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Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Black carbon in air a worry, say scientists

PUNE: The amount of black carbon or soot, a potential cancer-causing substance, has been gradually increasing over Pune city since 2005, shows a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).
 
Soot is a human carcinogenic which is considered second only to carbon dioxide in causing climate change or global warming.
 
The research is still in its nascent stage, which means that scientists have still not been able to fix a maximum permissible limit for the substance. But scientists at the city-based IITM say that Pune's... Read more..
Source: Times of India

Govt looking at ways to reduce smart grid tech costs

NEW DELHI: Various options are being studied to reduce the cost of smart grid technologies, which will help in bringing down overall transmission and distribution losses in the power sector, a Planning Commission member said today.
 
Smart grid technologies would help in ensuring efficient power system and pilot projects in this regard have already been identified by the government.
 
Planning Commission Member B K Chaturvedi said that an exercise is underway to reduce the cost of smart grid technologies.
 
High capital... Read more..
Source: Economic Times

Govt plans Rs 5000 crore green energy push

NEW DELHI: With traditional power sector hamstrung by fuel shortage and climate change getting top billing at World Economic Forum summit in Davos, the government has lined up a Rs 5,000-crore, or $800 million, push to promote green energy capacity. The ministry of new and renewable energy proposes to raise the authorized share capital of Ireda ( Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency) from Rs 1,000 crore at present to Rs 6,000 crore through this infusion. 

The proposal envisages the government pumping in Rs 2,500 crore, while the remaining funds are to be raised through rights... Read more..

Source: Times of India

Contaminated water proves a quiet killer

BANGALORE: In the first two weeks of May 2011, more than 30 persons took ill due to water contamination in Bangalore's Dasarahalli zone. A year earlier, Mudda Gangamma, 62, of Doddaballapur died after consuming filthy water. Death due to water contamination is nothing new in Karnataka.
 
Information provided by the Union ministry of health and family welfare shows that 285 people died of diseases caused by drinking water contamination in Karnataka, between 2010 and 2013. "They died due to five major diseases. The maximum number of deaths - 113 - was in 2012," a... Read more..
Source: Times of India

Another Indo-French satellite being planned for climate study

Come March 18 and a group of scientists representing the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and its French counterpart National Space Agency of France (CNES) will meet to finalise the specifications for a joint satellite programme between India and France.

"The satellite is for oceanographic, climate change and other studies. The scientists from the two space agencies will analyse the data jointly," an official representing the French space agency in India said. The two space agencies aim to exchange views ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Indo-French space co-operation... Read more..

Source: Business Standard

Global VC funding in wind sector rose to $455 million in 2013

Global venture capital (VC) funding in the wind sector increased to $455 million in 2013 compared to $315 million in 2012, according to Mercom Capital Group, llc, a global clean energy communications and consulting firm.

Total funding into the wind sector reached $28.1 billion in 2013, including VC funding, public market financings, debt financings and announced project funding deals. Mercom Capital said VC funding in Q4 2013 came to $93 million in six deals compared to $135 million in four deals the previous quarter.

There were seven downstream companies that raised a... Read more..

Source: Times of India

High voltage lines for South

 Anticipating a power shortage of 11,000 MW by the end of 12th five year plan in So­uthern region (SR), Central Electricity Authority proposes to lay two high volta­ge direct current (HVDC) lines from Gujarat and Chh­attisgarh with 6,000 MW ca­pacity each to overcome po­wer deficit faced by Sou­thern states.

According to CEA estimate, total projected dem­and for SR comprising Ta­mil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala at the end of 2016-17 would be 57,221 MW while the total availability would stand at 48,188 MW which includes ge­n­eration by newly added po­wer projects of 15,... Read more..

Source: Deccan Chronicle

Stumbling block to solar energy park near Ramanathapuram

 The country’s first solar energy park under the public-private partnership mode launched at Kavanoor near here with much fanfare last year, has hit the road block as the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has denied permission to TANGEDCO to sign power purchase agreement (PPA).

The Raasi Green Earth Energy Private Ltd (RGEE) had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) in the presence of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in December 2012 for establishing the Rs. 920 crore solar energy park.

At the boomi... Read more..

Source: The Hindu

Tackling e-waste challenge

HYDERABAD, JANUARY 23:  
Even as municipalities grapple with the problem of growing mounds of waste, electronic waste (e-waste) is fast emerging as a big challenge.
 
In initial efforts to address this, Guide Foundation for Development, Hyderabad, has joined hands with Clean E-India, to try and implement safe collection and disposal methods.
 
