With reference to Devangshu Datta's article, "Shifting India to clean energy" (January 21), the next big energy transition is from non-renewable to renewable resources. The transition is inevitable, given the concerns about global warming and rising CO2 levels.
In a 2008 speech, Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore said that "enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 per cent of the entire world's energy needs for a full year". Tapping the sun as a source of energy is rational. This does not mean we can afford to do away with fossil fuels or, for the matter, nuclear energy, as we need these resources to run high-density energy industries. Robert Bryce, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative research group, said: "If oil didn't exist, we would have to invent it. No other substance comes close to oil when it comes to energy density, ease of handling, and flexibility." The long-term answer to India's electricity needs is promoting nuclear energy; environmentalists and administrators have to accept that.
All types of renewable energy need vast areas of land, a difficult proposition in an overcrowded country like India. A solar power plant requires large arrays of panels or collectors spread across a wide area to capture as much sunlight as possible. Nuclear plants, by contrast, take up much smaller areas of land in comparison to the quantity of power they generate. Not surprisingly, China has 30 nuclear power reactors in operation, with 24 more under construction and plans for more reactors.
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In a 2008 speech, Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore said that "enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 per cent of the entire world's energy needs for a full year". Tapping the sun as a source of energy is rational. This does not mean we can afford to do away with fossil fuels or, for the matter, nuclear energy, as we need these resources to run high-density energy industries. Robert Bryce, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative research group, said: "If oil didn't exist, we would have to invent it. No other substance comes close to oil when it comes to energy density, ease of handling, and flexibility." The long-term answer to India's electricity needs is promoting nuclear energy; environmentalists and administrators have to accept that.
All types of renewable energy need vast areas of land, a difficult proposition in an overcrowded country like India. A solar power plant requires large arrays of panels or collectors spread across a wide area to capture as much sunlight as possible. Nuclear plants, by contrast, take up much smaller areas of land in comparison to the quantity of power they generate. Not surprisingly, China has 30 nuclear power reactors in operation, with 24 more under construction and plans for more reactors.
H N Ramakrishna Bengaluru
Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:
The Editor, Business Standard
Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110 002
Fax: (011) 23720201
E-mail: letters@bsmail.in
All letters must have a postal address and telephone number