Now is not the time for energy-starved India to increase nuclear dependency

[pmukherjee]

The author at post No 1 is entitled to his views.

My take is that as things stand Nuclear energy is the way forward. Non conventional energy is neither cheap nor available 24x7.

Yes, I agree with you. I have been hearing about research going on in Europe, America, Brazil, Japan, China etc for development of non conventional sources of energy for decades now. These countries have already invested billions on projects like hydrogen fuel, solar energy, energy from algae, from methanol, all kinds of bio fuels. Hundreds of billions have been spent on these projects which have been going on for three or four decades now. And yet, nothing substantial has emerged. What good are solar powered autorikshas or gobar gas powered cars? Who says that we have not tried to develop alternate sources of energy in India? Please check the magnitude of wind power generation in India on Google or the efforts to spread solar power generation and bio gas power in rural India.

The point is that these sources are simply not enough (apart from being too expensive and uneconomical) to meet the growing needs of a developing nation like ours. There really is no alternative to nuclear energy.

 

[Bang Galore]

Get real.....we are blindly following the West to a blind Alley....we need to make better decisions. Our fault is that we have no vision.....where were our planners 20 years earlier? Tell me you think we cannot produce a solar powered or natural gas powered auto rickshaw? In Haiti they introduced a newly developed source of charcoal that is not derived from trees, because deforestation is a huge issue in haiti. Please stop talking when you don;t have a clue. I want you guys to understand something.....in the US Monsanto is severely restricted why does India allow them operate with very little checks and balances? It obviously looks like a case of corruption. How come we allow pesticide banned in 66 countries to be used without impunity here? Do you really think there aren;t other options? We haven't looked for other options. Look like the politicians have spread misinformation again! Or the problem could be that many ppl are too uneducated to realize the truth. I never said not to focus on Nukes but I said we need to increase the share of green tech in india. We have much security problems than any other country. Please don't be blind by rhetoric and patriotism. We cannot secure our borders properly and the safety of our Nuclear Tech is questionable. Our environmental laws are hardly stringent. So wake up instead of talking garbage and back it up. India has a huge coastline which is a great benefit for windpower. Our access to the seas and oceans give us unlimited potential to harness "wave" energy. You act like Nuke tech is proven and vey cheap. Wake up bro....you seriously need a reality check. in the queues for modernization, we are seriously not learning from the mistakes committed by the West.

Err.. it looks like you are the one in need of a reality check. Nuclear power is way cheaper than any other "alternative" sources of energy like solar. It is a lot safer than most people assume, present situation in Japan not withstanding. As for not being able to secure our "nuclear tech" properly, we should wind ourselves up as a country & go back to living in caves if we can't do that. How will you safeguard dams then which can cause far more damage if destroyed.

I'm always amused when solar & wind energy are described as "green". Solar requires thousands of acres to produce comparatively less power at a cost far more than conventional power. Wind turbines are nice in theory but dotting a whole coastline would kill a million birds (thro their blades) & be an expensive eyesore at the same time. Thought going green means to let nature remain as untouched as possible. Not going to happen with either wind or solar. Wave energy? India needs to make sure electricity reaches every part of this country. Experiments like wave energy are best left to Japan & South Korea ( btw SK did it after they had a well developed economy) with costs of 40 -50 cents per kilowatt-hour (10 times the cost of energy from fossil fuels).

 

[third eye]

Yes, I agree with you. I have been hearing about research going on in Europe, America, Brazil, Japan, China etc for development of non conventional sources of energy for decades now. These countries have already invested billions on projects like hydrogen fuel, solar energy, energy from algae, from methanol, all kinds of bio fuels. Hundreds of billions have been spent on these projects which have been going on for three or four decades now. And yet, nothing substantial has emerged. What good are solar powered autorikshas or gobar gas powered cars? Who says that we have not tried to develop alternate sources of energy in India? Please check the magnitude of wind power generation in India on Google or the efforts to spread solar power generation and bio gas power in rural India.

The point is that these sources are simply not enough (apart from being too expensive and uneconomical) to meet the growing needs of a developing nation like ours. There really is no alternative to nuclear energy.

In India , the telecom industry is the largest consumer of diesel after the Railways.

With the call rates & revenues dropping to rock bottom the industry is going crazy trying to reduce its operating costs. Everything from wind , Solar , Hybrid has been tried with indifferent results.

Besides the main reason why gen sets have to run is non availability of Grid Power , in rural areas and class B/ C towns the situation is even worse. Do we even know the costs of running industries, diesel is the largest head under which they spend after raw material.

We need Grid power , nuke tech is the only way forward.

All other issues can & will be handles, we need power first.

 

[pmukherjee]

In India , the telecom industry is the largest consumer of diesel after the Railways.

With the call rates & revenues dropping to rock bottom the industry is going crazy trying to reduce its operating costs. Everything from wind , Solar , Hybrid has been tried with indifferent results.