Clean E-India initiative was jointly launched in April 2013 by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Attero, an asset management and recycling company to collect and responsibly recycle... Read more..
Source: Hindu Business Line

Renewable energy projects worth Rs 30,000 crore being implemented in Madhya Pradesh

 Renewable energy projects worth Rs 30,000 crore are being implemented in Madhya Pradesh, which have quietly reached out to companies and attracted GE, Reliance Power, Spanish wind major Gamesa and others, giving tough competition to Gujarat in the sector.

The buzz of activity has catapulted the state to the top slot of renewable energy in the country where Narendra Modi's Gujarat was hailed as the most successful state in the sector. MP's Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has accelerated the state's drive for renewable energy, helping it expand rapidly and kickstart many... Read more..

Source: The Economic Times

MNRE starts process for a National Wind Energy Mission

New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS) In a major initiative in the new year, the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) held a national consultation on the concept note for setting up a National Wind Energy Mission. This will be the second mission on renewable energy after

the launch of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission in January 2010.

"The main objective of the National Wind Energy Mission is to create a long term stable policy framework that minimizes risks and costs of wind power deployment while sharing such reduced costs and risks appropriately amongst all relevant... Read more..

Source: Newstrack India

Retd engineer combines solar, biomass, biogas to generate power

 An electrical engineer from Punjab Mandi Board has developed a concept of a micro hybrid power producing unit, which is an amalgamation of biomass, biogas and solar power.

Bulwant Singh Brar, who has conceived the micro hybrid power plant of 250 kilowatt generating capacity, said tonnes of garbage, agricultural waste, cow dung and solar energy could be utilised as fuel to generate clean power and provide additional source of income to the small and marginal farmers. "Fuel is in abundance in north India," said Brar.

Addressing reporters on Wednesday, Brar, giving example of... Read more..

Source: Hindustan Times

India Solar Auction Draws Goldman’s ReNew, First Solar

 Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s solar venture and U.S.-based First Solar Inc. (FSLR) bid for projects in India for the first time, enticed by government grants.

ReNew Solar Power Ltd. bid for 50 megawatts, according to a list from state-run Solar Energy Corporation of India. The company is a unit of ReNew Power Ventures Pvt., a developer backed by a $385 million investment from Goldman Sachs, Sumant Sinha, chief executive officer of ReNew Power, said by e-mail.

First Solar, the world’s biggest maker of thin-film modules and a top panel supplier in India, bid for 30 megawatts. The... Read more..

Source: Bloomberg

New water project to modernise irrigation systems

LUCKNOW: Aimed at increasing agricultural productivity in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday launched second phase of the UP Water Sector Restructuring Project. The Rs 3,090-crore project, officials said, will play a significant role in alleviating extreme poverty. To be executed with the help of an interest-free loan of Rs 2,160 crore from the World Bank, the project will rehabilitate and modernise existing irrigation systems and increase community participation through water user associations.
 
The project is expected to assist nearly 10 lakh... Read more..
Source: Times of India

E-governance project to make CCP paperless

PANAJI: The corporation of the city of Panaji (CCP) on Wednesday kick-started a e-governance project to make CCP paperless.

The 18-crore project with funding from Jawaharlal Nehru national urban renewal mission (JNNURM), is set to be completed in 8-months.

Implemented through Tata consultancy services (TCS), mayor Surendra Furtado said they intend to do away with paper work making CCP completely paperless. Sanjit Rodrigues, CCP commissioner, suggested people centric activities should be activated first.

TCS officials staged a presentation before CCP councillors... Read more..

Source: Times of India

Global Waste to Energy Revenues Set to Boom Say Market Analysts

Revenue from the global waste to energy market are set to grow strongly to over $28.6 billion by 2016, up from just under $18 billion in 2012, according to a new report from Frost & Sullivan.
 
The analysts predicted that the growth is likely to be led by the construction of new facilities in China, the UK, Central and Eastern Europe - especially Poland -and India.
 
In some European countries where waste to energy capacity is already well developed, the report said that process of modernising facilities to comply with local emission... Read more..
Source: Waste Management World

Green India Mission to get Rs 13000 crore after Cabinet nod

NEW DELHI: Faced with criticism that it had rushed through green clearances to many projects by ignoring environmental concerns, the government may next week clear Rs 13,000 crore for its much awaited 'Green India Mission' which aims to enhance carbon sinks through large-scale forestry across the country. 

"Final draft of the Green India Mission (GIM) and proposal to get funds for it are ready. It will go to the Cabinet soon, possibly next week," environment and forests minister M Veerappa Moily said. 

Moily told TOI that the finance ministry has given its nod for the... Read more..

