Sustainability Outlook Headlines

LEED spans 833 million square feet of green building space in India

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced that Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) comprises 833 million square feet of green building space in India. The announcement was made at The Energy Resource Center’s (TERI) 2015 Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) where USGBC’s President & Founding Chair Rick Fedrizzi and its COO, Mahesh Ramanujam, spoke.
 
The DSDS theme is centered on how businesses will lead India’s energy, water and food security. The dialogue will lead to a blueprint of actions that will help embed the concepts of social... Read more..

Electricity Act amendments to come into effect by April: Goyal

Amendments to the Electricity Act, to bring in various reforms including to improve power supply and enable consumers to choose their supplier, should come into effect by April, Power Minister Piyush Goyal today said. Speaking at a TERI event, the minister said, the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2014, which was tabled in the Lok Sabha in December, last year, will become law by April. 
 
The proposed amendments to the existing Act will promote competition, efficiency, and improvement in the supply of electricity in the country resulting in capacity addition and benefit to the... Read more..

Government invites agencies to implement climate projects under GCF

The Environment Ministry has invited applications from agencies for implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation projects in the country utilising Green Climate Fund.  India as an eligible country has access to Green Climate Fund (GCF) -- set up under the framework of the UNFCCC in 2010 -- and can seek financial support to undertake adaptation and mitigation activities at national and regional level. 
 
Eligible institutions are required to submit their applications by February 12, the ministry said on its website. The applications are invited for consideration and... Read more..

Essel Group to set up solar parks in Rajasthan for Rs 4,000-cr

Essel Group has signed an initial agreement with the Rajasthan government for setting up solar parks at Bikaner and Jaisalmer at a total investment of Rs 4,000 crore. 
 
"Essel Group has signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of Rajasthan to develop Solar Park at Bikaner and Jaisalmer with the total investment of Rs 4,000 crore," the company said in a statement. 
 
The group is also interested in developing major infrastructure projects in the state for verticals like roads and waste to energy, the statement said adding, going forward, Essel... Read more..

REC’s green energy loans to cost less, have longer tenures

In sync with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s attempt to bring down the borrowing costs for green energy projects, state-owned Rural Electrification Corp. Ltd (REC) has revised its lending guidelines. 
 
Loans for solar and wind energy projects will now be priced 75 basis points (bps) below those for projects fuelled by conventional sources of energy. 
 
These loans can also repaid over 15 years, compared with the earlier 12 years, and will come with a relaxed criteria on collaterals and security. 
 
REC is one of the largest power... Read more..

Fuji Electric to set up smart energy grid near Andhra’s new capital

Japanese giant Fuji Electric has agreed to set up a smart grid near Andhra Pradesh's new capital city to help the state government to monitor the energy consumption and forecast the demand, aimed at developing an efficient energy management system.
 
The Japanese company officials had earlier met the chief minister Chandrababu Naidu during his Japan visit in November last week and expressed willingness to help AP in building forecasting mechanisms. Fuji had already committed to conduct a feasibility study on smart energy grid for Panipat in Haryana.
 
The Japanese... Read more..

Urban waste management poised to be a USD 1.5 billion market in India by 2017

The urban municipal solid waste management market in India is expected to be worth USD 1.5 billion by 2017 per a report released on Tuesday by Shri Vankaiah Naidu, Minister for Urban Development, at the 3rd National Conference on Waste to Wealth organized by ASSOCHAM.  

The report ‘Value out of Waste: the USD 1.5 Billion opportunity for India’ authored by sustainability advisory firm, cKinetics and Industry body ASSOCHAM, provides insights into the value that can be... Read more..

India among countries most vulnerable to climate change: Global Commission

India is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change and global action is needed to address that challenge, according to the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate.
 
Future growth in both Indian cities as well as in the agricultural sector is at risk from climate change, said Felipe Calderon, former Mexican president and currently Chair of the Global Commission at the 8th India Climate Policy and Business Conclave here, industry chamber FICCI said in a statement Thursday.
 
"India can create better growth, and at the same time ensure a safe climate... Read more..

ADB says committed to supporting smart cities in India

Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) today said it is committed to supporting India's ambitious plan to build 100 smart cities in the country. 
 
ADB President Takehiko Nakao said the agency will continue to play an important role in the development of inclusive, green and resilient cities and for the success of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the global climate change agenda. 
 
"ADB is also firmly committed to supporting India's 100 smart cities initiative. The use of technology and intelligent systems will improve urban services for the poor,... Read more..

Modi urges ADB to take up railways sector in India as a priority

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today urged the Asian Development Bank to take up the railways sector in India as a priority and complete one transformational project which would create a visible impact.
 
At a meeting with ADB President Takehiko Nakao here, he said the bank could take up, for instance, one railway station and make it world class. The Indian Railways could then follow this up with other similar projects, he said.
 
Mr Modi said the ADB should foster more regional connectivity projects.
 
He complimented Mr. Nakao on achieving a disbursement... Read more..

The cost of wind and solar power keeps dropping all over the world

Many people have probably heard that it's getting cheaper to install rooftop solar panels in the US. But that's just part of an even bigger trend. Since 2010, the cost of renewable energy has been plummeting all over the world.
 
David Roberts highlights a new study from the International Renewable Energy Agency laying it out in detail. Large wind farms got cheaper between 2010 and 2014. Large-scale solar got a lot cheaper. And at least some renewable plants are even becoming competitive with new fossil-fuel plants:

The chart shows the "levelized cost of electricity" for... Read more..

Farming Now Worse for Climate Than Clearing Forests

The federal raids in Alta Floresta, Brazil surprised locals in 2005. The year before, nearly 60,000 acres of rainforest had been torn out of the municipality. Now farmers and loggers were being arrested by armed police, accused of environmental crimes. “It was a radical operation,” the newly elected mayor later recalled during an interview with a Princeton University researcher. “All our economic activity stopped.” A few years later, Brazil’s central bank made it harder for property owners there, and in 35 other blacklisted areas, to borrow money unless they proved they were protecting the... Read more..