Renewables Outpace Nuclear in Major World Economies

Solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy besides hydro-electric dams now supply more electricity than nuclear in Japan, China, India and five other major economies accounting for about half the world's population, an atomic industry report shows.

While nuclear stations on average produce about twice as much electricity as renewables annually for every kilowatt installed, the high growth of solar, wind and other renewables means atomic power is fast being eclipsed as nations turn away from the energy source after the Fukushima disaster in Japan.

This is one of the main observations of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2015, a draft copy of which was given to Reuters before the release of the document at 0900 GMT in the House of Commons in London.

Nuclear power generation increased by 2.2 percent globally in 2014, even with the first extended shutdown of Japan's atomic industry for 45 years, but with solar power increasing 38 percent and wind power up by a tenth, energy from the sun, wind and other renewable sources is outpacing that from the atom.

Rising costs, construction delays, public opposition and aging fleets of reactors are hurting the chances of nuclear while falling costs, greater efficiency and better management of fluctuating renewable supplies, along with improved storage, are changing the face of energy production globally.

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