I hate to agree with India's left but that have apoint here. Nuclear energy is expensive, frought with security issues, danger of radiation and most importantly India will have to be dependent on uranium from countries who have acted against her interests from several decades. US has had no nuclear plant set up in last 40 years! India should refuse buy into this so called deal. Solar energy is the best solution in India-9 months of strong sun, no security issues, it is super clean, no dependence on foreign power and after the initial investment it is free..solar is the way to go. Price of solar panels are coming down drastically. go green go solar.
RE:Nuclear energy is not viable in India
by k prasad on Oct 08, 2007 09:12 PM Permalink
solar energy can't be a substitute for n-energy in the sense of energy-security envisaged by govt. solar energy may be encouraged but the key of india energgy security lies in n-energy. other apprehensions are manageable.
RE:Nuclear energy is not viable in India
by manav gupta on Oct 08, 2007 09:22 PM Permalink
I am a scientist and know little about cost effectiveness and combining the little knowledge and science I can say nuclear energy is the cheapest form of energy we can have as for eg. solar energy double the cost to set up requires several times (atleast 50-100 times) more land to generate the same amount of energy and then also we are not sure of sun all the time also it require much more maintance although only thing that favors it is we donot have to buy the fuel and wind energy is not fesible at all in India also the next hope is energy from water where we might be able to satisfy northern part of India but south will have to wait for another 50 years to get the startup setup and biomass we can get easily but it is very expensive almost 2-3 times as nuclear energy to generate similar amount. so we have to think which is better may be my friend is right to not get nulear energy but he need more explanation why it is better in a populated country like India where land is very very expensive
RE:RE:Nuclear energy is not viable in India
by Swaran Singh on Oct 08, 2007 09:40 PM Permalink
I think Home made solar energy will be far cheaper than what Ambani is selling it for. My bills have shot up 70 percent after Ambani's took over in Mumbai. I am very upset; Is anybody listening.
RE:RE:RE:Nuclear energy is not viable in India
by VSR on Oct 08, 2007 10:02 PM Permalink
Hahaha. I am laughing not because of technology but because of Ambani. As everyone knows, Ambani is a big sucker. It is like Robin Crusoe, who robs rich and pays poor. Ambani does the other way round. He robs, rich and poor and make his shareholders happy. He is a smooth sucker, you never knew what you last.
RE:RE:Nuclear energy is not viable in India
by VSR on Oct 08, 2007 09:01 PM Permalink
Being an electrical engineer setting up solar panels for quite sometime, I have never felt that the technolgy of solar energy was harnessed to the full. So far there is no stable power technology like thermal or nuclear. May be some advancement in solar technology may come, but today solar electricity is not that reliable. At a smaller level they are fine, but certainly not for generating hundreds of MW. Solar cannot be relied upon for such large power output. Possibly windpower is better but cannot be placed everywhere other than coastal areas or hydro, but it is purely dependant on rain and water resource. I think at least for the near future nuclear or thermal is only the option.
RE:Nuclear energy is not viable in India
by Manu on Oct 08, 2007 09:16 PM Permalink
Dear arman, Now issue is not the nuclear power. The issue is whether to go with America, japan, Korea and Australia, or just ignore their call and stand in a corner. China and Pakistan can nevver be our friend for historical reasons. The socialists are no more; the NAM is dead. Now USA needs us and trying to support us in a big manner. but if we ignore, how long they will wait is not sure.
RE:RE:Nuclear energy is not viable in India
by Arman on Oct 08, 2007 09:36 PM Permalink
Dear Manu, Now we are talking. I believe that this fraudulent nuclear deal is the last ditch attempt by well entrenched interests in US that have always been inmical to India's interest. This deal is nothing but a back door non proliferation treaty or at least it looks like one. India was at US receiving end for thirty years for not signng NPT and I am afraid that once US succeeds to impose this fraudulent deal, India will be at the receiving end to perpetuate this fraud as US will be tempted to keep "anti US" from coming to power in India. And the cycle will go on.
US has to choose whether they want India to fight with them or for them. US has chosen the latter.
RE:Nuclear energy is not viable in India
by anil b on Oct 08, 2007 09:46 PM Permalink
fradulant or not We need America and that is the bottom line . you are one of this guys who dont want India to develop so we indians care a bloody shit about mentally retarded guys like you
RE:Nuclear energy is not viable in India
by Arman on Oct 08, 2007 10:00 PM Permalink
US being imperial power does not want any country to 'develop' least of all India. If left to them they would not like even UK, Japan, France to develop. If you want India to develop then India has to learn to safeguard her own interests
RE:Nuclear energy is not viable in India
by Swaran Singh on Oct 08, 2007 09:31 PM Permalink
Thanks VSR, I was very keen to know and explore the possibility of Solar energy in INDIA as we have lot of sun. While there is little sun in France I have seen many Solar panels over individual houses and that too they sell it back to EDF( Electricite de France) which gives the crdit for what they produce. Really we cant generate electricity from solar Panels? How sad.
RE:Nuclear energy is not viable in India
by VSR on Oct 08, 2007 09:57 PM Permalink
Yes, Swaran Singh. My own experience in setting up solar energy system works in India very well. But its application is restricted to homes and small office uses. You cannot run industrial applications depending on solar energy. The reason, as explained to me during my training in Europe was storage system for energy. The cost of batteries to store energy is pretty costly and it is better used directly instead of stored. Moreover, stored energey looses efficiency by more than 20% every four hours.
I agree, that Solar panels work wonder for house hold appliances. But for industrial growth you need higher MW of supply which is not expected to be generated out of solar panels as the technology is still not geared up. It is my dream, at least before the end of my life, I would like see a larger solar generation material which can harness Sun's power and generate energy at high efficiency. Till then we need power from Thermal or Hydro or Nuclear source. As we see the other two sources has their own difficiecy, Nuclear source best alternative till find new technology.
RE:Nuclear energy is not viable in India
by Arman on Oct 08, 2007 09:48 PM Permalink
nice article on solar energy and where it heading. Knowing how the prices of electronic come down, it is matter of time before it will be the cheapest source of energy.
RE:Nuclear energy is not viable in India
by Arman on Oct 08, 2007 09:18 PM Permalink
Thank you for a sensible reply. Solar energy is evolving fast and many new developments are making it possible to make it more robust. It is a matter of time that it becomes the cheapest form of energy availbale and it is GREEN. Best part is that there is no transmisison, no government interference when used in individual homes. When solar energy is being tauted as viable in western countries, it can certainly be viable in India. Don't tell me that this nuclear deal is not a effort to make India become energy dependent rather than energy secure.
