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Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Germany to partner in developing 3 smart cities

Germany today agreed to partner with India in developing three smart cities and a six-member joint committee has been set up in this regard to evolve the way forward including identification of those cities in three months. This was decided at a meeting between Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and the visiting German Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety Barbara Hendricks. 
 
After discussion on smart cities initiative of the government, Hendricks said the Government of Federal Republic of Germany was keen to be associated with it... Read more..

Source: Economic Times

Germany agrees with India on equal use use of GCF for adaptation & mitigation

Germany today agreed with India's position that the funds in the Green Climate Fund (GCF) should be equally utilized for both mitigation and adaptation, a view which it were "opposed" to earlier.
 
Barbara Hendricks, German Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety who held a bilateral meeting with her counterpart Prakash Javadekar, said that it is useful for India to use 50 per cent of the money for adaptation and the other 50 per cent for mitigation.
 
"Around 10 billion dollars have been paid into the GCF. It's in the use of India... Read more..

Source: Zee News

Ashok Leyland battle-ready with alternative tech

In order to capitalise on the Centre’s ambitious National Electric Mobility Mission Plan’ and to meet changing dynamics in the global automotive industry, Ashok Leyland on Tuesday said that it is future-ready with a range of powertrain technologies, including electric, hybrid and ethanol, to help produce zero-emission vehicles in India for exports.
 
The company has developed and showcased proto-types of its LCV ‘Dost’, 10 tonne electric truck, 10 tonne electric mini bus in this regard at its technology-cum-R&D centre near Chennai. The company also paraded the proto-type of... Read more..

Source: Financial Express

Six clean-technology SMEs to get S$2.5m to test-bed new solutions

SIX clean-technology SMEs will receive a total of S$2.5 million from the government to test-bed sustainable technologies and solutions.
 
Among the proposed technologies that will be tested are a hybrid solar photovolatic system that uses a top-cooling method to yield greater energy output, which is currently pending a patent, and thin, flexible organic solar films on building facades.
 
Four of the six projects will be test-bedded in CleanTech Park, bringing the total number of technologies being tested there to 20.
 
This was announced by Minister in... Read more..

Source: Business Times

Kolkata to go fully Wi-Fi in two months' time

Kolkata is set to become India's first fully Wi-Fi-enabled metro with a private operator launching the service from Park Street on February 5 and then rolling it out in a phased manner across 144 municipal wards. The whole city is expected to come under Wi-Fi coverage by Bengali New Year in mid-April.
 
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee made the surprise announcement at the inauguration of the Kolkata book fair on Tuesday evening. "Delighted to announce that #Kolkata will become India's first fully Wi-Fi enabled metro city in the next 2-3 months. Park St from Feb 5," the CM... Read more..

Source: Times of India

New-generation solar panels far cheaper, more efficient, say scientists

A new generation of solar panels made from a mineral called perovskite has the potential to convert solar energy into household electricity more cheaply than ever before, according to a study from Briain's Exeter University.
 
Super-thin, custom-coloured panels attached to a building's windows may become a "holy grail" for India and African countries, Senthilarasu Sundaram, one of the authors of the study, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
 
"In those countries these types of material will be like a holy grail: they can both shade windows ... and at the same time... Read more..

Source: Reuters

Cyan wins first substantial smart meter order from Indian utility

Smart meter group Cyan (LON:CYAN) has received its first significant order from a public utility in India. The order, worth £1mln, is from Enzen Global Solutions, and is for a large pilot project to be undertaken by the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) in southwest India.
 
Cyan will supply 21,000 smart meters as part of an “end-to-end” solution. The first meters will be switched on this year with full roll-out expected by the first half of 2016. Cyan added it believes the order is the first use of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) by a public utility... Read more..

Source: Proactive Investors

‘Patna can generate 277MW solar energy by 2025’

The state capital of Bihar can generate 277MW of solar energy by 2025. Patna can start producing solar energy up to 35MW in the initial phase by using the roofs on government and industrial buildings. This can bridge the ever-increasing gap between demand and supply of energy, says a report of the Centre for Environment and Energy Development (CEED) titled "Rooftop Revolution: Uncovering Patna's Solar Potential". The report was released by Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (BERC) chairman UN Panjiar at a function held here on Thursday.
 
Co-authored with Bridge to India,... Read more..