Source: Times of India

India based Moser Baer sells 100 Cr worth solar PV modules in Japan

 Moser Baer Solar said its subsidiary in Japan has sold Rs 100 Crore worth of solar PV modules in Japan. This is interesting development where Indian company could compete with Japanese companies in winning a solar PV order in Japan. Due to the bad experience Japan had with its nuclear power plant during the Tsunami hit in 2011, Japan is heavily focusing on the renewable energy, mainly Solar PV.

Vivek Chaturvedi, Chief Marketing Officer, Moser Baer Solar said "A strong quality focus, and our understanding of Japan market sensitivities in general and Japan solar PV business in... Read more..

Source: EE Herald

Rooftop solar power concept spreading in Tamil Nadu

An increasing number of industries and commercial establishments in Tamil Nadu are offering their rooftops and lands in return for cheaper solar power, according to the Tamilnadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA), the implementing agency for solar power programmes in the state.

With the cost of power continuing to rise, businesses are opting to cut energy costs by either setting up rooftop solar power generators or leasing out rooftops or adjacent lands foe setting up solar power modules.

Speakers participating in a solar conference held to unveil the TEDA-sponsored 'Renergy... Read more..

Source: domain-B

Retd engineer combines solar, biomass, biogas to generate power

An electrical engineer from Punjab Mandi Board has developed a concept of a micro hybrid power producing unit, which is an amalgamation of biomass, biogas and solar power.
 
Bulwant Singh Brar, who has conceived the micro hybrid power plant of 250 kilowatt generating capacity, said tonnes of garbage, agricultural waste, cow dung and solar energy could be utilised as fuel to generate clean power and provide additional source of income to the small and marginal farmers. "Fuel is in abundance in north India," said Brar.
 
Addressing reporters on... Read more..
Source: Hindustan Times

Green India Mission to get Rs 13,000 crore after Cabinet nod

 Rushed through green clearances to many projects by ignoring environmental concerns, the government may next week clear Rs 13,000 crore for its much awaited 'Green India Mission' which aims to enhance carbon sinks through large-scale forestry across the country. 

"Final draft of the Green India Mission (GIM) and proposal to get funds for it are ready. It will go to the Cabinet soon, possibly next week," environment and forests minister M Veerappa Moily said. 

Moily told TOI that the finance ministry has given its nod for the required funds. 

The government intends to... Read more..

Source: Economic Times

Why e-vehicles in India can't reduce air pollution

Even the electric cars or battery-operated rickshaws on Indian roads are not sufficient to tame the air pollution.

Researchers from North Carolina State University in the US found that even a sharp increase in the use of electric drive passenger vehicles (EDVs) by 2050 would not significantly reduce emissions of high-profile air pollutants like carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide or nitrogen oxides.

"We found that increasing the use of EDVs is not an effective way to produce large emissions reductions," said senior author Joseph DeCarolis, an assistant professor at NC State.... Read more..

Source: Business Standard

Developing nations join R&D race for gas hydrates

China, India and Latin America are exploring a potential game-changer for global energy markets. Katia Moskvitch investigates.

 It looks like chunks of ice — but put a flame to it and it goes ablaze. Touch it, and you’ll feel an odd sizzling sensation. This peculiar compound is methane hydrate. Not only might it become the source of the world’s next energy bonanza, but it could also let some coastal developing nations leapfrog coal and other ‘dirty’ sources of energy.

 Methane hydrate — also known as ‘fire ice’ — is a mixture of methane and water frozen into solid chunks. It... Read more..

Source: SciDev.Net

DU team claims to have developed a solution for chromium pollution

 NEW DELHI: The Green Chemistry Network Centre (GCNC) of Delhi University has claimed to have developed a solution for chromium pollution from tanneries. In a recently concluded workshop on sustainability and water quality, the DU team presented a polymer (chemical compound made of many interlinked molecules) that can absorb chromium, a heavy metal.

The team headed by professor RK Sharma, coordinator of GCNC said: "this polymer acts like a chromium scavenger. For instance if water is contaminated with chromium then this polymer will extract only the chromium and leave the water... Read more..

Source: Times of India

Centre okays plan to assess impact of climate change

 NEW DELHI: Amid all-round criticism from environmentalists for ignoring sensitive green issues under new environment minister M Veerappa Moily, the government has approved a pending Rs 290 crore scheme to build capacity at both central and state levels to assess impact of climate change in vulnerable areas and associated risks. 

Besides, it also cleared a proposal to set up an institute on climate change studies in the name of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. 

"Both these proposals were cleared by the Union Cabinet on Monday," said Moily, seeking to give an impression... Read more..

Source: Times of India
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