Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Wind power industry seeks long-term credit

One of the issues that the recently launched national mission in wind power industry will consider is a plea by the industry to make sure that those who want to put up wind farms get access to credit — just long-term credit, not even at any lower rate of interest.

Towards this, the wind power industry has mooted the creation of a Rs 25,000-crore fund, which could perhaps be managed by the government-owned renewable energy finance company, IREDA, out of which loans could be given.

“Today, wind companies stand last in the queue for credit,” said Ramesh Kymal, a doyen of the... Read more..

Date : Jan 14

Source: Business Line

Japanese firms interested in partnering Indian companies to develop technology solutions

A renewable energy delegation from Japan is now visiting India to explore opportunities for partnership with Indian companies in the renewable energy sector.

Smart grids, waste to energy and storage solutions clearly emerged as areas where both Japan and India could explore partnerships at the 'Japan India Public Private Round Table on Renewable Energy' organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) under the aegis of Japan-India Energy Dialogue in New Delhi.

Delivering the inaugural address at the... Read more..

Date : Jan 14

Source: Business Standard

CG Opens Manufacturing Facility For Smart Grid Devices In India

Avantha Group Co. CG, a company focused on the management and application of electrical energy, has opened a facility at the Global Village in Bangalore, India, for full-fledged manufacturing of smart grid devices.

CG says the smart grid facility will manufacture substation automation products, distribution automation devices, protection and control systems, advanced metering infrastructure and telecommunication solutions. The facility will also offer global engineering services, such as systems integration, installation and... Read more..

Date : Jan 14

Source: Renew Grid

Oil Secretary Vivek Rae says India close to seeking loan from IMF

High oil prices have pushed India to the brink of a severe energy crisis, taking it close to seeking a loan from the International Monetary Fund, but sheer good luck has saved the country so far, Petroleum Secretary Vivek Rae said. "We haven't gone to the IMF yet, but we are pretty close to getting to the IMF," Rae said at the Petrotech conference on Monday. He said net oil imports of the country amounted to $100 billion a year.

He said the IT revolution and NRI remittances had helped bring $120 billion to the economy , which just about balances the outflow for oil. "And the closer... Read more..

Date : Jan 14

Source: Economic Times

Attero organizes E-waste Collection Drive in Delhi and NOIDA

Attero, India’s largest electronic asset management company in an effort to address the ever growing e-waste problem organized an e-waste collection drive in the Delhi-NCR region, in December. The e-waste collection drive which was held in the first week of December was organized at various societies including Vasant Apartment, Usma Urja Apartment (Sector 62, Noida), Swarnim Vihar, Green View Apartment, and Vivek Vihar (Sector 82, Noida). In Delhi too, the collection drive was conducted in the Arya Nagar Apartments, Sita Ram Apartment, Bharat Apartment, Himvarsha... Read more..

Date : Jan 14

Source: India Education Diary

YES BANK to partner with ECT, Australia to promote Clean Coal Technology in India

YES BANK, India's fourth largest private sector Bank, jointly with Greenard Willing, an Australian corporate advisory firm, has entered into an advisory agreement with Australia based Environmental Clean Technologies (ECT). The agreement aims to assist ECT in commercialization and technology transfer of Clean Coal technologies in India via a systematic knowledge-based approach.

YES BANK's Sustainable Investment Banking Group along with Greenard Willing, will jointly set in place the structures and partners for implementation of ECT's manufacturing strategy in India, to deliver a... Read more..

Date : Jan 14

Source: 4 Traders

Zydex eyes Rs 150-crore orders for green roads this fiscal

Zydex Industries, a firm that specialises in building green roads using nanotechnology, aims to grab contracts worth about Rs 150 crore from India this fiscal for constructing moisture-resistant highways.

The Gujarat-headquartered company said its products have been used to build about 5,000 miles of roads in the US, but it is yet to catch up in India though it has worked with state-run Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to build such roads in Leh and Laddakh regions.

"We are targeting to get Rs 100... Read more..

Date : Jan 13

Source: Economic Times

Danish Investors Back Climate Fund for Emerging Economies

PensionDanmark A/S and other Danish pension investors backed a state fund to finance emission-reduction projects in developing countries as the Scandinavian nation seeks to export its climate know-how abroad.

The Danish Climate Investment Fund received 1.2 billion kroner ($220 million) in commitments from private investors and the government, according to PensionDanmark, which contributed 200 million kroner. The fund will invest on commercial terms in projects that tackle climate change in emerging economies from Africa to Asia,... Read more..

