Man in his lifetime, uses energy in one form or the other. In fact whatever happens in nature, results, out of the conversion of energy in one form or the other? The blowing of the wind, the formation of the clouds and the flow of water are a few examples that stand testimony to this fact. Of late, erratic and perfunctory usage of energy has resulted in an energy crisis, and there is a need to develop methods of optimal utilization, which will not only ease the crisis but also preserve the environment. This attempts to show how man has been utilizing energy and to explore prospects of optimizing the same. Researches show that the world has already had its enough shares of its energy resources. Fossil fuels pollute the environment. Nuclear energy requires careful handling of both raw as well as waste material. The focus now is shifting more and more towards the renewable sources of energy, which are essentially, nonpolluting. The main sources of renewable energy in India are biomass, biogas, solar, wind and hydro power.