Source: Times of India

Govt to soon bring transparency, ease in green licenses: Javadekar

Aiming to provide next level of ease of doing business in India, the government today said it will soon put in place transparency in public procurement of green products.
 
Currently, environmental and green procurement laws in the country are under the purview of several ministries and other government bodies, often with significant overlap in responsibility and oversight.
 
"As far as tendering is concerned, many alternative proposals are being considered so as to bring transparency....the methods, procedure and criteria (for procurement) has to be same. That's a... Read more..

Source: First Post

Grid-connected PV energy storage installations to triple in 2015

Annual installations of grid-connected PV systems paired with energy storage will grow more than threefold from 2013 to 2015 to reach 775 MW. Growth will occur in all three major market segements - residential, commerical and utility.
 
The PV industry has undergone immense growth in recent years in terms of capacity deployed. By the end of 2014 over 180GW of PV systems had been installed worldwide—13 times more than the total at the end of 2008. Generating significant amounts of power from renewable sources can create huge economic and environmental benefits. However, solar... Read more..

Source: PV Tech

Clean energy: US to place investment officer in India

To mobilise private capital in the clean energy sector, the US has agreed to place a field investment officer in India apart from hosting a series of events to overcome strategic barriers in accelerating institutional and private financing.
 
"USAID will install a field investment officer in India this summer backed by a transactions team to help mobilize private capital for the clean energy sector.
 
 
"In February, the United States will host the Clean Energy Finance Forum and a government-to-government Clean Energy Finance Task Force to help overcome... Read more..

Source: Economic Times

Solar power stocks rally upto 11% on Indo-US partnership on clean energy

Companies with exposure to the solar power segment rallied up to 11 per cent in tarde on Tuesday, after US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to collaborate in the area of clean energy and combat climate change.
 
A team of senior US officials and executives from funding agencies, ministries and companies will interact with Indian officials from the finance ministry, Reserve Bank of India and other agencies to help India meet its ambitious target of adding 1 lakh megawatt of clean energy, which is 40% of the country's total generation capacity now,... Read more..

Source: Economic Times

Indian wind power firm Mytrah Energy expects to double capacity by creating 10 new plants

Mytrah Energy has come a long way in a short time. It has developed 525 megawatts of wind power in India, a market with a huge energy deficit. And it has raised and invested US$670million to create 10 individual plants across six states. By the end of 2015 it will be generating 750 megawatts and expects to double that capacity shortly afterward. Not bad for a firm that started life on the public markets just four years ago.
 
However, this ignores the fact the group’s chief executive Ravi Kailas and his team spent four years before that doing their due diligence on the Indian... Read more..

Source: This is Money

Lack of clarity on power tariff worry for solar companies

 The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has approved a draft power purchase agreement (PPA) for the state electricity utility Tangedco to buy solar power from private power producers, more than four months after the TNERC announced a feed-in tariff of Rs 7.01 per unit of power for solar power companies wish to generate and sell power to the state electricity utility. 
 
While the release of the PPA is meant to signal a positive turn of events for the solar sector in state, in reality, there would be no action on the ground, solar power companies say. 
 ... Read more..

Source: Times of India

India's new clean-energy goals face funding, political hurdles

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the world's third-biggest polluter is ready to take on global warming. Money and politics stand in his way.
 
Following meetings with US President Barack Obama in New Delhi, Mr Modi said India, a nation with some of the dirtiest air in the world and 400 million people without access to electricity, is prepared to use renewable power to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. The leaders also announced a breakthrough that may herald an expansion of carbon-free civilian nuclear projects.
 
While the remarks represent a shift in India... Read more..

Source: Straits Times

Maha govt's draft policy on renewable energy sector to be out

The Maharashtra government today said that a draft of its integrated policy for the renewable energy sector, which is aimed at reducing the state's carbon footprint and boosting the renewable energy sector, would be made public within the next fortnight. 
 
"A draft of our integrated policy for the renewable energy sector, where we will produce energy through solar, wind and co-generation, should be out in the next 10-14 days. It will be put up on the government website where people will be invited to post suggestions," energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule told reporters... Read more..

Source: Business Standard

The Biodegradable Credit Card That Fights Climate Change

Would you feel less guilty about whipping out your credit card if you knew buying stuff could help save the planet from climate change? Especially if that piece of plastic was biodegradable?
 
Now’s your chance to find out.
 
