Answer: The sources of energy that are being produced continuously in nature and are inexhaustible are called non-conventional energy sources (or) renewable sources of energy. Various non-conventional energy sources available in India include:

• Solar Energy: India receives solar energy in the range of 5 to 7 kWh/m2 for 300 to 330 days in a year. This energy is sufficient to set up a 20 MW solar power plant per square kilometer of land area. India targets to achieve 100GW of solar energy by 2022. The potential to harness solar energy lies greatly in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. The world’s biggest solar power park lies at Bhadla in Jodhpur.

• Wind Energy: As per MNRE, India has a gross wind power potential of 302 GW in the country at 100 meters and 695.50 GW at 120 meters above ground level. Favorable conditions for harnessing wind energy exist in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. India intends to achieve 60 GW of energy through Wind by 2022.
• Bio-energy: Bio-energy refers to energy derived from biological products which include agricultural residues, municipal, industrial, and other wastes. As per MNRE, the current availability of biomass in India is estimated at about 750 million metric tonnes per year. The surplus biomass availability is estimated at about 230 million metric tonnes per annum corresponding to a potential of about 28 GW of energy. India targets to produce 10GW of energy from bio-power by 2022.
• Hydro-energy: Hydro power plants of 25MW or below capacity are classified as small hydro and come under renewable energy. The existence of various streams, especially in hilly areas all across India provides an estimated small hydropower potential of 20 GW. India targets to achieve 5 GW of energy from small Hydropower by 2022.
• Tidal and Wave Energy: As per MNRE, in India, the tidal power potential is estimated at around 12,500 MW, and the Wave Energy potential is 41,000 MW. Promising locations for Tidal Energy are the Gulf of Khambhat & Gulf of Kutch (GJ), Sundarbans (WB), Western Ghats (MH), etc., while Wave Energy is Western Coast of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Kerala. However, these energies are not being utilized at a commercial scale in India.
• Geothermal Energy: India is still at a nascent stage of geothermal energy utilization. The promising geothermal sites for direct heat use applications are Rajgir in Bihar, Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh, Surajkund in Jharkhand, Tapoban in Uttarakhand & Sohana region in Haryana.

Importance of providing eco-friendly energy:

• Non-polluting: Unlike other sources like coal and petroleum, non-conventional sources of energy are either non-polluting or carbon neutral. Inexhaustible: Conventional sources take millions of years to be renewed and replenished and are scarce, while non-conventional sources are renewable and do not get exhausted.
• Indigenous: Non-conventional/renewable energy is an indigenous source available in considerable quantities in all developing nations and is capable of having a significant local, regional, or national economic impact.
• Cheaper alternative: Non-conventional power plants prove to be more cost-effective in the long run.

Due to the huge population and rapidly increasing urbanization, India’s energy requirement is very high. The potential shortages of oil and gas due to price rises raise uncertainties about the security of the energy supply in the future. Also, it is important to limit the consumption of fossil fuels in light of increased global warming. Therefore, many countries including India are committed to shifting towards renewable energy sources and are making efforts to achieve SDG-12 towards responsible consumption and production by 2030.