Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Punjab to set up solar power clusters for tubewells

The Punjab government has decided to explore the possibility of developing  solar power clusters to energise agricultural pumps in rural areas, which can help the state to bring down the power subsidy cost, an official said.

Punjab Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday said that "there is a large scope for developing solar power clusters in rural areas to provide power to agricultural pumps directly thereby cutting the subsidy and further investing the saved money to produce clean energy".

Badal asked the state non-renewable energy minister Bikram Singh... Read more..

Cairn India is the fastest growing energy company: Platts

Seventy Asian oil and gas companies, including those from India and China, were ranked in the 2012 Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings based on their financial performance in 2011.

While ExxonMobile maintained its number one position in the list,  Cairn India BSE 0.86% topped the list for fastest growing companies with a three-year CGR of 119.8 per cent, Platts said at the award ceremony held here last night.

Of the 12 Indian companies in the global Top 250 rankings, half appeared on the 50 Fastest Growing list, which included Reliance Industries, Coal India, Indian... Read more..

Green Technologies Help Companies Meet Sustainability Goals, Improve Bottom Lines

As businesses strive to meet their sustainability goals while meeting their obligation to their own bottom lines, it is becoming increasingly clear that these two goals are not in conflict, but in fact are complementary. A recent deal completed by my company, Flareum Technologies, illustrates just how going green can do more than improve a company’s reputation: it can also save them money.

A few weeks ago, Flareum Technologies completed installation of a solar-powered air conditioning system to cool the Bangalore offices of Siemens. This 10 TR system uses the sun’s rays and an... Read more..

Germany's Siemens to give up solar energy business

Siemens AG announced plans to give up its loss-making solar business and concentrate its renewable energy business on wind and hydroelectric power.

The German industrial conglomerate, whose products range from trains to turbines, said Monday it's in talks with possible buyers, but offered no details. It said the move is part of a wider effort to increase its productivity and efficiency.

The solar power industry has been hit by falling subsidies, weaker sales and increasingly stiff price competition, especially by Chinese manufacturers.

Siemens said that "due to the... Read more..

'2nd gen biofuels can meet half of India's gasoline demands'

India can meet nearly half of its gasoline demands by producing second-generation biofuels from its huge agricultural residue, according to a top official of a global bio-tech organisation.

"Second generation biofuels have the ability to help India meet its growing energy needs while providing reduced GHG emissions and the opportunity for economic and job growth through the domestic production of biofuels," said Steen Riisgaard, CEO of Denmark-based Novozymes.

He said second generation biofuels have the potential to meet up to 59 per cent of India's gasoline demand in 2020. "... Read more..

Electric Vehicles: Transitioning to a Sustainable Future

The US has a car culture. In 2010, 95% of American households owned a car and 85% of Americans drove to work each day. This is radically different from the lifestyle most Americans had after World War II, when 40% of Americans did not own cars. China and India are rapidly adopting the US living standard, and cars are flooding the streets. In 2011, China had 100 million cars on its streets, or about 10 percent of the more than 1 billion cars on streets worldwide. On average, 9.51 million automobiles were added each year between 2006 and 2010, exceeding the government’s ability to add roads... Read more..

India to collaborate with the Swiss in renewable energy sector

The official news Agency of Bangladesh (BSS) has issued following news release:

India and Switzerland have agreed to explore avenues to increase cooperation in the field of renewable energy with the European country appearing keen to invest in the sector.

In an hour long meeting yesterday between Swiss Head of Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication Doris Leuthard and New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah here, the two sides agreed to assist each other in meeting their renewable energy requirements.

"India and Switzerland have... Read more..

India seeks greater energy ties with Brunei

India Saturday sought greater energy cooperation, including the sale of LNG, with Brunei, the oil-rich southeast Asian state.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, who is on his first bilateral visit to Brunei, met its... Read more..

Need to balance growth and sustainability, says Ramesh

India needs to be obsessed with high economic growth but should also try to marry it with sustainable development, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said here Thursday.

"India needs to be obsessed with high economic growth as we have to address the issue of inclusive development," Ramesh said at an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development meet here.

He said India needed eight percent growth since the country had to provide jobs to 100 million people who would enter the workforce in the next decade.

observing that there has been an overwhelming... Read more..

Solar power will help small units”

India had the potential to exploit solar power to a large extent that would enable industries to reduce its dependency on an unreliable grid supply and diesel-powered generators, which are fast becoming expensive as the Government begins to withdraw subsidies, according to M. Srinivas Ramprasad, Chief Executive Officer of Persept Solar, a Bangalore-based solar firm with German technology.

While the huge capital investments and large land requirements were factors inhibiting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) from taking to this technology, he said... Read more..

On path to renewable power, India seeks Israeli assistance

India has sought Israel's expertise in renewable energy sector to meet its ambitious target of 30,000 megawatts of power in the next five years.

When you look at the fact that 40 per cent of the population in India doesn't have access to energy, we think it is a situation we need to immediately correct," said Gireesh Pradhan, the Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Quoting... Read more..

Costa Rica eyes India, service secs

Costa Rica, a Latin American country, plans to sign an investment protect agreement with India to boost bilateral trade, especially in the service and manufacutring sector. It would soon put in place a framework for economic cooperation with India, with any eye on the country's IT sector.

In the Capital to participate in the OECD forum, Costa Rica vice president Luis Liberman told FE: "We value India's education & training system, and are keen on seeking India's cooperation in IT sector. We will soon start discussions on a framework agreement on economic cooperation." Costa Rica... Read more..