now we are going to
defer its formal definition until Chapter 2. For now, we’ll rely on an intuitive
definition or understanding of energy.

Of course, cooking breakfast means that we have to have something to cook. Not
many of us these days subsist entirely on what we can raise or catch ourselves.
Having food available first requires planting, cultivating, and harvesting on farms.
Most farmers use a variety of agricultural machinery that operates with gasoline or
diesel fuel. The harvested food has to be transported to plants where it is processed
or prepared and then packaged. Then the packaged food is transported to
warehouses and stores for sale to us, the consumers. Transportation from farm to
processing plant, and from processing plant to stores will use gasoline or diesel
fuel. Various kinds of energy might be used in the processing of foods, including
electricity, natural gas, and heating oil.

As we get dressed and begin to go about our daily routine, we depend on a huge
variety of manufactured articles. Very, very few of us weave our own doth, turn
logs into boards to make wooden articles, or make any of the other items we use
throughout the day. Manufacturing begins with the production of raw materials,
such as making metals from their ores. Many kinds of energy might be used in
such operations, including electricity, heating oil, or coal. Then the raw materials
have to be fabricated into useful articles. Fabrication might include molding
casting, machining, or weaving (as but a few examples). Many of these operations
use electrically powered machinery, and coal, heating oil or natural gas as heat
sources. The manufactured articles then have to be transported to stores.
Then on most days we must get ourselves out and around. If we walk or bicycle,
we use energy from our own muscles for transportation. Cars or light trucks have
gasoline engines or possibly small engines that use diesel fuel. Electric cars, or
hybrid electric/gasoline cars are coming onto the market too. If we take the bus, we
are probably relying on diesel fuel or natural gas. Trains may have diesel
locomotives or operate using electricity. Small airplanes may use gasoline as fuel;
others use jet fuel.

Our manufacturing and transportation, in addition to the many uses of energy in the
home for warmth, cooking and lighting, together consume prodigious quantities of
energy (Figure 1.1). The key idea that should come from thinking about how we
get through the day is this:

“ENERGY IS UBIQUITOUS IN OUR LIVES AND, IN FACT, IS SO COMMON

THAT WE SELDOM EVEN THINK ABOUT IT”

For most of us it’s likely that we rely most often on two kinds of energy electricity
and gasoline. We surround ourselves with electrical appliances and gadgets. Most
of us own a majority of the items on this list: television set, microwave oven,
stereo system, personal computer, electric razor, hair dryer, refrigerator, lamps for
reading or study, coffee maker, electric clock, electric pencil sharpener, electric
tooth brush, power tools, and radio. In the kitchen, for example, most people now
expect to find a stove, a refrigerator, and, often, a dishwasher and a microwave
oven. What else can we find in the ‘modern kitchen’? A coffee maker, an espresso
machine, an electric can opener, a pasta maker, a bread maker, a crock pot, an
electric carving knife, a toaster or toaster oven (or both), and a blender or food
processor. If there’s a problem, it’s how to find counter space to use all this stuff or
some place to store it, not whether or not there will be enough electricity to operate
these gadgets.

The idea of even asking whether there would be ‘enough’ electricity to operate a
gadget we’re buying when we got it home might sound silly. Almost invariably we
simply assume that we can purchase and plug in a limitless number of electrically
operated items. (Admittedly, there are occasional exceptions, particularly with
large electrical appliances such as clothes dryers or electric stoves, or possibly with
some hobby items such as electrically operated machinery for a home workshop.)
Usually, if we think of any limit at all, it’s that we are limited by the number of
electric outlets we have available for plugging items into. We can even solve that
problem if we remember to buy some ‘cube taps’ (that let us plug three items into a
single outlet) or outlet strips (that provide five or more electrical outlets from an
original single outlet). Though it’s very unwise and perhaps even illegal in some
localities, some of us probably even plug cube taps into outlet strips, or connect
two or more outlet strips together.
 Fig.1 Energy usage in a busy city

