10 Differences between Conventional and Nonconventional sources of energy

Energy is defined as the capacity of a substance or a body to do work. Conventional sources of energy refer to the energy sources that have been traditionally used for many years. These energy sources are non-renewable and likely to be depleted due to its extensive use. Non-conventional energy sources are alternate energy resources to the conventional energy resources but in limited use due to lack of feasible technology.

Conventional vs Non conventional Sources of Energy 

Conventional Energy Resources	Non-conventional  Energy Resources
It refers to the traditional sources of power or energy like firewood, coal, petroleum etc	It refers to recently developed sources of energy from sun, wind, tides etc
Energy sources are non-renewable	Energy sources are renewable
Comparatively expensive to maintain, store and transport	Initial expenditure for energy generation is high but cheaper in the long run
Following established technologies for energy production	Require new feasible technologies; still under research and development
Energy sources which are fixed in nature	Generally energy sources are not be fixed in nature
Available in limited quantity; exhaustible	Available in plenty; inexhaustible
Causes large scale pollution; not eco-friendly	Generally Eco-friendly source of energy
Causes green house effect and major culprit in climate change and has serious health consequences	No such issues as energy source is ecologically safe
At present, widely used energy source	Presently limited use; feasible technologies are yet to be developed
Examples: coal, petrol, diesel, LPG etc	Examples: solar energy, wind energy, hydroelectric power etc