Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Indian-born biologist honoured with Gunnerus Sustainability Award

Dr. Kamal Bawa, an Indian-born biologist at the University of Massachusetts Boston, is awarded the Gunnerus Sustainability Award for the year 2012. This is world's first major international award for work on sustainability and Dr. Bawa has been awarded for his outstanding contribution to this field.

Awarded by the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (DKNVS - Det Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskab) in cooperation with the Technoport Association, the Award aims to recognize outstanding scientific work which promotes global sustainable development.

This... Read more..

Ranchi's mayor dissatisfied with city's solid waste management company.

Residents who throw garbage on the streets will not be fined for now, as a civic agency has failed to provide them with dustbins. Dissatisfied with the work of A2Z Company, which has been assigned cleanliness work and solid waste management for Ranchi, mayor Rama Khalkho convened a meeting on Saturday with the supervisors of the agency, advisers of Tetratech (that supplies manpower and machines to A2Z) and senior officials of the Ranchi Municipal Corporation to discuss means to keep the city clean.

"Many houses have not been provided with bins by the company so they do not have any... Read more..

Expert calls for paradigm shift in agriculture research

The Green Revolution in India was possible due to import of advanced technologies from developed countries, mainly the U.S., and a dominant role played by the government, which extended remarkable assistance to farmers in producing crops and selling them at remunerative price. In the post-Green Revolution scenario, India continued to adopt technologies that were best suited for large land holdings such as those in the U.S., where agriculture was heavily subsidised and the regulatory agencies played their role to perfection.

“The situation in India is altogether different. Research... Read more..

Budget 2012: Provide fiscal measures to solar industry, says FICCI

The policy framework put forth by the MNRE through the National Solar Mission has accelerated the growth of the solar industry in India. However, there are some challenges for the manufacturers and developers of solar energy and associated activities in India.

While MNRE is taking active steps to address the technology and on-ground risk perceptions through knowledge management and sharing, there is a need to provide fiscal measures to the Indian solar industry to enable a strong solar manufacturing base to develop in India and act as a hub for solar energy to the world.

The... Read more..

Innovative products at Renewable Asia 2012

Mahesh V S has a cap with a difference. A mini solar panel fitted to the beak of the cap powers a small fan which cools him when out in the sun. A brainchild of Mahesh who is the Director of Sun Ray Solar Museum, Hubli, this ‘solar cap’ can be purchased for Rs 550.

“Our aim is to prove that solar technology is not shockingly expensive,” said Mahesh. The museum has a stall at Renewable Asia 2012, an exhibition which seeks to showcase products which use renewable energy. The museum is also showcasing one of its kind solar water heaters which do not require an additional overhead tank... Read more..

Equity remains central plank of Indian climate stance: PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has told chief climate negotiators of South Africa, Brazil and China that 'equity' and the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities' will remain central to India's stance at the UN talks as the world negotiates a post-2020 climate regime. He also said India would continue to work closely with the BASIC nations and the developing countries group of G77+China.

The chief negotiators met Singh during their visit to Delhi for the meeting of BASIC countries. The signal from the PM was translated into the joint communique by the four countries... Read more..

Solar water pumps ideal for small & middle farmers, say PAU experts

The rate of electrification in India has not kept pace with expanding population, urbanisation and industrialisation, and has resulted in the increasing deficit between demand and supply of electricity, said experts of the Department of Soil and Water Engineering (SWE), Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), here on Thursday.

Dr A K Jain, Head, SWE, pointed out, “There is a limited availability/access to grid power in rural areas and the farmers have to rely mostly on hand operated and diesel operated water lifting devices and pumps. However, they are expensive to run. The farmers... Read more..

India raps UN report on CO2 emissions

India today lodged a strong protest with the UN for including absolute cuts in CO2 emissions and reduction in the use of ozone depleting substances among the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in a new assessment report launched here today.

The report titled “Accelerating Equitable Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals: Closing Gaps in Health and Nutrition Outcomes”, published by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Asian Development Bank lists absolute carbon emission cuts and... Read more..

US, West continue to pollute, still unapologetic: Natrajan

Slamming US and other Western nations for "continuing to cause pollution" despite their commitments, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan today said developing countries, including India, have contributed more to counter the ill effects of climate change.

"Every day, although there are agreements and commitments, countries like the US, countries in the West, continue to pollute and continue to raise the pollution, without even so much as an apology or without feeling anyway burdened by the kind of pollution that they are bringing about," she said.

On the other hand,... Read more..

Cheaper & better: refurbished turbines charge wind energy market

Your two-year-old computer is lagging the market. What do you do? Put in a new motherboard, some more RAM and a new microchip, and there you are, revving to go. This is precisely what is happening - in the wind energy market. Refurbished wind turbines are stirring the winds, and

with two to four times the efficiency of new turbines, to boot. With a 20% cost economy advantage over new turbines, the refurbishment market has never had it better.

Look at the figures: a repowering project may cost Rs 6.5-7 crore per MW. For a new project, it is more in the range of Rs 9... Read more..

Solar Powered Street Light Idea Recycles Water

What would you end up with if you combined a solar light with a rainwater harvest system wrapped in a design reminiscent of nature? We’re guessing it would look a lot like the Mango eco-street lamp. Conceived to illuminate the streets of India by Hungarian designer Adam Mikloski, the Mango design concept is now being featured on Behance, an online creative platform for design professionals.

The Mango street light is meant to make use of the weather patterns of India, which can consist of monsoons certain parts of the year, and blazing hot sun for the remainder of the year. In fact,... Read more..

Power utilities don a green cap

Power utilities across the nation are devising new and efficient ways to generate electricity in an attempt to cut India’s dependence on fossil fuels.

India’s largest power producer NTPC Ltd has chalked out a long-term technology road map up to 2032 that involves developing clean technologies such as advanced ultra-supercritical equipment, integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plants and development of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC).

Supercritical equipment having a capacity of 660 megawatts (MW) and above help in improving plant efficiencies and achieve economies of... Read more..