Introduction

Introduction
Earth is like a spacecraft moving in the space with limited resources inside. As any other artificial space craft the one and only energy source for the earth is also Sun. Traditionally green plants fix the solar energy on earth and provide it to the other living organisms through food chain. All forms of energy mankind use today are basically derived from the Sun (with the exception of atomic and geothermal energy). For example the petroleum resources are the biologically fixed solar energy millions of years back. The phenomenon of rain is due to many processes using the solar energy only, without which the hydro-electric projects cannot operate. Even the non conventional sources like wind, tides etc are also due of the solar energy and climatic factors created by the same. Out of all energy resources, petroleum is the most widely used and vulnerable resource. If petroleum resources are exhausted, the whole world will virtually come to a grinding halt. Energy should be identified as a common resource of the whole mankind without delimiting it based on the political boundaries. There should be extreme care in dealing with the energy resources.

Growth in every sector like agriculture, industry, housing, transportation, health care, education, tourism, entertainment, communication etc., presupposes corresponding growth in energy sector. This has put heavy pressure on the governments to pursue higher power generation capacities urgently. While developing large thermal and hydro power plants economic factors are considered whereas social and environmental factors are ignored. With the result global warming, unbalanced development leading to social tensions and damage to health and ecosystems are increasing at unprecedented levels.

It is an imperative to address these issues urgently by adopting a holistic view of development. If development process has to be sustainable it is necessary to increase the efficiency of energy utilities and processes, conserve energy and develop renewable sources of energy. It is the changing lifestyle of people and communities that is putting increased burden on the environment.

These projects on energy are designed to understand how to improve our efficiency of the energy consumption, the areas where we are wasting energy, the inequality in the usage of the energy by different sectors of the societies, and to explore the possible local sources of the alternate energy.