3. Answer the following questions in about 120 words.
) Describe the distribution of coal in India,
WI) Why do you think that solar energy has a bright future in India?
Answers
Solar energy is an inexhaustible source of energy produced from sunlight. There is enough scope for the development of solar energy. It has bright future in India because
(a) Many parts (regions) of the country received sunlight on 300 days annually and so it becomes possible to generate 20 MW solar energy per square kilometer in such areas.
(b) It is easy to establish solar plants in urban and rural areas.
(c) By setting up solar plants in rural areas the dependence of people on firewood can be reduced,
(d) It is also becoming popular as it is used for cooking, heating water, lighting, etc.
(e) It is a renewable source of energy, while other conventional sources used for generating electricity are exhaustible and non-renewable.
Answer:
Coal is an important fossil fuel of India as it is generously available and is used for meeting a major share of our country's energy demands. It is for this reason that India is excessively dependent on coal to fulfil its commercial energy demand. Cool is found in India in two geological rock series which is Gondwana and Tertiary, Coal in Gondwana rock series is about 200 million years old, while the tertiary deposits are approximately 55 million years old. The major ores of Gondwana coal are found in the Damodar valley (West Bengal, Jharkhand). Jharia, Raniganj and Bokaro are important coalfields for Gondwana coal. The Godavari, Mahandi, Sone and Wardha valleys also contain coal deposits of Gondwana rock series. Tertiary coal deposits occur mainly in the north-eastern states of Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.