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Oppenheimer and nuclear energy: Is India and the world moving away from this power source?

Nuclear energy has grabbed headlines ever since Christopher Nolan’s biographical film “Oppenheimer” was released. However, the world now making a gradual shift towards solar energy

Inia Today, Samrat Sharma, New Delhi, Jul 26, 2023

With the release of Christopher Nolan’s biographical film “Oppenheimer”, the awesome power of nuclear energy is once again under the spotlight…………. However, the invention that was once considered a game changer is gradually losing its charm now.

…………………………..it is not just in India that nuclear energy has little role to play in the overall electricity mix. Aside from countries like France, the U.S., Japan, etc, the popularity of nuclear power has declined significantly across the world. Earlier this year, the German government closed down the country’s three remaining nuclear power plants.

……………….. One of the major reasons for the downfall is the rise of renewable energy prospects, mostly solar energy.

“In 2021, the global solar capacity was 1.04 terawatts, while the global nuclear capacity was 463 gigawatts. This means that solar energy is already more than twice as abundant as nuclear energy,” Manish Purohit, a former scientist in the Solar Panel Division of the Indian Space Research Organisation, told India Today.

There are multiple reasons behind solar power replacing nuclear power, which include the falling cost of solar panels and units, higher speed of deployment, no threat of waste disposal and accidents, and increased government support, Purohit explained. Currently, there are over 90,000 metric tonnes of nuclear waste that require careful disposal globally.

 https://www.indiatoday.in/diu/story/oppenheimer-and-nuclear-energy-is-the-world-moving-away-from-this-power-source-2411981-2023-07-26—

July 27, 2023 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized