Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Rays Power commissions 14 solar power projects in FY'14

 Rays Power Experts, a solar power development and EPC company commissioned 14 projects last fiscal. 

The company's solar power capacity is now 85 MW with 56 projects. 

"We always strive to develop more and more projects in the most efficient manner," Rahul Gupta, Director, Rays Power Experts said in a statement today. 

Rays Power is now starting two new parks in Rajasthan for 100 MW of capacity. 

It has also signed a 25 MW project for an Independent Power Producer in March 2014 which will be commissioned by June 30, the company said. 

For the VGF (... Read more..

Gamesa India to commission 800MW of wind power projects in 2014-15

Gamesa India, which was one of the top wind turbine makers during 2013-14, is targeting 800MW of wind power capacity addition across the country in 2014-15.

The company currently has over 200MW of windmills ready to be commissioned and has orders on hand for about 600MW.

The company commissioned 400MW of projects during 2013-14, topping the list of wind turbine manufacturers in the country during the year. Gamesa has now crossed 1000MW of installed capacity in India.

... Read more..

New JV Targets Indian Waste to Energy & Recycling Potential

A new joint venture to develop waste to energy, recycling and landfill restoration solutions has been formed in India.

Mailhem Ikos Environment Private Limited, is a 50:50 joint venture  between Indian waste management and renewable energy company Mailhem Engineers  and Lhotellier Ikos, a French-based firm specialising in infrastructure and renewable energy as well as in water management and treatment.

New JV Targets Indian Waste to Energy & Recycling PotentialAccording to the newly formed... Read more..

Urban Renewal Mission: Only half the projects completed

Whether it is Shimla's multi-level interstate bus terminus or a pipe-bursting technology for replacing sewers without having to dig up the walled city of Jaipur, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) has left an impression across cities.

One of the most visible programmes of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), the JNNURM came to an end on March 31 after a nine-year run. During that period some 1,345 projects costing Rs 74,778 crore were approved, of which less than half were completed till February this... Read more..

Greater Noida to build waste-to-energy plant

 The Greater Noida Authority is planning to built a waste-to-energy plant — the district’s first solid waste management plant — in the Sector-123 area of Greater Noida.

Every day, the district produces over 300 tonnes of municipal waste. But in the absence of an efficient waste management system or a designated landfill, the disposal of this waste has been a major problem for Noida Authority and Greater Noida Authority.

Previously, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest had deemed the handling of disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the city as “unsatisfactory”... Read more..

IMF, World Bank Push for Price on Carbon

The IMF and World Bank on Friday urged world finance ministers to impose a price on carbon, warning that time was running out for the planet to avoid worst-case climate change.

The heads of the two global economic institutions convened ministers from 46 countries -- including the United States, China, India and European powers -- on the sidelines of spring meetings in Washington to press the case for urgent climate action.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, joining the talks, said that 2014 was a "... Read more..

Post split, Telangana energy sector to glow

It's a bright picture for the energy sector in Telangana with the committee appointed to distribute power between the two states recommending 52.17% power to the new state and the remaining 47.83% to Andhra Pradesh. More importantly, the committee has also recommended continuation of the power purchase agreements (PPAs) in their original form till they expire. Most thermal and hydel power stations were PPAs signed four years ago and these will stay in force for the next 21 years. 

Earlier, there were apprehensions that Telangana,... Read more..

Growing Cities without Growing Emissions

Over the next few decades, the hustle and bustle of cities will only intensify, with the urban population projected to double from 3.4 billion in 2009 to 6.4 billion in 2050. Most of this growth will occur in cities in developing countries – think Karachi, Pakistan; Shenzhen, China; Lagos, Nigeria; Bangkok, Thailand; and Dhaka, Bangladesh. Since cities currently consume around 75% of global resources and emanate about the same percentage of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, figuring out how urbanization can occur without scorching our atmosphere may be key to... Read more..

JERC approves sale of solar power at Rs 1.13 per unit

 In an order which is seen as a deterrent to solar power generation, the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) has approved the sale of solar power to the Electricity Department at the rate of Rs 1.13 per unit, as against Rs 8.75 per unit which the Chandigarh Renewable Energy Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST) had demaned in a petition filed on behalf of the Department of Science and Technology.

Since the rate is uneconomical, CREST is planning to seek a review, said CREST CEO  Santosh Kumar. “The order has been passed by taking capital cost as zero. We will... Read more..

From waste to wealth, saving water and plants

 Abandoned empty plastic bottles are considered a serious threat to the environment. But at the Green Park Avenue Apartments near the New Bus Stand in Salem, residents have found out a novel utility for such bottles by using them for drip irrigation.

These bottles are not only helping the residents of 168 houses to save close to 4,500 litres of water everyday but also becoming the solution for keeping the colourful plants from getting dried up during summer.

.Association sources said that last year many small plants dried up when water scarcity was at its peak.

“... Read more..

Gold Standard unveils financing framework at World Urban Forum

At the World Urban Forum in Medellin, Colombia, The Gold Standard Foundation today released the first-ever financing framework designed to inject the billions of dollars needed to scale-up clean technology and pro-poor development in cities around the globe.

“This framework greatly broadens the potential sources of financing for these critical urban initiatives because the mandatory verification of results by an independent third party, such as The Gold Standard, provides the credibility and assurance that funding agencies need,”... Read more..

'Smart Water Grid Can Save $100 Bn'

The country will not only save $100 billion, but also generate 60,000 MW through hydro-power annually if waterways are interconnected in a smart grid. This was revealed in a proposal recently made by A C Kamaraj, expert committee member of Interconnecting Waterways, Government of India.

The proposed water grid, according to Kamaraj, utilises the natural flow of water to circulate it in the State through a series of canals and can be done individually by the States without nationalisation of rivers.

... Read more..