Do you think nuclear power plants are the most effective means of power in India rather than solar power?

Future of India mainly depend of nuclear power that's for sure. But considering your point, solar power, wind mills should be the secondary source of power. Yes I agree that health hazards are high in operating with nuclear power plants. But precautions are made to the extreme level. Even the most advanced countries like the United States, Russia, Japan have faced lot of nuclear power plant accidents in the past. So lets hope for something better than nothing taking into considerations like what you have mentioned 2hr power cut per day.

It would take a mixture of both these and other power sources to supply clean power for a nation with as many people as India. There is hydro power and tide power both using the power of the water, geothermal power wind power, all of these sources can be put to use. After the initial cost of building there is small upkeep but the source of power is free. Unlike coal and gas fired boilers.

well money plays an important role ma friend.and in a country like India POLITICS IS RULING.............solar energy is Eco-friendly to use but the investment is more.....and as for nuclear power plants.......the waste disposal is a major problem everything as its own loop holes............but wen comparing both ...........solar energy has the upper hand............

Definitely goverment should go for solar power plants,wind energy rather than this dangerous costly nuclear power plants.Also,solar power plants costs very less when compare to nuclear power plants. Still there is no technology developed for removing the wastes of nuclear power plant permanently.but its a big question mark that why goverment is going for nuclear power plants which gives only 5 percent of electricity for around 5000 crores?!Many of answerers here doesnt understand one thing that nuclear power plants are not only dangerous for us but also for our future generations. Still now no one in this world know how to remove the nuclear wastes permanently. It can be kept under sea for hundred years but after that?!! Also, it doesnt play any important role in economics. It just produce only less than 5percent of electricity for our country but whereas solar power plants need just 3000crores for 8-10percent. France is the number one country in using nuclear power plants but the goverment of france doesnt know now what to do with that nuclear wastes! Its a baseless point that india could improve by nuclear power plants! If our goverment connects all over rivers in india, then we can easily avoid floods in south and draught in north and we can built lot of dams and it can be used for hydro power plants.INDIA is in 4 th place in the world in wind energy.

i think now a days nuclear power plant are effective mean of power. but one drawback is the waste of these plants. but we should appriciate solar power. because it is going to become most effective menas of power not only in india but in the world.

Not at all. I think solar energy is a better source of power in India. Firstly India is totally not equipped to deal with nuclear wastes and our establishment's apathetic attitude combined with the toxicity of the nuclear fuels is an accident of disastrous proportions waiting to happen. More over our geographical location ensures that we would get ample sunlight through out the year and hence it's a better and definitely safer and cleaner source of energy. All this clamour for nuclear energy is not about energy security at all, it is about money, power and politics. If the central government is so bothered with energy security, why not invest in solar, tidal and wind energy? At least these sources of energy would not be dependent on whims and fancies of the nuclear fuel supplying nations. And the initial setup cost for solar/wind/ tidal energy plants is definitely justifiable when we look at the long term benefits, the first of which is clean energy.

Harnessing the power of the sun would certainly provide clean energy but the potential is limited because of various factors like cloud cover, limited to day time etc. Nuclear power on the other hand provides for economy of scale. The waste generated in the nuclear power station is handled safely to ensure that only the power generated reaches the public and the public are not exposed to any radiation beyond natural background radiation. So nuclear power is inevitable in the present context.

I think the answer to your question has more to do with politics, money, economies and the interests of private companies than the best and cleanest way forward for the people. Our problems are to do with the way we consume and finding another power source will not solve the problem with an increasing population who all want big screen televisions. To solve energy problems we need to reassess how we use it and stop being so wasteful.

I think that nuclear power is the best answer for India. Clearly you have not looked at nuclear power plants as they are built today. They are tremendously safe. The only drawback is that they produce radioactive waste. However, we are currently using a process called the "saltwaste process" here in the US that allows you to recycle and re-use your waste product. From what I have read, with India's rapidly expanding population, space is of a premium. Solar power plants require hundreds, if not thousands, of acres to generate the power required for a medium sized city (about 60,000 people). With a solar power plant, since there is no way to store the power generated, you still have to have some type of traditional power plant as a back up for periods when the sun is not shining. I really think nuclear power is the the engine to aide in fueling the incredible economic growth that you guys have going on in India.