What are the sources of electricity available in the world today ?

 The sources of electricity available in the world ..Commodity Advantages Disadvantages

• Coal

 • Advantages : relatively low costs


• Disadvantages : plentiful supplies • produces air and water pollution

• produces ash requiring disposal.

• Hydropower

 • Advantages : no pollution


• Disadvantages : very low operating costs • may cause the modification or destruction of ecosystems


• virtually all potential hydro locations are already developed

• Natural Gas

 •Advantages : low generating costs • supply and price can fluctuate


•Disadvantages :  produces air pollution, though less than some other sources.

• Nuclear

• Advantages : does not produce air or water pollution


• Disadvantages  : low operating costs • produces radioactive waste requiring carefully controlled storage


• high initial capital costs.

• Oil

•Advantages :  easy to use and transport • produces air and water pollution


•Disadvantages :  suppy and price can fluctuate


• expensive

• Solar

• Advantages : inexhaustible supply


• Disadvantages :  no pollution • large scale projects require much land


• requires expensive photovoltaic cells


• too small-scale for urban areas

• Wind

 •Advantages :  inexhaustible supply


•Disadvantages :  no pollution • large scale projects require much land


• wind doesn't always blow when electricity demands are high


• extremely noisy


• too small-scale for urban areas

Sources of electricity ..

                    Sources of electricity are everywhere in the world. Worldwide, there is a range of energy resources available to generate electricity. These energy resources fall into two main categories, often called renewable and non-renewable energy resources. Each of these resources can be used as a source to generate electricity, which is a very useful way of transferring energy from one place to another such as to the home or to industry.



Non-renewable sources of energy can be divided into two types: fossil fuels and nuclear fuel.

• Fossil fuels : Coal, oil and natural gas are fossil fuels. Because they took millions of years to form, once they are used up they cannot be replaced.
  
• Oil and natural gas   :  Sources of electricity include oil and gas are chemicals made from molecules containing just carbon and hydrogen. All living things are made of complex molecules of long strings of carbon atoms. Connected to these carbon atoms are others such as hydrogen and oxygen. A simple molecule, called methane (CH4), is the main component of natural gas. Crude oil (oil obtained from the ground) is a sticky, gooey black stuff. It contains many different molecules, but all are made of carbon and hydrogen atoms.
• How were they formed ? 
• Gas and oil were formed from the remains of small sea creatures and plants that died and fell to the bottom of seas. Over many millions of years, layers of mud or other sediments built up on top of these dead animals and plants. The pressure from these layers and heat from below the Earth's crust gradually changed the once-living material into oil and natural gas.
• Natural gas and crude oil can be found in many places around the world, such as the Middle East (about 70 per cent of the world's known resources of oil), the USA and under the North Sea off the coast of the UK. The oil-based fuels provide less energy per kilogram than natural gas. Both oil and natural gas produce carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas.
• How long will they last?

Oil and gas are non-renewable: they will not last forever. New sources of oil and gas are constantly being sought. It is thought that the current resources under the North Sea will last about another 20 years and the world resources will last for about 70 years.

• Advantages  : These sources of energy are relatively cheap and most are easy to get and can be used to generate electricity.
• Disadvantages  : When these fuels are burned they produce the gas carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas and is a major contributor to global warming. Transporting oil around the world can produce oil slicks, pollute beaches and harm wildlife.
• Coal  : 

Sources of electricity can include coal, which mainly consists of carbon atoms that come from plant material from ancient swamp forests. It is a black solid that is reasonably soft. You can scratch it with a fingernail. It is not as soft as charcoal, however, and is quite strong. It can be carved into shapes. There are different types of coal. Some contain impurities such as sulphur that pollute the atmosphere further when they burn, contributing to acid rain.

• How was it formed ? 

Millions of years ago, trees and other plants grew rapidly in a tropical climate, and when they died they fell into swamps. The water in the swamps prevented the plant material from decaying completely and peat was formed.

