Solar Water Pumping

However, nowadays, we have learnt to harness solar energy for various purposes. Solar energy can be used directly to give us hot water during winter or run a refrigerator. It can be used, for room heating in colder regions. Solar energy can be used with the help of 'Photo Voltaic Cells" for producing electricity for driving vehicles and for illumination. In a desert like Rajasthan solar energy, received at the earth surface is recorded200 watts per square meter per hour. Since this is an unfailing source of energy, it would be a great advantage to develop cheap and efficient photocells or photovoltaic devices to harness solar energy. An important advantage of solar energy is that it can be generated where needed. Solar cookers are being used many homes to cook food. Photocells are also becoming common; though their efficiency has to be improved and their price needs to be brought down to promote their wider use.

Wind Energy

Like solar energy, wind flow can also be harnessed to obtain mechanical energy for lifting water from wells or from rivers. Once the windmill is turning due to force of the wind, it may as well run a generator to get electrical energy. In the coastal and hilly regions, where wind blows at high speed, a wind mill can be used for generating electricity for a small town. Windmills have been used since long in many countries, but in India they have only been recently introduced.

Geothemal Energy

Hot water and superheated steam of hot springs can be used to generate electricity. In our country there are 46 hydrothermal areas where the temperature of the spring water exceeds 150 Degree C. The thermal energy of hot springs can be used for generating electricity, heating buildings and homes glass-houses in colder areas for growing vegetables.