THE ENERGY STORY: FOSSIL FUELS TO NUCLEAR POWER

The ability to harness energy is a basic requisite for the existence of any civilization. Energy makes things happen. The story of energy essentially is the story of the progress of mankind. We have come a long way since the days our ancestors discovered fire. The explosion of technological advances has however taken place in a rather short time span of about 200 years as compared to the hundred thousand years of the use of fire. The industrial revolution and all the scientific progress happened only after we discovered and started tapping the fossil fuel resources. Unfortunately, this rapid progress has also been accompanied by a rapid population growth. The fossil fuels which were formed millions of years ago will not last forever and it is time to enhance alternative forms of energy production. In the present article we shall discuss this need for alternatives and consider one of the strongest candidate, namely, the nuclear energy option.