Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Sterlite energy pays Rs 34 cr to environment protection fund

Sterlite Energy Ltd (SEL), a Vedanta group firm, has so far paid Rs 33.6 crore to the state Environment Management Fund in two tranches.

It deposited Rs 19.22 crore in August for the previous year charges and recently submitted a demand draft of Rs 14.39 crore towards the fund for the six month period between April to October 2012.According to the government policy, the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) must have to contribute six paise per unit every year to the fund for the power sold outside the state. The fund will act as an agency to reduce the carbon emission in the... Read more..

'Can't use new tech at dumping ground without eco clearance'

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board on Monday questioned the civic body over the use of a new waste disposal technology at the Kanjurmarg dumping ground without seeking environmental clearance.

Non-governmental organisation Vanashakti had, in December, filed a complaint with the MPCB, alleging that while the civic body had sought permission for the use of windrow composting technology, it was using the bioreactor landfill technology at the site. Residents had complained of stench, which the NGO said, would not have emanated if the windrow technology had been used.

... Read more..

Suzlon’s REpower unit gets UK wind turbine orders

Suzlon Energy Ltd’s REpower UK unit said it signed two new contracts for wind turbines that can generate a total 16.4MW at two UK facilities. The value of the orders wasn’t disclosed.

The turbines are for a new wind farm at Wear Point Wind Ltd in Pembrokeshire, south Wales, and the Avonmouth Wind Farm in south west England.

The Wear Point order will consist of four MM82 turbines. Construction will start in the summer and be completed towards the end of the year, Suzlon said in a statement on Monday.

Avonmouth Wind Farm, located at the Bristol sewage treatment works, is... Read more..

Kerala State Electricity Board to generate 300MW off-grid solar energy in 2013

Kerala State Electricity Board is planning to lure domestic consumers using above 200 units of power a month for setting up off-grid solar power plants.

The board mooted the idea while seeking the state electricity regulatory commission's approval for its projected revenue requirement and expected revenue from charges for the year 2013-14.

According to the board, it is planning to promote off-grid solar installation with battery backup as a possible alternate choice for meeting the power requirement of the state, especially during the peak demand hours in the evening.

India's single-biggest solar power tender in Tamil Nadu gets lukewarm response

Indian businesses, which rushed eagerly to subscribe to bids under the Centre's flagship solar power scheme last year, have been lukewarm to Tamil Nadu's tender for 1,000 megawatts of power, also India's single-biggest solar tender.

The southern Indian state received bids for only a little less than 500 megawatts. Power-starved Tamil Nadu is betting big on solar, with Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa drawing up an ambitious plan to add 3,000 megawatts through this route by 2015.

Narasimhan Santhanam, Co-founder & Director of consultancy Energy Alternatives India, said... Read more..

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation grilled for not complying with waste treatment norms

Even as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is trying to overcome problems to make Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) project operational, the accountant general (AG) office has sought explanation from the corporation for not complying with the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000.

The AG office, as part of its audit, has posed several questions for not implementing the MSW Rules prescribed by the Union ministry of environment and forest for the past 12 years. It also raised questions on why sweeping and transportation of garbage... Read more..

Internet emits 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide

Internet and other components of information communication and technology (ICT) industry annually produces more than 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas, and is expected to double by 2020, a new study has found.

Researchers from the Centre for Energy-Efficient Telecommunications (CEET) and Bell Labs explain that the information communications and technology (ICT) industry, which delivers Internet, video, voice and other cloud services, produces about 2 per cent of global CO2 emissions — the same proportion as the aviation industry produces.... Read more..

India to make world’s largest solar telescope

India is likely to begin construction of the world’s largest solar telescope on the foothills of the Himalayas in Ladakh to understand the fundamental processes taking place on the Sun by year-end, a senior official said Saturday.

A 2-metre class, state-of-the-art National Large Solar Telescope (NLST), built by Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), will permit Indian scientists to carry out cutting edge research aimed to study Sun’s atmosphere.

‘A detailed project report has been submitted to the union government and we will be able to begin construction of... Read more..

Use solar power to combat climate change: Nobel laureate

The world must go back to harnessing the powers of the sun as it was done at the beginning of human civilisation to deal with global environmental changes, Taiwanese Nobel laureate Yuan Tseh Lee said here Sunday.

"We must return to sunshine to develop a more harmonious role with nature," he said.

"Once in history we were the children of the sun and were dependent on it for our needs, but we shifted to fossil fuels. We must dissociate ourselves from them and turn back to the sun to deal with global environmental change," Lee said at the centenary session of the Indian... Read more..

KPCL floats global EoI for gas supply to Bidadi project

State-owned power generator Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) has floated global expression of interest (EoI) for long-term supply of liquid natural gas (LNG) for its upcoming 700 Mw gas-based combined cycle power project at Bidadi near Bangalore. The project is estimated to cost Rs 2,500 crore.

The Government of Karnataka accorded approval for the establishment of the first unit of 700 Mw gas-based power plant in July, 2011. KPCL has already acquired 70 hectares land for the proposed project at Bidadi and signed power purchase agreement (PPA) with Karnataka ESCOMs (... Read more..

Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited to float tenders to give 130 MW solar power to state electricity distribution companies

You might soon get more sun-power. The Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited (KREDL) is offering 130 Mega Watt of solar energy to bid for. In an exhibition of power and renewable energy systems ELAsia 2013 held in Bangalore on Thursday, KREDL general manager Vijay Dev announced that, tenders will be floated in two months time.

"There is 130MW of solar power in the offing and last time when we bid for 70MW, the lowest price hit at Rs7.94 per unit. This time also we hope that the price will come down by a rupee during the bidding process," he told TOI.

The solar power... Read more..

AP to invite bids for mini hydel power projects

Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Company Ltd (AP Genco) has initiated the bidding process for selection of developers for setting up mini hydel projects in the State.

AP Genco has taken up the task on the directive of the State Government and on behalf of New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP).

Model bid document

Accordingly, a model bid document has been placed on AP Genco site www.apgenco.gov.in and suggestions have been invited by the prospective developers. The pre-bid interactive meeting... Read more..