The second most important source after fossil fuels contributing to India’s…

Concept

An energy mix ranks sources by their contribution to meeting total energy demand. The ranking depends on the period and on the measure used, so a historical examination item must be interpreted in its stated examination context.

Among non-fossil sources, an established source with broad installed use can contribute more than newer or more limited technologies.

Application

For the December 2012 UGC NET Paper I context, the accepted comparison places fossil fuels first and hydropower next among the listed sources contributing to India’s energy needs.

Contrast

• Solar energy converts sunlight into usable heat or electricity; its contribution in the examination’s reference period was smaller than that of long-established hydropower.

• Nuclear energy releases heat through controlled fission; its share in India’s energy supply was more limited in the examination’s reference period.

• Hydropower converts the energy of stored or flowing water into electricity and had a long-established, large-scale role in India’s power system.

• Wind energy converts moving air into electricity through turbines; its contribution in the examination’s reference period was smaller than hydropower’s.

Cross-check

The comparison is consistent with the official updated answer key for December 2012 UGC NET Paper I, Set W, question 35: among the offered non-fossil sources, hydropower is the second major source after fossil fuels.

Therefore, the answer is Hydropower.