Conventional energy is obtained from the conventional energy resources such as coal, diesel, gas and nucleus. These are non-renewable resources and may exhaust in few decades if consumed at the current rate. The burning of fossil fuels produces harmful gases such as nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur-di-oxide etc and pollutes the environment. The comparison of various factors of power production from the conventional resources is listed below.
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Factors |
Thermal power plant |
Nuclear power plant |
Diesel power plant |
Gas turbine power plant |
Capital cost |
High but less than nuclear power plants | Very high | Low | Less than thermal power plant |
Capacity |
Super thermal power plants of 7500 MW are available. | Higher than thermal power plants. | Few KW to 50 MW | Gas power plants combined with thermal power plant can have a capacity up to 35MW |
Safety consideration |
Less than when compares to nuclear power plants | Extremely high due to the radiation risks | Less | Less |
Impact on the environment |
Emission of green house gases pollutes the environment. | Has no impact on the environment on normal function. Accidents may lead to major disaster due to radiation. | Emission of as nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur-di-oxide etc occurs. This can be controlled by proper precautions | Emissions occur due to the burning of natural gas or other fuels but can be controlled. |
Efficiency |
18 -24% | 15 – 20% | 40 – 45 % Maximum efficiency can be obtained only during full load operation. |
Efficiency of a simple gas plant is very less. Combined gas plants can offer an efficiency of 50 – 55%. |
Operating cost |
High | Low | Very high due to the cost of fuel. |
Low |
Maintenance cost |
High | Very high | Less maintenance. But high maintenance cost due to the cost of the part. | Maintenance cost is low. But frequent turbine maintenance may occur. |
Life |
80 – 100 years | 50 – 60 years | 5 – 10 years | Less due to frequent turbine maintenance |
Water requirement |
High | Extremely high | Water is required only for cooling of the diesel engine. | Virtually no water requirement. |
Area required |
More | Area required for installation of the plant is less. But for cooling and safety requirement more area is covered. | Less | Less |
Starting time |
More | More | Can start instantly. | Takes a few minutes. |
Cooling system |
Large | Due to very high temperature produced due to the atomic fission cooling system is very large. | A small system for cooling the diesel engine is required. | Very small cooling system |
Location |
Thermal power plants are located away from the urban area due to the pollution risks. | Located away from a populated area where more water is available and disposal of wastes is easy. | Can be located anywhere and at any location. | Located at remote locations within the industries and along with the thermal power plants. |