Differentiate between conventional and non-conventional sources of energy?

Answer 1

Conventional (or usual) sources of energy (electricity) are coal, oil, wood, peat, uranium.

Non-conventional (or unusual) sources of energy include:

• Solar power
• Hydro-electric power (dams in rivers)
• Wind power
• Tidal power
• Ocean wave power
• Geothermal power (heat from deep under the ground)
• Ocean thermal power (the difference in heat between shallow and deep water)
• Biomass (burning of vegetation to stop it producing methane)
• Biofuel (producing ethanol (petroleum) from plants

We hope that all the conventional sources will become rare, endangered and extinct, as they produce lots of carbon dioxide that adds to the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere (uranium leaves different dangerous byproducts).

And we similarly hope that all the non-conventional sources will become conventional, common, and everyday, as they are all free, green and emit no carbon dioxide (well, biomass does, but it prevents the production of methane which is a greenhouse gas 21 times more dangerous that CO2).

Answer 2

Conventional (or usual) sources of energy (electricity) are coal, oil, wood, peat, uranium.

Non-conventional (or unusual) sources of energy include:

• Solar power
• Hydro-electric power (dams in rivers)
• Wind power
• Tidal power
• Ocean wave power
• Geothermal power (heat from deep under the ground)
• Ocean thermal power (the difference in heat between shallow and deep water)
• Biomass (burning of vegetation to stop it producing methane)
• Biofuel (producing ethanol (petroleum) from plants

Answer 3

I'm not sure if there is an agreed definition. We can certainly distinguish between renewable and non-renewable on a logical basis, but conventional/non-conventional, and 'alternative' are terms that could vary from one person to another. It's like trying to define conventional behavior in people, what is conventional to one person may be seen by another as non-conventional.

In my opinion conventional energy means coal, oil, natural gas, and hydro energy, and non-conventional means wind, solar, tidal, wave, geothermal, and biomass. Nuclear energy could go either way, as it has been used for 50 years now, but many people still see it as something unusual.

Answer 4

Conventional sources of energy are those who are commercially available and are in use from a long time ago. Examples are coal, oil, gas, nuclear, and hydropower.

non-conventional sources of energy are those who are in use from few years ago and still are under the development process. Examples are solar, wind, tidal, biogas, and biomass, geothermal, and tide energy.

Answer 5

conventional are renewable resources