Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Future and Impact of hybrid vehicles in India

The concept of hybrid vehicles is not an alien concept to the Indian car market and automatically induces pictures of a cutting-edge technology driven vehicle that can run on conventional fuels like diesel or petrol, besides having a compelling ability to run on electricity. The idea seems tempting to many but few have the courage to actually invest in such an undertaking. Primary reasons can be contributed to the high pricing of such vehicles, as well as the strong amount of uncertainty assumed with their ergonomics.

However, these 'futuristic' hybrid vehicles do attract... Read more..

U.S. to help India with energy needs

A research center set to open in India will work to refine and adapt windmills and solar panels for use in households in rural India, U.S. engineers said.

The center, a collaboration between Virginia Tech and private-sector partner MARG Swarnabhoomi, will help release millions of people from poverty by helping India produce enough electricity for everyone, they said.

"The goal is to improve life for 400... Read more..

E-waste generators raking in money

Conducting business amidst heaps of old and degenerated computer hardware and circuit boards without any protective gear are a daily chore for Fayaz Ahmed. 

The e-waste recycler, who set his factory in Goripalya a year ago, is among the 200-odd recyclers and dismantlers of hundreds of tones of electronic waste generated daily by the IT city.

Most recyclers, from both authorized and unauthorized sectors, work amongst e-waste comprising toxic metals like mercury, lead and cadmium without donning any protective gear. 

The number of recycler is slowly dwindling,... Read more..

Green investment is the cure for our ailing economy

Four years ago this month, the then US Treasury secretary Hank Paulson learned that the British government would not allow Barclays to purchase Lehman Brothers. "They don't want US problems infecting the UK system," Paulson said. Days later, Lehman filed for bankruptcy. But, it turns out, we were far from immune.

UK GDP will not recover to pre-crisis levels until 2014 at the earliest and we seem to be recovering at a slower pace than other nations. We are still sick. That means we need to look to the parts of our economy that are still healthy, because they will have the cure... Read more..

India firm on upping nuclear share in energy mix: Advisor to PM

Amid initiatives by various countries to scale down nuclear power generation in the wake of last year's Fukushima accident, India would continue to pursue its three-stage nuclear programme to raise nuclear's share in the country's energy mix.

India has got all the necessary capabilities and expertise to tackle safety related issues involving nuclear energy. Srikanta K Panigrahi, advisor to the Prime Minister and director-general, Indian Institute of Sustainable Development however, insisted that nuclear energy was quite prime and fundamental source of energy to address the issue of... Read more..

Tesla Motors unveils faster electric car charging station

Tesla Motors Inc. unveiled a solar-powered charging station that it said will make refueling electric vehicles on long trips about as fast as stopping for gas and a bathroom break in a conventional car.

CEO Elon Musk said at a news conference Monday at Tesla's design studio that the company's roadside Supercharger has been installed at six highway rest stops in California.

The innovation is "the answer to the three major problems that are holding back electrical vehicles, or at least people think are holding back electrical vehicles," Musk said before a curtain was lifted... Read more..

A Finnish solution to arsenic water in India

A Finnish water chemistry company has been roped in to solve the chronic problem of arsenic water in India.

"We have been asked by Indias ministry of rural development to start a pilot scheme to solve the problem of arsenic water in India, Aija Jaitunen, general manager - municipal and industrial - of Finnish water chemistry major Kemira told a visiting IANS correspondent here.

For starters, the company has identified seven states in India - Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal - as arsenic water-prone.

Kemira is... Read more..

Solar power for 25 government schools, 10 hospitals

The Delhi environment department has identified 25 government schools and 10 government hospitals that will get independent solar power systems.

The pilot project is looking at generating 500kW of power through rooftop solar photovoltaic cells under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. Environment secretary Sanjiv Kumar said the department had sent a proposal to the union ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) and was expecting financial support from it under the off-grid decentralized scheme. "If the project is approved, MNRE will finance 30% of the cost and the... Read more..

Hyderabad has no ‘power’ to save its ‘dark’ future

Greater Hyderabad, which has grandiose plans to emerge as a world-class city, is poised for dark days ahead. The twin cities of Hyderabad-Secunderabad are already being subjected to three-hour power cuts a day by the Central Power Distribution Company of AP (APCPDCL) in view of the precarious power situation prevailing in the state. The industries in and around Hyderabad are suffering 40 per cent power cuts, besides "power holidays" for three days a week. 

The metropolitan zone of APCPDCL, covering the twin cities, gets power supply from the state grid. It is mainly fed from... Read more..

Burden from carbon tax will be minimal on India: EU

The financial burden on India on account of the European Union’s (EU) proposed carbon tax on airlines will be minimal when compared with the overall levy, a EU official said, as the local government steps up pressure against the plan.

“India-related emissions will be only 0.2% from the total of aviation emissions under EU-ETS (emission-trading scheme),” Robert Donkers, minister counsellor (environment) from the European delegation to India, said over the phone. This includes Indian as well as European carriers flying to and from EU, he said.

Besides India, the... Read more..

Green building footprint to touch 2 billion sq ft by 2015

With the concept of green buildings is gaining ground among developers, the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) expects nearly 2 billion square feet of sustained building footprint by 2015. 

Currently, 1,745 eco-friendly building projects with over 1.21 billion sq ft of green footprint are registered with the IGBC. 

"The green concept is becoming very popular among developers as they have realised its benefits including fast return on investments. We expect nearly 2 billion sqft of green building space under development by 2015," IGBC Mumbai chapter vice chairman... Read more..

Bruhanmumbai Municipal Corporation to cough up Rs 15cr carbon credits

The BMC-appointed consultant's overestimation of generation of carbon credits during the Gorai dumping ground's closure project has not just caused the civic body embarrassment but also translated into a Rs 15 crore loss.

The BMC had got Rs 24.5 crore from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in exchange for the estimated generation of 4.3 lakh emission reduction units over five years, starting 2009. One emission reduction unit, or a carbon credit, equals one tonne of carbon dioxide reduced. There are two kinds of emission unitscertified and verified emi ssion reductions (CERs... Read more..