Is nuclear power a viable alternative to fossil fuels?
It is not. The costs of a nuclear power plant will have to include not just the commissioning of it, but also that of disposal of the nuclear waste, of the plant’s decommissioning, and the possible accidents. Nuclear power is not economically viable compared to wind and solar power. The last nuclear plant set up in the US was in 1979. Have the non-conventional or renewable sources of energy become commercially feasible? Yes. They have. In the oil-rich state of Texas in the US, 23,000 megawatts of electricity is produced through wind power. The local people have realised the need to switch to alternative sources of energy. Three states –Texas, North Dakota and Kansas — have wind power potential to meet the electricity needs of the whole of the US. Similarly, Algeria has the potential to generate solar power that could meet the needs of the European countries. So, it is also commercially viable. Already Algeria is exporting 6,000 mw of power to Europe through an under-sea connection. I