Besides the main reason why gen sets have to run is non availability of Grid Power , in rural areas and class B/ C towns the situation is even worse. Do we even know the costs of running industries, diesel is the largest head under which they spend after raw material.

We need Grid power , nuke tech is the only way forward.

All other issues can & will be handles, we need power first.

Yup, I remember going to a sprawling industrial complex near Delhi a couple of years ago. It was in the evening and every single factory that I passed by had huge gen sets running constantly. When I asked one of the owners, he replied that there was power shortage and that most of what was available was being given to the residential areas thus denying power to the industrial areas for most of the day and so the generators run almost throughout the day except may be for a couple of hours after midnight when they get power. No wonder our industries are lagging behind. The rising diesel cost alone would price our products right out of the market.

 

[third eye]

Yup, I remember going to a sprawling industrial complex near Delhi a couple of years ago. It was in the evening and every single factory that I passed by had huge gen sets running constantly. When I asked one of the owners, he replied that there was power shortage and that most of what was available was being given to the residential areas thus denying power to the industrial areas for most of the day and so the generators run almost throughout the day except may be for a couple of hours after midnight when they get power. No wonder our industries are lagging behind. The rising diesel cost alone would price our products right out of the market.

It already is pricing us out.

We squabble over non issues while the major ones are missed.

Today while selecting a flat the first thing a man checks is the power situation.

 

[axisofevil]

. Nuclear power is way cheaper than any other "alternative" sources of energy like solar. It is a lot safer than most people assume, present situation in Japan not withstanding. As for not being able to secure our "nuclear tech" properly, we should wind ourselves up as a country & go back to living in caves if we can't do that. How will you safeguard dams then which can cause far more damage if destroyed.

I'm always amused when solar & wind energy are described as "green". Solar requires thousands of acres to produce comparatively less power at a cost far more than conventional power. Wind turbines are nice in theory but dotting a whole coastline would kill a million birds (thro their blades) & be an expensive eyesore at the same time. Thought going green means to let nature remain as untouched as possible. Not going to happen with either wind or solar. Wave energy? India needs to make sure electricity reaches every part of this country. Experiments like wave energy are best left to Japan & South Korea ( btw SK did it after they had a well developed economy) with costs of 40 -50 cents per kilowatt-hour (10 times the cost of energy from fossil fuels).

Err..You need to take a closer look.... it looks like you are the one in need of a reality check....Chernobyl, 3 Miles, Japan and countless leaks all over the world is not enough concern? What makes it safer? Because the amount of incidents in the Nuke industry is far less than other energy based industries? But ask yourself which one has the most potential to cause harm. Where do you store the waste products of the Nuclear industry? The US digs tunnels and uses abandoned mines to store it but there are huge problems. I cannot expect India to understand such issues when it still allows Monsanto to set up shop and allow pesticides that are banned in the first word to be used by its civilians. This itself speaks volumes of the LACK OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS DESIGNED TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC> THEY ARE NOT UP TO PAR WITH THE REST OF THE DEVELOPED WORLD. I'm not saying to stop Nuclear research or use. I think we should emphasize research in Nuke innovation just as much as Nuke safety which would cover safety materials, designs, procedures, location, etc. Example, taking into account of the Japanese Tsunami shouldn't we be looking for better areas to place our Nukes rather than the tip of TN which experienced a Tsunami. Rather we should look at locations that have natural geographical features that serve to protect against such natural calamities. I just think we need to supplement as much green tech as possible wherever possible. Why leave wave tech to Japan and Korea when more research is being done in UK? Plus We have almost 4000 km coastline!!! Cost will come down as usage grows and industries compete. Again we are not looking at the long term. Ultimately, thorium reserves and such will last 100 yrs. What then? Solar tech will go on as long as the sun shines. Windpower is not great yet that why I stated its use would limited in the coastal water where there would no impediments to wind till innovation set pace.

My friend have your priorities straight next time you come to debate. YOu argue about how wind turbines are an eye sore and how they will kill millions of birds. Well I am more concerned about the lives of my fellow Indians not birds. Wind turbines are being redesigned as we speak so that can be applicable in a variety of ways. Plz educate yourself of the advances in this field. YOu only look at solar that has to be placed in a big open field when India lacks space. SOlar tech is being incorporated in building materials and being redesigned in numerous ways. Use our advantages, the ocean which has no obstruction to sunlight. Read up on new advances on Solar tech. As Corporations get involved, they will lower the prices and design more effective products once the world and a country as big as India signals the need for such green technology. To ensure it reaches every inch of INDia we need to design a proper grid network the same way we need to design bloody roads.......the lack of vision is glaring...


Once Oil runs out and say "Fusion" tech doesn;t miniaturize then what. It is not a question of should we, we have to invest in such tech. Otherwise we will be the dumping ground of the world for other country's products.

Trust me I am more amused when folks talk about a subject they don't know much about. China does not allow obstacles to come in the way of long term strategic planning, neither should INdia.