Wind and solar power

Photo:Azizur Rahim peu / Driknews

I am writing with reference to the piece "Nuclear generator" by Engineer Shafi Ahmed (Dec. 1).
Engineer Shafi Ahmed is absolutely right when he says: "Bangladesh is prone to earthquakes and other natural phenomena like storms, floods, cyclones, tsunamis, sudden erosion by rivers, landslides etc, in addition to its lack of properly trained and motivated manpower to run and maintain a nuclear power station. So the danger of a failure in such a densely populated country or its risk assessment is beyond thinking."
In fact, nuclear power is a highly controversial source of energy even in a country as advanced as Canada. Although the province of Ontario, where I live, derives most of its power from nuclear reactors built decades ago, it is facing growing public opposition due to environmental and security concerns. Contrary to the nuclear lobby, nuclear energy is not a clean energy. Uranium mining is highly carbon intensive and leaves behind highly toxic trails. Nuclear reactors are also a target of terrorist attacks and even a minor accident in a reactor may cause panic and huge economic dislocation.
Moreover, a tropical country like Bangladesh is sitting on a gold mine of solar and wind energy. With mostly sunny days, Bangladesh should harness solar energy on a mass scale. Bangladesh should seek Chinese help to harness solar energy. China is the biggest producer of solar panels in the world. And it will help both Bangladesh and China to develop solar energy on a mass scale. The same applies to wind energy.