As time passed, layer upon layer of peat built up. The pressure from these layers and heat from below the Earth's crust gradually changed the material into coal.

Coal can be found in parts of the world that were once covered with swampy forests, such as the UK about 250 million years ago. There are large deposits in China, USA, Europe and Russia. South Africa also has relatively large deposits.

When coal burns it produces mainly carbon dioxide, some carbon monoxide and soot (which is unburned carbon). Many coals when burned produce smoky flames.

• Advantages :

Coal is relatively cheap, with large deposits left that are reasonably easy to obtain, some coal being close to the surface. It is relatively easy to transport because it is a solid.

• Disadvantages :

 Burning coal without first purifying it contributes to global warming, as well as to the production of smog (smoke and fog), which is harmful to health.

Hydro electricity ...Energy source

                   Hydro electricity is another term for power generated by harnessing the power of moving water. Not necessarily falling water, just moving water. There are many famous such generating stations in the world, not the least of them at Niagara Falls, Grand Coulee and Boulder Dam.

How is Hydro Electricity Generated?

           Power is generated or "manufactured" in large power generating stations using the same basic principle as a small grist mill yet on a much larger and vastly improved scale for better efficiency. These electrical generators are attached to massive turbine devices which spin at great speeds as a result of water rushing through them. These power station turbines are much more efficient at extracting the kinetic energy from the moving water and converting that energy it into power through these generators.


The Hydro Electricity extracted from water depends not only on the volume but on the difference in height between the source and the water's outflow. This height difference is called the head. The amount of potential energy in water is directly proportional to the head. To obtain very high head, water for a hydraulic turbine may be run through a large pipe called a penstock.
                 For instance, energy is derived to make power by the force of water moving from a higher elevation to a lower elevation through a large tube" otherwise known in technical terms as a "penstock". When the water reaches the end of the penstock, it turns a water wheel or "turbine" at enormous speeds. The turbine rotates, via a connected shaft to an electrical generator, and this generator creates electricity. It is the turbine and generator working in combination that converts "mechanical energy" into "electric energy". The water that makes this possible, is a renewable energy resource, just like the wind that turns the turbine attached to a generator.


Hydro Electricity may be extracted from water but it depends not only on the volume of water but also on the difference in height between the top of the penstock and where the water spins the turbine. This difference in height is often referred to as the "head". From this "head", it can be determined the exact amount of potential energy that can be converted. Therefore, it is advantageous to build power dams as high as possible to convert the maximum energy from mechanical energy.
                   While many Hydro Electricity generating stations supply world power grids, some projects are created for private business purposes. For example, aluminium manufacturing companies require large amounts of power. And there are many other examples of industries that use hydro electricity in their manufacturing operations.

The animation below demonstrates how a hydro electricity dam works.




While hydro electricity seems relatively clean and safe in comparison to burning fossil fuels (coal or oil or natural gas), nearly all large hydro electric installations in North America have significant had impacts on nearby environmental habitats once they are brought online. This is because they significantly impede the flow of water in rivers and lakes at the point where the generating dam is installed In turn, this causes significant increases in water levels in corresponding upstream water systems while at the same time creating much lower water levels downstream.

"SHREE RANACHANDIKA PRAPATTI".

** ‘Shreerannachandika Naimittik prapatti’ for men. **

This may be offered on any Monday of the month of Shravan. Who is worshipped on the Monday of the month of Shravan? The Shivashankar for one, yes sure. Who else? the other pictures that we include in the poojan ? Jeevatyaa and Narsimha.


             The poojan on the Monday of the Shravan is addressed to Nrisimha. The Nrisimha form is half lion and half man. Every man must have the firm belief that the Nrisimha is indeed the Trivikram and the Trivikram is the Nrisimha, they are one and the same.


The men offer at home their prapatti after sunset but individually and separately .
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** The procedure for men **
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1) After a bath, sit before the image of the Trivikram and when it is past sunset, recite the Shree gurukshetram mantra nine times.


