Non-conventional energy sources

Also called: Renewable energy · Topic: Energy Resources of India: Conventional and Non-conventional · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 5 "Minerals and Energy Resources"; Class 12, Ch 5 "Mineral and Energy Resources"

Meaning

Non-conventional energy sources are newer sources of energy, such as solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biogas and atomic energy. Most of them are renewable (nature refills them), cause little pollution, are spread fairly evenly across regions, and become cheap to run once the high set-up cost is paid. They matter because India still gets about 96% of its primary energy from fossil fuels and imports about 89.44% of its crude oil [6]. Moving to these sources helps India's energy security (steady access to enough energy at an affordable price) and lowers CO₂ emissions.

Explanation

How the two groups are split

• Conventional energy sources have been used for a long time. Most are exhaustible (they cannot be replaced within a human lifetime) and polluting.

• Class 10 examples: firewood, cattle dung cake, coal, petroleum, natural gas and electricity (hydel and thermal).

• Non-conventional energy sources are newer sources. Most are renewable.

• Class 10 examples: solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biogas and atomic energy.

• Hydel electricity (electricity made when falling water turns turbines at dams) is listed as conventional in Class 10, even though water is a renewable source.

Feature	Conventional	Non-conventional
Can it run out?	Yes; firewood is renewable only if forests regrow	Mostly renewable (atomic energy is not)
Pollution	High (smoke, CO₂, ash)	Low
Spread across regions	Uneven	More even
Cost	Fuel has to be bought again and again	High first cost, low running cost

Types and how each works

• Solar energy: energy from sunlight. Sunlight is found almost everywhere.
• Wind energy: moving air turns the blades of wind turbines, and the turbines make electricity.
• Tidal energy: energy from the rise and fall of sea tides.
• Geothermal energy: heat from inside the Earth.
• Biogas: a gas, mostly methane.
• Dung and farm waste are left to rot without air.
• This rotting gives off a gas that can be burnt as fuel.

• What is left over can still be used as manure, unlike dung cake, which is burnt away.

• Atomic (nuclear) energy: energy released when atoms of uranium or thorium are split.

• Uranium and thorium are limited minerals, so nuclear energy is not renewable.

The nuclear puzzle: three ways to classify

• By newness of technology, nuclear is non-conventional. Class 10 lists atomic energy as non-conventional, and Class 12 discusses it under the "Non-conventional Energy Sources" heading.
• By fuel type, nuclear is exhaustible. Class 12 lists nuclear minerals among conventional, exhaustible mineral fuels.
• By carbon content (policy usage), the Government counts nuclear with renewables as "non-fossil" capacity. The 500 GW target for 2030 is for renewable energy + nuclear [5][2].
• In an answer, first state which basis you are using, then classify the source.

Conditions and limits

• Intermittency (supply that stops and starts):
• Solar and wind work only when the sun shines or the wind blows.
• So installed capacity is not the same as the electricity actually produced.

• That is why coal still supplies most of the actual electricity and about 59% of primary energy [6].

• Needs: high set-up money, electricity storage and grid upgrades.

Where it occurs

• India's non-fossil installed capacity as on 31 March 2026: 283.46 GW [2]:

Source	Capacity (GW, 31.03.2026)
Solar	150.26
Wind	56.09
Large hydro	51.41
Bio-energy	11.75
Small hydro	5.17
Renewable total	274.68
Nuclear	8.78
Non-fossil total	283.46

• By 31 July 2026, non-fossil capacity reached 300.50 GW. This was over 54% of India's total installed capacity of about 552 GW, up from 249 GW in 2014 [3].
• Global commitment: India announced the 500 GW non-fossil target for 2030 at COP26, Glasgow (2021) [5]. The plan is to add about 50 GW of renewable capacity every year for 5 years [9].
• Spread across regions:
• Coal is found only in a few places, such as Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh (the Chota Nagpur Plateau coalfields). Oil comes from places like offshore Mumbai High and Assam.

• Sun, wind and biomass are found in most regions. So electricity can be made locally, closer to remote and rural areas.

• Rural homes: biogas from dung and farm waste is a local, renewable choice for villages. Firewood and dung cake still meet over 70% of rural household energy needs (NCERT, Class 10).

Don't confuse with

• Renewable vs non-fossil: non-fossil = renewable + nuclear. Nuclear is non-fossil but not renewable [5][2].
• Conventional energy: hydel electricity, firewood and cattle dung cake are conventional in Class 10, even though water and firewood can be renewed. Biogas, which also comes from dung, is non-conventional.
• Fossil fuels: coal, petroleum and natural gas are organic, non-metallic, exhaustible minerals and the main source of CO₂. Non-conventional sources mostly produce little CO₂.
• Installed capacity vs generation: India crossed 50% non-fossil installed capacity in June 2025 [4]. Even so, about 96% of primary energy still comes from fossil fuels [6].

Prelims Hooks

• Class 10 NCERT: biogas and atomic energy are non-conventional. Hydel electricity, thermal electricity, firewood and cattle dung cake are conventional.
• The 500 GW by 2030 target is for non-fossil (renewable + nuclear) capacity, and was announced at COP26, 2021 [5].
• India reached 50% non-fossil installed capacity in June 2025, five years ahead of its 2030 NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution: a country's climate pledge under the Paris Agreement) goal [4]. The earlier 40% goal was met in November 2021, at 157.32 GW [10].
• Order by installed capacity (31.03.2026): solar (150.26 GW) > wind (56.09 GW) > large hydro (51.41 GW) > bio-energy > nuclear (8.78 GW) > small hydro [2].
• Non-fossil capacity by 31 July 2026: 300.50 GW, over 54% of total installed capacity [3].
• Trap: "All non-conventional sources are renewable" is wrong, because atomic energy is non-conventional but exhaustible.

Mains Points

• Energy security and energy transition (GS-III):
• About 96% of primary energy comes from fossil fuels, and about 89.44% of crude oil is imported (FY 2024-25) [6].
• Non-fossil capacity reached 300.50 GW by July 2026 [3], against a target of 500 GW by 2030 [5]. This cuts the import bill and CO₂ emissions.

• Challenges: solar and wind stop and start, so India needs storage, grid upgrades and a plan for workers and economies in the coal belt.

• Distribution and access advantage:

• Coal and oil are found in only a few places (Chota Nagpur Plateau, Mumbai High, Assam), so energy has to be carried over long distances.

• Sun, wind and biomass are found in most regions, so power can be made locally for remote and rural areas.

• Rural cooking energy:

• Firewood and dung cake cause forest loss, loss of manure and indoor smoke.
• Biogas and improved cookstoves are local, renewable options. They support LPG access under PMUY, which reached 10.33 crore connections by 1 July 2024 [8], with 25 lakh more approved for 2025-26 [7].

Related concepts

• Classification of energy resources
• Conventional energy sources
• Fossil fuel
• Firewood and dung cake

Read more

• Energy and its classification: conventional and non-conventional sources