Our assumption about the eternal availability of essentially unlimited quantities of

electricity is tested when there is a power failure. When the electricity supply
suddenly fails, we might have a momentary bit of panic until we assure ourselves
that we’re OK, but then many of us react to a power failure with a feeling of
annoyance or anger. We were watching that TV show, or cooking that meal, or
reading that book feeling that we could do those sorts of things as much as we
wanted, any time we wanted, and now, suddenly— no electricity.
It’s sometimes helpful to remember that not everyone in the world gets to enjoy a
lifestyle based on assumptions we take for granted. There are places in the world
where, if electricity is available at all, it is only ‘on’ for a certain period each day.
In some places the use of electricity has been strictly rationed. For example, during
the last years of the horrible dictatorship of Nicolai Cauciescu in Romania, each
apartment or home was allowed one 25-watt light bulb. In other places, electricity
does not exist at all, for instance, in rural regions of many of the impoverished
nations in Africa and Asia.

We usually have the same cavalier attitudes toward gasoline. We expect that we
can drive around without ever once worrying about whether we will be able to buy
gasoline whenever and wherever we need it, and as much as we want. (Probably
only a few of those who recall the gasoline shortages during the oil embargoes of
the 1970s, or perhaps the gasoline rationing during the Second World War, may
challenge this attitude.) Even at 2 am. on Christmas morning we can find
someplace to buy gasoline. Gasoline seems to be as easily and widely available as
water.

But, just as with electricity, it is helpful to remember that the assumptions we make
about the availability of gasoline are not valid everywhere in the world. They apply
only to the so-called developed or industrialized nations. Even within that small
subset of the world’s nations, gasoline is cheaper in the United States than in
virtually any other nation. In many industrialized nations, even those such as Japan
or the western European countries with strong economies and modern industries,
gasoline costs $3.30 per gallon. About the only countries in the world where
gasoline is cheaper than it is in the United States are Venezuela, which has
enormous domestic supplies of petroleum and Iraq, where the national economy
has been grossly distorted by the United Nations sanctions following the 1990—91
Persian Gulf War.

Another way of illustrating our dependence on energy is to consider it from the

other perspective: how we would live if electricity and fuels (especially petroleum
products and natural gas) were not available any more.

• What would we eat? Probably the best we could do would be foods raised by
ourselves or foraged in the woods. Many people living in large cities would
probablystarve.
• How would we get around? We could use horses, if we had them. We could ride
bicycle.es, until they broke or wore out. Most of us would be confined to an area
that would be accessible by walking. Perhaps if we were lucky enough to live near
the coast or near a navigable river, we could travel by boat—one that we paddled
or rowed, or that used the energy of the wind to sail, or a steamboat that used wood
as fuel.

• How would we stay warm? We could use firewood, if we had access to it and for
as long as the wood lasted. A few clever persons might rig up solar energy
collectors, or figure out how to use windmills or water wheels to operate electrical
generators.
• What would we use in our daily lives? When our clothes, tools, and utensils
broke or wore out, we would have no replacements, except for things that could be
made of wood (assuming we hadn’t burned it to stay warm), or wool or cotton
cloth.
• How would we regulate our days? Most of us would rise at dawn and go to bed at
dark, because there would be little artificial light other than fires.

In essence, the vast majority of people—especially city dwellers—would quickly

freeze and starve in the dark. Of the survivors, most would be reduced to a fairly
brutish existence not unlike that experienced by the poor during medieval times. A
very few, those who were competent at subsistence farming and at manufacturing
or repairing of small tools and machinery (the Amish, for example), might 4make
it.’

Energy and its forms:

In our daily lives, we come across energy in various forms. When we lift a load or
run along the road, we use muscular energy. The fan or tube-light in your home
consume electrical energy. We directly get the energy from the Sun in the form of
light and heat. When crackers are burst during Diwali, we receive tremendous
amount of sound energy. We use chemical energy (LPG gas) for cooking, running
vehicles (petrol or diesel), etc.

The common forms of energy we come across are as fallows:

Energy: A body which is capable of doing work possesses energy. Thus energy
is the ability or the capacity to do work.