2) Then recite the mantra ‘Om namashchandikaayaee’ 108 times. This mantra was born of the loud roar of the Devisinha, who is in fact the paramatma and no different from the Trivikram, the original form of the Nrisinha.
This mantra is the most eminent, the supreme one of all that gives valour to men.


3) Now placing the image of the Trivikram on the head, recite the Gurukshetram mantra nine times all over again. This will initiate and cause the very essence or core feature of the Nrisinha, i.e. of the Devisinha to flow, travel from the head through the entire body. There is no better remedy to rid of timidity and weakness.


The radiant energy of the Nrisinha enters your body and prepares and equips you to become a soldier, capable of protecting the home, the dharma and the country.


So that is how the Shree rannachandika prapatti makes of the man, a protecting soldier of the family, the dharma and the country.


4) Then Offer the Trivikram, a naivedya of a banana along with a mixture of curds and sugar. The banana and the curds (with sugar) are to be offered in separate bowls, do not mix in the two. The one offering the prapatti will eat a spoonful of the curds (mixed with sugar).


5) Give the banana as Prasad, to both the men and the women in the family. Now come back and sit before the Trivikram and eat all of the remaining curds looking at the Trivikram all along as you do so. Curds enhances the oj (valour) (ओज ).
The oj of the Trivikram, that is received in the form of vibrations, is absorbed or taken in, in the form of curds.


6) Then offer fragrant flowers to the Trivikram and then offer the lotangan. (लोटांगण) .The flowers come right at the end, if you noticed! Flowers are meant to express gratitude, to thank.


•Any man above the age of sixteen can do the prapatti.
** Remember the Shree rannachandika prapatti is not to be done in a group; it has got to be done individually, all by yourself.


The prapatti can make of men and women alike, valiant soldiers apart from making them the protector- bodyguards at least of their family. When every single family is protected, it follows that the nation is and so is the dharma.


The Shree rannachandika prapatti will enhance the purushartha, the valour and their power as men.


!! Avadhoot Chintan Shri Gurudev dutta !!
!! Shri Chandika Mata ki Jai !!
!! Ramrajya Suswagatam !!

-- Hari Om .

“The Shree Mangalchandika Prapatti’"

The first part is the ‘Shree chandika Upasana’ i.e. the upasana of the Ramavardayini. The Chandika has a very important role to play in bringing in the Ramrajya.

             It is Her grace alone that is going to make things possible. With her grace and with her grace only, Ramrajya is possible.


           The Ashubhanashini that She is, not only does She wipe out the evil but She even roots out, destroys the cause of it. On the one hand, the upasana of the mata Chandika rids of evil and grants success and valour on the other, success and valour that prevail and persist at all times.
“The Shreee Chandika Prapatti”. Although fully spiritual in itself, this will make of every man and every woman, a valiant soldier, a valiant human being, a valiant spiritual person.


For the women it is going to be ‘The Shreemangalchandika Prapatti’ and for the men it is going to be ‘The Shree Rannachandika Prapatti’. Both kinds of prapatti make out of men and women alike, successful and capable soldiers.
The word ‘Prapatti’ simply means ‘surrender that relieves of disaster or calamity.’


The Prapatti, be it the 'Shree Managalchandika Prapatti' or the 'Shree Rannachandika Prapatti', there are five aspects to it.
 1.The first aspect is the Chandika Mahishasurmardini. She is the Mother of the paramatma and therefore the paramatma is forever in a state of surrender unto Her and so it follows that I too must be in surrender unto Her.
2.The second aspect and principle is to harbour and also repeatedly express the unshakable belief anchored firm in the heart that the Chandika Herself and through Her dear Son as well, will definitely protect me.


Not only should you hold on to the belief but root it firmly in your heart and express overtlythat the Chandika and Her Son, Trivikram will protect us and take care of us -the shraddhaavaan-. Hold this belief in your heart and speak it out in so many words.

