Sustainability Outlook Headlines

India to unveil steps to cut fuel consumption on Sept 16

 The oil minister will come up with some plans for lowering fuel consumption on September 16, Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said on Friday, in a bid cut the country's import bill amid a sharp fall in the rupee.

Asia's third-largest economy could announce a steep hike in diesel prices later this month as it looks at measures to cut oil costs by nearly $20 billion after the rupee's slide has left India facing an oil bill potentially 50 percent higher than on May 1.

"No matter what happens, we will have to cut down on fuel consumption," Khurshid told business channel CNBC... Read more..

Russia powering India’s ambitious nuclear energy plans

 Russia is powering India’s use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes by being the foreign pioneer in the industry. Talks on Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant’s (KNPP) third and fourth unit are believed to be in an advanced stage. In total, India plans to build 19 nuclear power reactors with an aggregate capacity of 17,400 megawatts (MW) by 2017.  Eight of these units will be built with the participation of foreign countries including Russia, a source close to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

Along with the third and fourth units (with a capacity of... Read more..

WHO for cleaner cooking fuels

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Thursday called for replacing solid fuels like coal and wood with cleaner ones like cooking gas and electricity in households in order to check respiratory diseases.

Household air pollution is a major contributor to death due to lower respiratory tract infections in children and chronic respiratory disorders in adults, the WHO said.

In India, more than half of chronic respiratory disease cases (34 percent in men and 95 percent in women) occur among non-smokers, Dheeraj Gupta of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research,... Read more..

Tata gets ready to launch waste-to-power

 Giant Indian company Tata is developing an engine that will convert waste to electricity in predominantly rural areas, providing a cheaper substitute to diesel and kerosene used in homes and farms.

The firm is working on the so-called gasifier engine to convert farm and food waste into gas-based power and supply it to off-grid applications with the help of local grid networks, said executives from Tata Power Co. Ltd and Tata Motors Ltd — both Tata group companies.

“We are in early stages of this study, as joint teams have identified various work streams and milestones for... Read more..

Leitwind Shriram bags Rs 346 crore order from Neyveli Lignite Corporation

 Leitwind Shriram Manufacturing, an India-European joint venture between Shriram Group and Windfin BV (formerly Leitwind BV) which makes wind electric generators; has received a Rs 346 crore for the supply and installation of machines from Neyveli Lignite Corporation for a a 51 MW wind farm at Kaluneerkulam near Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. 

This order follows Leitwind's recent completion of the supply, erection and commissioning of a wind farm of a capacity of 43.2 MW in Tadipatri in Andhra Pradesh for Orient Green Power Company Limited. 

Leitwind will be in charge of... Read more..

Report reveals missed opportunities to save water and energy

Comprehensive survey shows connections between water and energy in academic, government and nonprofit publications between 1990 and 2013. Water and wastewater managers are missing substantial opportunities to save energy and money, according to a report published Wednesday (Sept. 4) by Water in the West, a research center at Stanford University. The report, "Water and Energy Nexus: A Literature Review," also identifies the amount of water used to extract resources such as natural gas, oil and coal, and to generate electricity.

Netravali blooming into a model village -

The 'Atal Gram Netravali Yojana' scheme, under which Netravali in Sanguem taluka is being developed into a model village, is beginning to show 'promising results' in the field of animal husbandry and agriculture.

Addressing media persons on Tuesday, Vijay Saxena, joint director, department of planning, statistics and evaluation said,"Milk production in the village has already increased from 1,600 to 3,700 litres per day. Our target is to achieve milk production of 4,500 litres per day." Sanguem MLA, Subhash Phaldessai was also present at the press briefing.

Stating that they... Read more..

India's Budget Deficit Threatens National Solar Mission

India's financial woes are likely to derail the country's ambitious National Solar Mission, widely seen as a model solar development policy program.

The current Indian government's current account deficit (CAD) of $98 billion is steadily rising, as the much-touted gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate has come crashing down from highs in the double-digits to under 4%. Consequently, the CAD-to-GDP ratio of 4.9% is also experiencing new highs as the central government falters in bringing back confidence in the marketplace.... Read more..

Welspun Energy commissions 20 mw wind project in Rajasthan

 Welspun Energy Ltd commissioned a 20 mw wind power project in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan. Developed within three months, the project uses ten wind turbines for generating an average annual net production of 43.1 gw-hour. 

Welspun Energy Solar Rajasthan Pvt. Ltd., a fully owned subsidiary of the company had signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Ltd. 

The project has been funded in a 75:25 debt-equity ratio and will mitigate 39946 tones of CO 2emissions annually. The company tied-up with leading Wind turbine player &... Read more..

Greenpeace announces revolutionary electricity model in Bihar

Greenpeace announced a one of its kind rural electrification model based on a smart micro grid in Dharnai village in Jehanabad district of Bihar. This ambitious solar powered micro-grid is being installed to showcase that the real solution for rural electrification lies in decentralised renewable energy.

Co-implemented with BASIX and Centre for Environment and Energy Development, the micro grid will involve about 100 kilowatts of solar panels that will supply affordable, sustainable and round the clock electricity to 350 households... Read more..

Renewable energy could stimulate India's smart grid

 Smart grid technology has been given high national priority by the Indian government with 14 pilot projects having been initiated and the market receiving substantial investments from local and international players. The boom in the sector has also attracted several IT players who have formed partnerships to develop smart grid solutions in India.

The smart grid industry is seeing a global push driven by the U.S.-based sector's target of 80 percent renewable energy generation and 100 percent consumer participation in smart grid technology by 2035, according to the research. China... Read more..

Russia and India fail to establish cooperation on building hydro power plants

 Russia and India have failed to establish cooperation on building hydro power plants. Russian company RusHydro, a global leader in hydro power plant construction and operation, said at the end of August that it was withdrawing from the joint venture with Sun Group.

RusHydro’s Board of Directors decided in late August 2013 to divest itself of RusSUNHydro Limited, a Cyprus company established in 2007 jointly with India’s Sun Group to build and operate future hydro power plants in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The reason: “Economic unfeasibility” of the JV’s projects. RusHydro told RIR... Read more..