Sustainability Outlook Headlines

China represents 68% of increase in global CO2 emissions, India represents 8%: Study

 India represented 8% of the increase in global energy-related CO2 emissions between 2000 and 2010 according to a report by US based Climate Policy Initiative (CPI). In contrast, China represented a whopping 68% of the increase in global CO2 emissions. 

The study released on Monday at The Brookings Institution in Washington DC, claims to have analysed the impact of three decades of implementation of various kinds of policies to curb climate change in - India, China, Brazil, the EU, and the US. It says that impact of these policies has accelerated despite an impasse in international... Read more..

Clean Energy Investment Falls 22% as Subsidy Cuts Stall Projects

Clean energy investment slid 22 percent to its lowest level in four years as nations pared subsidies for technologies from wind turbines to solar power and financing in China and Brazil stalled.

The $40.6 billion invested in the industry in the first three months of this year was lower than any quarter since 2009 and compares with $52 billion in the same period last year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

“The last 18 months have seen a number of significant support programs launched in the aftermath of the financial crisis come to an end,”... Read more..

Nepal, India & Bangladesh to make most of Ganga water, hydropower

In a significant development indicating a sub-regional strategic alliance, Nepal, India and Bangladesh (NIB) have decided to join hands to cooperate and exploit the hydropower sector and use water resources management for mutual advantage, including jointly developing and financing projects in the Ganga river basin.

Indicating its seriousness to give a boost to this initiative, India has already approved the composition of a working group on water and power that will coordinate with Bangladesh and Nepal.

According to a note prepared by the Ministries of Power, Water... Read more..

Germany to provide $1.3 bn for renewable energy in India

Germany will support building up of renewable energy in India by providing soft loans of up to 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) for a six-year period starting next year.

Germany's offer as part of its development cooperation with India was made in a "joint declaration of intent" signed by Union Minister for Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah and parliamentary state secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Gudrun Kopp during the second inter-governmental consultations that concluded in Berlin yesterday.

The assistance is intended to finance joint... Read more..

Voluntary disclosure scheme for Haryana power consumers

Haryana power distribution utilities have launched a voluntary disclosure scheme for all consumers to declare their un-authorised extension of load without paying any penalty till June 30.

Haryana Power Minister Ajay Singh Yadav said here on Saturday a simple procedure has been laid for declaring the extended load under the scheme.

Domestic, non-domestic and agriculture consumers may declare the extended load by submitting an ‘Application and Agreement’ (A&A) form along with consumption security, he said.

He said that the L T industrial consumers may declare... Read more..

Wind power capacity addition falls to 1,700 MW

Wind turbine manufacturers Enercon and Suzlon have fared better than others in the tepid market of 2012-13, when the total capacity installed during the year fell to 1,700 MW. It was 3,164 MW the previous year.

Enercon led the market in 2012-13 with installations of 453.60 MW, followed by Suzlon at 414.75 MW. The previous year, Suzlon was the leader with 1,148 MW and Enercon No.2 with 767 MW. Inox and GE gained, while Spanish wind power major Gamesa lost ground.

THIRD SLOT

Regen Powertech, which produces wind turbines with technology from German company Vensys... Read more..

BHEL to use solar energy for Ranipet boiler plant

Boiler Auxiliaries Plant of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL-BAP) in Ranipet is installing a 5 MW solar power plant that will cover the entire energy needs of the plant.

The photovoltaic panels of the plant are manufactured by Bangalore unit of BHEL and the plant is expected to be commissioned by December this year.

Addressing an annual press conference on Thursday, BHEL-BAP executive director T.N. Veeraraghavan said that Rural Electrification Corporation subsidises the project and its total cost comes about Rs. 42 crore. “But if you consider the cost involved in... Read more..

UP to tap Nepal floodwaters for hydro power

The Uttar Pradesh government is aiming to tap flood waters brought by Himalayan rivers flowing from Nepal during the monsoon, for generating hydro power.

About half a dozen big rivers flowing from Nepal to the ‘Terai’ (lowlands on the Indo-Nepal border between the Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas) and ‘Purvanchal’ (eastern Uttar Pradesh) regions of UP, cause havoc every year during the rainy season.

The major rivers originating from Nepal include the Sharda, Rapti and Kuano. Another river, Girwa meets the Saryu at Gonda and forms the mighty Ghagra river. These ravaging... Read more..

India worse than sub-saharan Africa on environmental sustainability

India is behind sub-saharan Africa in environmental sustainability and social spread of economic benefits even as it is among top six countries for amassing foreign exchange since 1995, a United Nations report said.

The report pointed out that in case of environmental disaster around 1,200 million people in South Asia, including India, will get affected as compared to 1,000 million people in sub-saharan Africa. Recent reports have indicated that India's economic growth model is not environmentally sustainable and the report says that the "business as usual" model would prove... Read more..

Solar in India: Rajasthan surpasses 500 MW of installed solar PV capacity

The Indian state of Rajasthan has commissioned 510 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity, according to the latest report by Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Ltd. (Jaipur, India).

Rajasthan added the majority of this capacity at 314 MW in the 2012-2013 fiscal year, starting with only 5 MW installed in 2010-2011. The majority of the new capacity was added through the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM).

“Rajasthan has been the go-to destination for developers interested in setting up solar PV projects under the first phase of the JNNSM accounting for... Read more..

Germany to give India euro 1 bn loan for green energy development

Germany will provide India a soft loan of euro 1 billion (Rs 71 billion) for strengthening the transmission system of renewable energy in several states, a top official said on Wednesday.

The loan will be used for developing a " renewable energy corridor", the official added.

"We are hopeful of signing the agreement tomorrow (Thursday)," said Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah.

Abdullah, who is part of a delegation led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that arrrived here Wednesday on a three-day visit, said the deal would be signed after the second round... Read more..