Date : Jan 13

Source: Bloomberg

Heavy Ind Min to float Cabinet note on electric vehicle sops

The Heavy Industries Ministry is likely to circulate a draft Cabinet note by January-end to seek views of the related Ministries on rolling out subsidies under the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan.

"We are working on a demand incentive for greater adoption of Electric Vehicles under the NEMMP," said an official in the Department of Heavy Industry.

"Under the scheme, Rs 10,000 crore subsidy is envisaged for cars and two-wheelers, besides Rs 760 crore for research and development by... Read more..

Date : Jan 13

Source: Business Standard

Bloomberg: Global carbon market set for 15 per cent upturn

European carbon prices could rise to around €7.50 per tonne this year, bucking a three-year trend of declining market value.

That is the conclusion of analysts from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) as the EU prepares to launch an emergency measure to temporarily tackle the glut of allowances that has afflicted the market in recent years.

According to BNEF, the global carbon market will be worth €46bn in 2014, rising 15 per cent from last year's rock bottom value of €40bn. Prices sank to less than €3 per tonne in April after the European Parliament rejected a 'backloading'... Read more..

Date : Jan 13

Source: Business Green

Financial planning needed to promote energy efficiency

Proper financial planning by companies' boards and top managements is needed to enhance energy efficiency, officials and experts have said at an interactive meet on the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme.

Ajay Mathur, Director General of Bureau of Energy Efficiency at the power ministry, said the government has put in place three-pronged policies - regulatory, fiscal, and incentives - to encourage energy efficiency in the country.

Addressing the meet, Mathur pointed out that some of the most efficient technologies were being used by some industries in India, while some... Read more..

Date : Jan 13

Source: Business Standard

Borg Energy to invest $ 45 m in India

Borg Energy, a solar power solutions provider and a subsidiary of US-based Borg Inc, on Friday announced plans to invest $ 45 million (Rs. 279 crore) in India on projects including a rural electrification programme during 2014.

The company, which entered the country last year, is in advanced discussions with some North India States for a rural electrification programme. This project is expected to cost about $25 million, Borg Energy India's Managing Director (Asia Pacific) Boaz Augustin Jr. told reporters here.

The company said it was also looking to invest $20 million for... Read more..

Date : Jan 13

Source: The Hindu

Adequate energy supply at affordable price key for growth: Manmohan Singh

With India expected to become world's third largest energy consumer by 2020, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday said adequate energy supply at affordable price is critical for economic growth.

Speaking at Petrotech 2014 Conference, he said India, which is currently world's seventh largest energy producer accounting for 2.5 % of world's total annual energy production, "needs to increase its energy supply by 3 to 4 times over the next two decades".

Stating that India seeks clean and affordable energy, he said: "Adequate supply of energy at affordable prices is critical to... Read more..

Date : Jan 13

Source: Daily News & Analysis

Energy-efficient fans launched

Luminous Power Technologies, a leading power backup solution provider, has launched a wide range of energy-efficient fans in the Kerala market. The launch is part of company’s plan to expand its retail product outreach in the State’s electrical retail market. Aravind Khanna, Senior Vice-President, Electrical Division, said the company would leverage the innovation and manufacturing supremacy of Schneider Electric synchronised with the brand leadership of Luminous.

Date : Jan 13

Source: The Hindu

Crompton Greaves launches smart grid plant

Power devices maker Crompton Greaves formally launched its Rs. 8-crore smart grid facility here on Saturday. “The facility will spearhead smart grid operation in Asia,” said Laurent Demortier, the company’s CEO & Managing Director, indicating exports from here to the region. “Expansion in smart grid markets is a key strategy of CG after America and Europe,” he said. Markets such as Indonesia and West Asia were on its radar. The facility in Global Village Tech Park, off Mysore Road, manufactures intelligent electronic devices meant to improve grid efficiency. They are used in power sub... Read more..

Date : Jan 13

Source: The Hindu

Battery development may extend range of electric cars

It's known that electric vehicles could travel longer distances before needing to charge and more renewable energy could be saved for a rainy day if lithium-sulfur batteries can just overcome a few technical hurdles. Now, a novel design for a critical part of the battery has been shown to significantly extend the technology's lifespan, bringing it closer to commercial use.

A "hybrid" anode developed at the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE)'s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) could quadruple the life of lithium-sulfur batteries. Nature Communications published a paper describing... Read more..

Date : Jan 13

Source: RD Magazine

REC - Powering UP

Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) continued to register higher growth and record performance for 2012-13, in key areas of disbursements of loans, recoveries, operating income and profits. A sum of Rs 40,183 crore was disbursed during the financial year 2012-13 as against Rs 30,593.30 crore in the previous year. Non-performing assets (NPAs) continued to be at low levels.