A company called Sustain:Green will purchase two pounds of carbon dioxide offsets for every dollar spent using its new biodegradable MasterCard. (The first purchase made with the card earns 5,000 pounds of offsets.) The carbon credits help finance reforestation of the Amazon in Brazil to absorb greenhouse gases that are warming the planet.... Read more..

Source: Take Part

Maharashtra govt mulls use of treated water in power plants

In an attempt to restart the Parli thermal power plant which was shut down due to a severe water crisis in Marathwada region, Maharashtra government is planning to use treated sewage water instead of the regular clean water.
 
"The 210-MW Parli power plant in Beed district is lying closed for the last one and a half years due to severe water scarcity. There are six other plants whose future remains uncertain. To prevent them from shutting down, we will be using treated waste water to produce electricity," energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said here today.
 
"... Read more..

Source: Zee News

VC Funding in Smart Grid totals US$383mn in 2014

Mercom Capital Group, llc, a global clean energy communications and consulting firm, released its report on funding and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity for the smart grid sector for 2014.

 

Venture capital (VC) funding into smart grid technology companies was US$383mn in 73 deals in 2014, compared to US$410mn in 64 deals in 2013. Total corporate funding, including debt and public market financings, came to US$844mn in 2014,... Read more..

Source: India Infoline

Climate change: India to focus on green energy and efficiency instead of emission reductions

The first meeting of India's reconstituted Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change called for a shift in global attitudes from emission cuts to adopting green energy and improving energy efficiency.
 
The meeting that comes a few days before US President Barack Obama is to visit India reiterated the country's stand declared at the Lima climate talks where it insisted on focussing on climate adaptation as opposed to emission reductions.
 
While noting that key infrastructure activities should be 'climate sensitive' to limit impact on environment, Prime Minister... Read more..

Source: IB Times

Obama in India: Foreign funds flow set to skyrocket for renewable energy projects in India

Big-ticket announcements involving American loans for renewable energy projects, green bonds, venture capital and pension funds are on the cards after US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to collaborate in the area of clean energy and combat climate change.
 
Officials at the renewable energy ministry said deals would be negotiated at a high-profile event next month, when Modi will kick off a gathering of industry leaders, bankers, investors and central bank officials from the US, India, Europe and other regions.
 
A team of senior US... Read more..

Source: Economic Times

Mahindra to expand renewables business amid India's clean energy push

Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group plans to expand its renewable energy business and invest 45 billion rupees ($732.5 million) over the next three to four years, its chairman said, amid a government-led push to increase the use of clean energy. 
 
The investment will mainly be financed by taking on 33 billion rupees in debt, with the rest funded through cash, Chairman and Managing Director Anand Mahindra told Reuters. 
 
The group also plans to commission 500 megawatts (MW) of solar power projects by the end of March 2016 from 180 MW it expects to complete by end-... Read more..

Source: Economic Times

AP to promote roof-top solar energy in a big way

Plans are afoot to promote roof-top solar energy generation in a big way in Andhra Pradesh and achieve a target of at least 5,000 MW over the next five years. With Government of India setting a target of 40,000 MW for roof top solar energy generation out of total solar power of one lakh MW over the next five years across the country, New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh wants all domestic, commercial, industrial and government buildings to install solar power panels.
 
The Corporation would soon take up with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to... Read more..

Source: The Hindu

Carbon tax to meet climate concerns

Oil prices have plummeted since June 2014 by almost 60 per cent. This has obviously proved to be a bonanza for oil-importing countries like India just as it has seriously hurt oil-producing nations like Russia and Iran. The fall has been unexpected and what has added to the mystery is the behaviour of Saudi Arabia, the traditional “swing producer” in OPEC which has chosen not to cut production in order to boost prices.
 
The main reason now being adduced for the oil price decline is the re-emergence of the U.S. as a major hydrocarbon producer because of exploitation of its... Read more..

Source: The Hindu

India Clean-Energy Investments Rise 13% to $7.9 Billion

Clean-energy investments in India increased to $7.9 billion last year and are expected to surpass $10 billion in 2015. Investments in clean technologies including solar and wind power rose almost 13 percent in 2014 from a year earlier, according to estimates today from London-based Bloomberg New Energy Finance. That makes India the seventh-largest investor in the industry worldwide, BNEF said. Investments should rise further this year to more than $10 billion, it said.
 
“Interest in India from domestic and foreign investors has grown in the last six months,” Ashish Sethia,... Read more..

Source: Bloomberg
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