question_answer 13)

Answer the following questions in about 120 words.    (i) Describe the distribution of coal in India.   (ii) Why do you think that solar energy has a bright future in India?  

Answer:

(i) In India, coal deposits found are mainly of two geological ages   (a) Gondwana Coal Deposits These are about 200 million years old. The major coal deposit in India are Gondawana coal which are high quality metallurgical coal and are located in Damodar Valley (Paschim Banga, Jharkhand). Jharia, Ranigunj, and Bakoro are  important coalfields. Besides, the Godavari, Mahanadi, Son and Wardha valleys also contain such coal deposits.   (b) Tertiary Coal Deposits These are around 55 million years old. Tertiary coal deposits are found in the North-Eastern states of. Meghalaya, Asom, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. This coal is of lower quality than the Gondwana coal.   (ii) Solar energy is an inexhaustible source of energy produced from sunlight. There is enough scope for the development of solar energy. It has bright future in India because    (a) Many parts (regions) of the country received sunlight on 300 days annually and so it becomes possible to generate 20 MW solar energy per square kilometer in such areas.   (b) It is easy to established solar plants in urban and rural areas.   (c) By setting up solar plants in rural areas the dependence of people on firewood can be reduced,   (d) It is also becoming popular as it is used for cooking, heating water, lighting etc.   (e) It is a renewable source of energy, while other conventional sources used for generating electricity are exhaustible and non-renewable.