Resources and utilization of geothermal energy in India: An eco – friendly approach towards sustainability

Abstract

Today substantial amount of energy is obtained from coal and petroleum products which are termed as conventional sources of energy. Currently, coal alone is meeting around 72% of India’s electricity need though this is not an environment friendly fuel [1]. Global warming caused due to the emission of CO2 which is further emitted by burning of conventional fuel like coal, is the major issue associated with coal’s commercial application. Developing economy like India is feeling the heat of scarcity in meeting its own energy needs. It is a well known fact that the non-renewable energy sources won’t be last more than 40 years from now onwards. Hence renewable source of energy is the only option available which can cater the energy needs of a developing nation. We should explore the energy resources which are still unexplored and one such option is Geothermal Energy. In addition to this we should also explore the potential fields where we can make use of Geothermal Energy. Geothermal energy resources have the power to generate 10,000 MW of sustainable energy and thus can contribute substantially in meeting the energy needs of India [2]. Also, this source can be of prime source of energy generation for country like India whose boundary is surrounded by water at a greater stretch in its west, south and south east direction. In this paper an attempt has been made to explain geothermal energy’s utilization for sustainable development.