3.The third one is accepting with love and faith as our refuge, the Son of the Chandika - the paramatma, whom we call Mahavishnu, Sai, Ram, Krishna or the Paramshiva; willingly choosing to live in this refuge and shelter, recalling Him to the mind with love, observing His instruction at all times and at all costs, having unconditional, singular and whole-hearted faith that He and He alone is my support my one and only support in life. This is one of the important aspects of the prapatti.


4. The fourth principle is praying that the Chandika hold usclose in Her arms and hand us over in the charge of the paramatma. Praying to Her with love to say, ‘O Mother Chandika, hold me in Your arms, hold me close and hand me over to the paramatma’


5.The fifth aspect is to offer yourself in loving surrender to the Chandika so that you keep enhancing and intensifying your bhakti and so that with Her grace you attain success and fulfillment both at the worldly and at the spiritual levels. . Living the sentiment expressed in the words ‘You and You alone are my support, my one and only support’, ‘I offer myself in unconditional, whole-hearted and singularly focused faith, I turn to you with love, please accept me’. ‘Complete, total honesty’, is actually surrendering unto Her.



** ‘Shree Mangalchandika Naimittik prapatti’ for women.**
Women will offer the Shreemangalchandika prapatti on the day of Sankranti (the 14th or the 15th of January).

• Why this day?

That is because that was the day mata Mahishasurmardini with the purpose of destroying Mahishasur, first set foot on earth, in the Kataraaj ashram of rishi Kardam and Devahuti. Women will offer the ‘Shreemangalchandika naimittik prapatti’ after sunset on the day of Sankranti. This again because it was after sunset that the mahishasurmardini set foot in the Kataraaj ashram.


If She were to come during the day, no man would have been able to bear her radiance and so She came after sunset, when it was dark.


Women will offer the prapatti on the day of the Sankranti, after sunset and outdoors in open space. Offering the prapatti on the day of Sankranti makes out of every woman, the protective soldier of her family on the one hand and the bodyguard of each of her family members on the other.


Irrespective of whether she is a mother, a sister or a wife, she definitely becomes the protector of the family.

• How do we go about the prapatti?

You cannot hire a hall as the prapatti has to be offered in open space and not within the four walls of any enclosed space. You can offer the prapatti on the beach, banks of a river, in the verandah, in the balcony of your home, in the open space between two chawls.


The more the women doing it together, the better it is. Any woman above the age of sixteen can offer the prapatti. Besides it is not compulsory that the prapatti be done every consecutive year. However, if you wish to ensure the well being and welfare of your family, you ought to offer it every single year.
As part of the procedure, a representation of the site of the Katraaj ashram,the site of Her (Mata Chandika) father’s ashram will be symbolically recreated.

• The detailed procedure is as follows:

1. Place a large ‘Paraat’ (a sort of large round metal tray) on a ‘Chaurang’ (wooden seat/stool) with some wheat grains in it.


2. Then place a ‘kalash’ or a ‘kalashi’ (a vessel usually of copper or brass normally used to store water) with rice grains in it. Place a small platter on top of the kalash (or the kalashi) and mark or draw the two feet of the devi in it – Her right foot in vermillion (Kumkum) and the left in turmeric (Haldi).


3. In the large tray that holds the kalash, place the photograph of Trivikram against the kalash. Women can surely offer the prapatti even if they are in their menstrual cycle. All that they have to do is place a little udi on the tongue and on the navel before beginning the prapatti. They need not worry about anything. The prapatti has to be offered only after a bath.


4. The material needed for the prapatti poojan, will be placed in a platter that they will hold in the hand. Apart from the material for the poojan, the platter will also hold the A ‘abhicharnashak Purchundi’ or the ‘abhichaarnashak sachet’. The ‘abhichaar’ is all wrong or vile deeds like ‘Karni’ (some refer to it as a sort of black magic) and the Purchundi is a tiny pouch or packet. This tiny sachet will contain salt, poppy seeds and camphor wrapped in the betel leaf to form a small sachet that is held together with a string.