The total operating income for the financial years 2012-13 increased by 30% to Rs 13,518.86 crore from Rs10,423.75 crore in the previous year. The profit after tax increased to Rs 3,817.62 crore, up by 35%,... Read more..

Date : Jan 10

Source: Business Line

Govt mulling National Offshore Wind Energy Agency

To explore the potential of generating power through wind energy, New and Renewable Energy Ministry is making efforts for setting up a National Offshore Wind Energy Agency.

The agency will explore wind generation potential in the offshore areas of the country.

"The potential of generating power through wind energy in the offshore areas is immense and the ministry will approach the Union Cabinet soon for a decision," New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah said.

Date : Jan 10

Source: Business Standard

Power grids need to be more intelligent, feels Alstom chief

India is a world leader in the power transmission business, but lags behind in the transmission end of the business, said Gregoire Poux-Guillaume, Executive Vice-President, Alstom, and Head of Alstom Grid Worldwide, here on Wednesday.

Speaking at the inaugural session of ELECRAMA 2014, an international event of the power transmission and distribution industry, Mr. Guillaume said, “The problem is mainly because of under-investment as a result of the heavy losses being made by companies.” Observing that the global energy markets are ‘changing like never before’, Mr. Guillaume said, ‘... Read more..

Date : Jan 10

Source: The Hindu

Solar power firms in a jam over poor implementation of REC norms

Most States are not honouring the Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) mechanism, launched to promote solar power generation in the country, leaving such power companies in financial strain, according to industry representatives.

The REC mechanism, launched in 2010, sets higher purchase obligation of renewal power for distribution companies and other obligated entities (which naturally creates higher demand for renewable power), and issues REC certificates to energy generators.

However, the poor implementation of the mechanism has led Rays Power to knock at the doors of the... Read more..

Date : Jan 10

Source: The Hindu

Tata firm unveils solar power system for homes

Leading energy solutions provider Tata Power Solar Thursday unveiled a new solar power system to generate one kilo volt-ampere (kva) for providing uninterrupted power supply for eight hours at affordable cost. “Our latest product - Tata Dynamo -- gives users easy option to switch over to solar energy for at least eight hours of uninterrupted power supply at lower cost,” Tata group company chief executive Ajay Goel said in a statement here.

The intelligent system comprising solar panels, inverter and battery charges itself while powering connected appliances through solar power,... Read more..

Date : Jan 10

Source: Morund Express

Alstom Grid unveils transmission gear

Alstom Grid, a provider of power transmission and smart grid technology, is showcasing its new T155-420 kV gas-insulated sub-station. Gregoire Poux-Guillaume, President of Alstom Grid and Brand Ambassador for ELECRAMA 2014, said: “The transmission sector in India is rapidly evolving and requires latest global technologies to be produced locally. The industry has a lead role to play in driving India’s economy at 9 per cent GDP. ”

Date : Jan 10

Source: Hindu Business Line

A cheaper method of storing solar energy

By replacing platinum with molybdenum in photoelectrochemical cells, scientists from two Swiss labs have developed a cheaper and scalable technique that can greatly improve hydrogen production through water splitting as a means of storing solar energy.

Solar energy appears to be the only form of renewable that can be exploited at level that matches the world’s growing needs. However, it is equally necessary to find efficient ways to store solar energy in order to ensure a consistent energy supply when sunlight is scarce. One of the most efficient ways to achieve this is to use... Read more..

Date : Jan 10

Source: RD Magazine

Rooftop Solar In India – Will It Ever Blow Through The Roof?

Tamil Nadu's solar power capacity is one of the top 5 in the country. And it has set a target of 1000 MW capacity addition by 2017 end. But the fact that grid connected solar power keeps on playing its own game of flip flop on tariff issues, roof top solar power is being touted to be the major sideshow. But the myopic visions of the policymakers have seen huge untapped potential lay idle with such massive rooftop areas being built up in the state due to the construction boom in last 10 years. However, some news on the technology breakthrough front in solar energy... Read more..

Date : Jan 10

Source: Gizmodo India

Government may introduce temporary emission norms before setting up Bharat-V

The government may introduce intermediate emission norms for automobiles before moving on to Bharat Stage-V, a move that would give oil marketing companies and automakers time to prepare for the transition, which is likely to cost about Rs 80,000 crore.

An expert committee, tasked by the petroleum ministry to suggest standards and timelines for moving on to higher emission norms in the country, is set to recommend introduction of Bharat Stage (BS) IV+ before the government moves to the tighter BS-V emission norms.

Date : Jan 10

Source: Economic Times