Make a list of comventional and non-conventional energy sources. Give a brief description of harnessing one non -conventional energy source.

Explanation

Conventional Energy sources:
• Fossil fuels `" "` • Hydroelectric power plant
• Thermal power plant `" "` Biomass
Non-conventional energy sources:
• Solar energy `" "` • Tidal energy
• Nuclear energy `" "` • Ocean thermal energy
Harnessing nuclear energy :
Nuclear energy is a non-conventional energy source and can be harnessed by nuclear fission. The nucleus of a heavy atom (such as uranium, plutonium, or thorium), when bombarded with low-energy neutrons, can be split into lghter nuclei. Vhen done, a tremendous amount of energy is released if the mass of the orginal nuceus is just a litcle more than the sum of the masses of the individual products. The fission of an atom of uranium, for example, produces 10 million times the energy produced by the combustion of an atom of carbon from coal. In a nuclear reactor designed for electric power generation, such a nuclear .fuel. can be part of a self-sustaining fission chain reaction that releases energy at a controlled rate. The released energy can be used to produce steam and further generate electricity.