Unit of energy: The unit of energy is the same as that of work. Thus S.I. unit of
energy is joule (J) and its C.G.S. unit is erg

Energy appears in various forms namely heat, light, sound, electricity etc.

Heat energy: It is the energy which causes a sensation of hotness or coldness.

Example: Energy obtained by burning wood. Heat energy is measured in calories

or kilo calories.

Electrical energy: Energy possessed by an electron in motion is referred to as

electrical energy.

Units of electrical energy: Watt hour (W h)

It is the electric energy, and is usually expressed as watt-hour (W h)
I W h = 1 watt x 1 hour
1J
= 1 S x3600s
Thus, I W h=3600J
Kilowatt hour is a multiple of W h and is a bigger unit of energy.

1 kilo watt hour = 103 watt hour

= 3600 x 103J
= 3.6MJ

Light energy: It is the energy possessed by a luminous source which causes

sensation of sight.
Example: Light energy emitted by sun.

Sound energy: It is the energy possessed by vibrating bodies which produces

sensation of hearing.
Example: The ringing of a bell.

Magnetic energy: Energy possessed by a magnet is called magnetic energy.

Chemical energy: Energy released or absorbed by atoms or molecules during

chemical reaction is called chemical energy.
Example: Energy released during combustion of a fuel like LPG.

Nuclear energy: Energy released during fission or fusion of nucleus is called

nuclear energy.
Example: Atom bomb and hydrogen bomb release energy in the form of heat and
radiation Nuclear energy is used in nuclear reactor to generate electric power.

Mechanical energy: Energy possessed by a body due to its position or motion is

known as mechanical energy. Mechanical energy is classified into potential energy
and kinetic energy.

Potential energy: It is the energy possessed by a body in a stored form.

‘ Example: Wound spring of a clock possesses potential energy. When the spring
unwinds, it uses this energy for the movement or rotation of the hands of the clock.
This potential energy possessed by the spring is called elastic potential energy.
Stretched bow, stretched elastic band and compressed gas molecules possess elastic
potential energy.

Kinetic energy: Energy possessed by a traveling particle is called kinetic energy.

Example: Wind possesses kinetic energy and this energy is used to rotate the
blades of a wind mill. For a body of mass m and velocity v, kinetic energy is
defined as KE = 1/2mv2.
Kinetic energy of a body increases, with velocity or speed of the body increases.
To increase the kinetic energy of a body, net force has to be applied. Thus the work
done by this force is equal to the change in the kinetic energy of the body. This is
known as work-energy theorem.

Inter-conversion of Energy in Different Forms:

Though energy is available in different forms, energy in one form can be converted
into energy in another form.

We use diesel or petrol to run our vehicles or trains. Diesel is used to run water
pumps and many other appliances. These are examples of conversion of chemical
energy to mechanical energy. Electrical energy is converted into heat energy in
heaters; into light energy in glowing of electric bulb; into mechanical energy in
electric trains, electric motor, electric fan, etc. A vibrating body produces sound.
Here mechanical energy is converted into sound energy. Coal when burnt produces
heat an example of conversion of chemical energy into heat energy. When you rub
your palms with each other, heat is generated, so mechanical energy is converted
into heat energy. We can cite many such examples of inter-conversion of energy
from one form into another form of energy.

Sun – The ultimate source of energy:

Our Earth receives all its energy needs from the Sun—directly or
indirectly. It primarily comes in the form of heat and light. A part of the energy
emitted by the Sun—the solar energy is reflected back or absorbed by the
intervening medium between the Sun and the Earth. But a large part of the solar
energy reaches the Earth and is absorbed by the land and the sea during the day-
time.

