Daily Current Affairs (MCQ) | Date 12.03.22

Q1. Which of the following is/are correctly matched?

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

a. 1 and 2 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 2 only
d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer : d

Why is the Question ?

Q2. Which of the following factors make Nuclear energy unattractive when compared to renewable energy?

1. Costly production of electricity
2. Threat of disaster due to war or extreme weather events
3. Long gestation period and delays

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

a. 1 and 2 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 2 only
d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer : d

Why is the Question ?

Shutdown this misguided energy policy
The vulnerabilities of reactors and their high costs are strong reasons why India must cancel its nuclear expansion plans
Nuclear technology is hazardous:
1. The world was reminded of this in March 2022, when a fire broke out near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine (Europe’s largest) during the course of a military battle.

2. Eleven years ago, the people of Japan were not as fortunate. In March 2011, multiple reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant suffered severe accidents after an earthquake and a tsunami.
3. The aftershocks of the Fukushima disaster were felt beyond Japan and led to a slump in nuclear energy in most of the world. Yet, some policymakers insist on expanding nuclear power, ostensibly in response to climate-change concerns.
Misguided Indian Policy:
1. In December 2021, the Indian government informed Parliament that it plans to build “10 indigenous reactors... in fleet mode” and had granted “in-principle approval” for 28 additional reactors, including 24 to be imported from France, the U.S. and Russia.
2. Given the post-Fukushima global and national trends in the nuclear industry, such a policy seems misguided; nuclear power is neither an economical source of electricity nor a viable route to meeting India’s climate goals.
Renewable Energy: Cheaper and Safer
1. In contrast, renewable-energy technologies have become cheaper. The Wall Street company, Lazard, estimated that the cost of electricity from solar photovoltaics and wind turbines in the U.S. declined by 90% and 72%, respectively, between 2009-21.
2. In 2020, the International Energy Agency dubbed solar energy the “new king of electricity”.

Unviable imports and Electricity:
1. Such targets were based on the expectation that India would import many light-water reactors after the IndiaU.S. civil nuclear deal. But, the deal has not led to the establishment of a single new nuclear plant, over 13 years after it was concluded.
2. We estimated in 2013 that had the six planned EPRs at Jaitapur in Maharashtra been constructed on schedule, electricity from these reactors would cost at least ₹ 15 per unit excluding transmission costs.
3. Compare that figure with recent low bids of ₹2.14 per unit for solar power, and ₹2.34 for solar-wind hybrid projects; even in projects coupled with storage, bids are around ₹4.30 per unit.
4. If nuclear electricity is to be sold at a competitive rate, it would have to be greatly subsidised by the Indian government, which operates all nuclear plants through the Nuclear Power Corporation of India.
Understanding risks
1. Contrary to the condescending opinion held by some nucleocrats, peoples’ concerns are not based on an irrational fear of nuclear energy.
2. In a densely populated country such as India, the land is at a premium and emergency health care is far from uniformly available.
3. Local citizens understand that a nuclear disaster might leave large swathes of land uninhabitable — as in Chernobyl — or require a prohibitively expensive clean-up — as in Fukushima, where the final costs may eventually exceed $600 billion.
4. Concerns about safety have been accentuated by the insistence of multinational nuclear suppliers that they be indemnified of liability for the consequence of any accident in India.
5. Under pressure from multinational manufacturers, India’s liability law already largely protects them. But the industry objects to the small window of opportunity available for the Indian government to hold them to account.
Climate concerns
1. Climate change will increase the risk of nuclear reactor accidents. The day after the fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, a wildfire approached the Hanul nuclear power plant in South Korea.
2. In 2020, a windstorm caused the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in the U.S. to cease operations. The frequency of such extreme weather events is likely to increase in the future.
Conclusion:
 Therefore, nuclear power is not the right choice to “adapt” to climate change, which requires resilience in power systems. It is also not the appropriate choice for mitigating India’s carbon emissions since it cannot be deployed at the necessary scale. The resources spent on nuclear plants will yield quicker results if they are redirected to renewables.

 Given the inherent vulnerabilities of nuclear reactors and their high costs, it would be best for the Government to unambiguously cancel its plans for a nuclear expansion.

Q3. Which of the following is/are correctly matched?

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

a. 1 and 2 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 2 only
d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer : c

Why is the Question ?

Q4. Which of the following materials are used in the manufacturing of semiconductor chips?

1. Neon
2. Cobalt
3. Silicon

Select the correct answer from the codes given below

a. 1 and 2 only
b. 2 and 3 only
c. 2 only
d. 1, 2 and 3

Answer : d

Why is the Question ?

Ukraine halts half of the world’s neon output for chips, clouding the outlook
Ukraine’s two leading suppliers of neon, which produce about half the world’s supply of the key ingredient for making chips, have halted their operations as Moscow has sharpened its attack on the country, threatening to raise prices and aggravate the semiconductor shortage.
Neon for Semiconductor Chips:
1. Some 45%-54% of the world’s semiconductor grade neon, critical for the lasers used to make chips, comes from two Ukrainian companies, Ingas and Cryoin, according to Reuters calculations.
2. The stoppage casts a cloud over the worldwide output of chips, already in short supply after the pandemic drove up demand for cell phones, laptops and later cars, forcing some firms to scale back production.

Q5. Consider the following statements about Semiconductors

1. Semiconductors, as the name implies, possess characteristics of both conductors and insulators
2. Silicon behaviour can be nudged toward conductivity through a process called doping

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer : c

Why is the Question ?

Semiconducting materials range in price and availabilityf rom abundant silicon to expensive rare earth elements (REEs). Solar cells, field-effect transistors, IoT sensors, and self-driving car circuits all require semiconductor materials to function. The modern world quite literally owes its existence to semiconductors and the materials used in their manufacture.
As existing semiconductor materials reach their physical limitations, new materials are poised to take their place. The market for these materials, coupled with new semiconductor applications, is changing manufacturing and material procurement throughout the industry.
What are the distinguishing characteristics of semiconductor materials?
Materials that allow electrical conductivity are, naturally enough, called conductors. Examples include gold, silver, and copper. Insulators, on the other hand, have high resistance and prevent electrical conductivity. Rubber, glass, and ceramics are insulators.
Semiconductors, as the name implies, possess characteristics of both conductors and insulators. Usually crystalline in form, semiconductors have low numbers of free electrons, which are needed for conductivity. Instead, their atoms group together to form a crystal lattice through which electrical conductivity is possible, but only under the right conditions.
At low temperatures, semiconductors allow little or no conductivity and act as insulators. At room temperature or when exposed to light, voltage, or heat, however, they can conduct electricity. It is this quasi state between conductors and insulators that makes semiconductors so important to electronic devices, as they control how, when, and where electricity flows.
How do semiconductors work?
Metals conduct electricity because their free electrons can move freely between atoms, as electricity requires a flow of electrons from one atom to another. Semiconductors like pure silicon have few free electrons and act more like insulators.

Silicon behaviour can be nudged toward conductivity through a process called doping. Doping mixes tiny impurities into the semiconductor materials. The impurities add “donor atoms” to the base material, encouraging conductivity. The amount of impurities added to semiconductor materials is minuscule—as little as one donor atom per ten million semiconductor atoms—but sufficient enough to allow electrical conductivity.