5. This tiny sachet is the abhichaarnashak sachet With the small platter (carrying the material for thepoojan) the women will sing the aarti and the eldest among the group will actually do the aarti. We all are familiar with the aarti – ‘Maatey Gayatri sinhaarudha bhagavati…. Ude, ude….’


6. Holding the small platter in the hand, go round the symbolic representation of the Chandika, i.e. around the site of the Katraaj ashram nine times reciting in a loud voice all along, the Gurukshetram mantra.


Then to perform ‘drushta’ with the abhichaarnashak pouch and pray to the Trivikram saying, ‘My dear paramatma, With the help of Your Mother, please avert and destroy evil thought, intention or any evil power that may come my family’s way and please bless.’


Now offer this pouch in the sacred fire that will be created by lighting camphor and little twigs in a large tray or even in a pit. The fire created in this way is the Mahishasurmardini’s aura of radiant energy.


By way of this gesture what you are accomplishing is, you hand over all responsibility to the Trivikram; It is in fact a prayer that says…..


“Please rid us of all that stands in the way of well being, welfare and all that is appropriate.” The Gurukshetram mantra will have already transformed the sacred fire into the aura of radiant energy. All that is evil, all ill will having gone into this aura, your household will have welfare and well being.


After completion of the poojan procedure, recite the mantra “Om Aeem Hreem Kleem Chamundayaee Vichche” 9 times and offer the akshataa (whole rice grains coated with kumkum) at the Feet of the Chandika, offer fragrant flowers to the Trivikram and put out (quench) the fire with Neem leaves.


Apply the kumkum of the Chandika’s Feet to the forehead and if not, to the throat. Do it there and then. The kumkum cannot be carried home for family members. Only those present can apply it.


Now for the material required for the poojan :


Drumsticks, bananas, cucumber or sweet gourd, coconut, carrots, radish or tondlee (the Indian ivy gourd), udid daal, sesame oil, curds, turmeric, ginger, Jaggery, tamarind, sugarcane and fragrant flowers.

Out of these, the fragrant flowers will be offered to the Trivikram, the banana is to be offered to the Chandika mata. All the bananas may be put together to make a common Prasad but must be eaten there and then. Please do not get a dozen bananas each.If ten women come together to offer the prapatti, these will add up to ten dozen bananas and so much Prasad eaten there will make it impossible to walk home, leave alone doing the nine pradakshina.


The curds however, may be taken home and given to the men of the family. The women are not supposed to eat the curds. If the men at home are away or for some reason not available, offer it at the root of any tree.


The sugarcane is to be carried home and eaten by all the women at home. The sugarcane does not mandatorily have to be eaten on the same day, it may be eaten later but do eat at least a little bit on the day of the prapatti.


The rest of the prapatti poojan material (all except bananas, curds,sugarcane and fragrant flowers) may be used to make sambar and eaten with chapattis or rice by men and women alike. You may add the masala of your choice but do make it a point to add curry leaves for the sake of health and taste of course. But mind you no other vegetable (bhaji) will be prepared on that day. Chapatis and rice will both be eaten with this sambar.


All of this was the ‘Mangalchandika prapatti’ for women. Women who offer this prapatti become the soldiers of the Chandika and become able to protect their family and household and all their dear ones. Her son comes back late from school and the woman is worried, Her son falls in love with a worthless girl, she is worried, her daughter elopes with the wrong person, she is worried. The woman will be able to protect her family and home in such conditions. She will do it, she will no more be helpless, she will not be vulnerable. She will be strong and capable of protecting her household. She will accomplish all of this provided however, that she recites the Gurukshetram mantra regularly and she offers this prapatti on the day of the Sankranti.