Fig.2 Sun-Ultimate energy source

The heat energy of the Sun causes water to evaporate from water bodies, that is,
ocean, sea, river, ponds, etc. The evaporated water helps in cloud formation and
returns the water to the Earth in the form of rain. The water in the river flows and
boats can be plied along it. This results in generation of mechanical energy. Dams
are constructed over the river to store water and convert the energy of naturally
flowing water results in generation of mechanical energy. Dams are constructed
over the river to store water and convert the energy of naturally flowing water
(kinetic energy stored in the dams to potential energy and then the potential energy
of stored water) is used to generate electricity. Wind energy is generated for
generation of electricity in the wind mills. The energy of wind is also derived from
the Sun. The solar energy (heat energy) absorbed by the land mass and water-
bodies on the surface of the earth raises the temperature of air nearer the earth.
Unequal rate of heating and cooling of land- mass and water -bodies results in
moving air or wind, especially near the coast. Thus, the energy of wind is
indirectly derived from the Sun.

Green plants absorb the light energy of the Sun for photosynthesis and store food
in the form of chemical energy. This stored energy in plants is used by humans and
other animals in the form of food. Dried plants (wood) are burnt to produce heat
energy. The plants and animals buried underground millions of years ago have
been converted into coal and petroleum under the action of the Sun. Thus,
chemical energy is stored in the form of coal and petroleum. Thus, solar energy is
converted into chemical energy which in turn can be converted into various types
of energy. When coal is burnt, chemical energy is converted into heat. Thus, the
Sun’s energy reaches us directly or indirectly through a series of conversions to
make energy available to us.

Fossil Fuels:

Heat is probably the most important and useful form of energy in our life. In
ancient times, wood was the most common source of heat energy. The use of coal
as a source of energy, made possible the industrial growth. The growing demand
of energy in the industrial and transport sector was largely met by coal, petroleum
and natural gas. This group of fuels are called fossil fuels. Why do we call them
so? These fuels are the remnants or fossils of animals and plants buried under the
Earth over millions of years. The high temperature and pressure inside the earth
slowly converts the buried plants into coal and buried sea animals into petroleum
and natural gas.

Coal is extracted by digging mines. Petroleum and natural gas are found mostly in
sedimentary rocks, They are obtained by drilling through the rocks. The petroleum
extracted is known as ‘crude oil’ and is carried to the refineries for production of
different products like kerosene, petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, LPG (liquefied
petroleum gas) etc. by fractional distillation.
We are all familiar with cooking gas supplied to us through LPG cylinder and
natural gas that is used for generation of electricity and running of automobiles.
Today, fossil fuels are the most important sources of energy. They are concentrated
sources of energy used for both domestic and industrial purposes. The thermal
power stations use coal, fuel oil or natural gas to generate electricity.

Electricity is the Most Popular Form of Energy:

Electricity has become an integral part of all our activities. We cannot manage
without light, fan, geysers grinder, refrigerator, washing machine, TV, water pump,
air conditioner and many such devices that run on electricity Industries will come
to standstill, trains will stop on the track, and communications will cease if
electricity is not available. But electricity is not available in this form. Energy from
some other sources are converted into electricity. The major methods of generation
of electricity are in
1. Thermal power stations
2. Hydroelectric power stations
Besides, substantial amount of power is generated nuclear power stations. In
addition, though in a small scale wind energy, solar energy, tidal energy, and
geothermal energy are also used for generation of electricity.
The common feature in all these power generators except the solar and biomass—
is a rotating turbine in a strong magnetic field. Rotating turbine rotates the
armature and electricity is generated. In different types of generators, the energy
necessary for rotating the turbine is provided by different means. Let us analyze
each case separately.

Sources of Energy — Classification

We have discussed earlier that the fossil fuels which took millions of years to form
will last for a limited time. There is no new addition. So once these sources of
energy are used up, they will not be available again. Such sources whose
diminishing stock cannot be replenished is called non-renewable source of energy.
Fossil fuels are non-renewable source of energy.

But there are some sources of energy which are not exhausted — they are
continually replenished through a number of natural processes. Such sources are
called renewable sources of energy. These type of sources include the solar energy,
the wind energy, the energy due to flowing river (hydropower), tidal energy, ocean
thermal energy, wave energy, biomass energy and geothermal energy. Nuclear
energy can be included in this category because we can depend on this source for
very long time.