Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Thorium-rich India plans alternative nuclear reactor

India has announced plans for a prototype nuclear power plant that uses an innovative, ''safer'' fuel.

Officials are selecting a site for the reactor, the first of its kind, using thorium for the bulk of its fuel instead of uranium, the fuel for conventional reactors. They want the plant to be operating i by the end of the decade.

The development of workable and large-scale thorium reactors has been a dream for nuclear engineers for decades, while for some environmentalists it has become a major hope as an alternative to fossil fuels. Proponents say the fuel has considerable... Read more..

Atomic energy officials hold talks on Kudankulam n-plant

The two top officials of the Indian nuclear establishment Friday met Tamil Nadu’s Chief Secretary Debendranath Sarangi and discussed ways to allay the fears of people in Kudankulam and neighbouring villages where the mega Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) is being set up.

Atomic Energy Commission chairman Srikumar Banerjee and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) chairman and managing director S.K. Jain flew in here and met Sarangi for nearly 45 minutes at the state secretariat, sources said.

India’s nuclear power plant operator NPCIL is building two 1,000 MW... Read more..

Africa : Backed By the Climate Investment Funds, Eight More Countries Take Big Steps to Address Climate Change

India's plans for $775 million in support of a national action plan on climate change were endorsed

A week of meetings among countries participating in the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) has resulted in more than $1 billion committed to solving the problems of climate change. Today, the Climate Investment Funds approved $ 1.08 billion in near-zero-interest loans and grants to support Bolivia, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Lao PDR, Mali, Mexico, and Nepal in their efforts toward arresting and adapting to climate change.
 
Under the CIFs' Clean Technology Fund (CTF), an... Read more..

Mizoram farming plan can be a model: official

The Planning Commission Wednesday lauded the Mizoram government’s flagship programme - New Land Use Policy (NLUP) which aims to support 120,000 farming families over five years.

“NLUP would be a model for other states in India to take up alternative farming instead of age-old ‘Jhum’ cultivation (slash and burn method of farming),” Planning Commission member Secretary Suddha Pillai said here.

Tribals in the hilly terrains of Mizoram and other northeastern states have for generations carried out “jhum”, which has resulted in degradation of forest land and deterioration of soil... Read more..

UN close to finalizing a ban on Western e-waste exports

The United Nations is one step closer towards implementing a ban on the export of electronic waste from developed nations to the developing world.
At a recent United Nations environmental conference in Cartagena, Colombia, attended by over 170 represented countries, 50 nations have ratified an amendment to the 1989 Basel Convention which will restrict the export of electronic waste to the developing world. Only 17 nations needed to ratify the amendment in order to see it introduced, but the deal, brokered by Indonesia and Switzerland, has found significant support.
The Basel... Read more..

Climate summit set for rows on flying, cash and history

EU plans on aviation, "climate aid" and the West's past CO2 output are set to be divisive at the UN climate summit.

India has tabled a paper arguing that the EU's plan to include international flights in its emissions trading scheme violates the UN climate convention.

Meanwhile, technical analysis for a group of developing countries says Western nations have a duty to absorb CO2 over the coming decades.

It also says the West is not living up to promises on climate finance.

The summit opens at the end of the month in Durban, South Africa.

Earlier this week... Read more..

Pioneering photovoltaic recycling project in Spain

Spain is set for its first plant dedicated to the recycling of solar panel systems. Domestic renewable energy provider Electria is teaming up with Poseidon Solar of India - which provides silicon recycling services for the global solar industry - in a Euro 3 million investment in a plant to be known as PVR3. Around 20 direct jobs will be created.

‘In the coming years, we will have to regulate the recycling of waste components and renewable energy, a sector which shows exponential growth,’ says José Luis Manzano, President of Electria. ‘The recycling of the modules, whether... Read more..

Dantherm Power wins order for 30 fuel cell telecom backup power systems in India

Dantherm Power has received an initial purchase order from Delta Power Solutions, for 30 fuel cell backup power systems to be installed at telecom service sites in India by the end of 2011.

Dantherm Power – the Danish backup power company within PEM fuel cell manufacturer Ballard Power Systems – has received an initial purchase order from Delta Power Solutions (India) Pvt Ltd. The 2 kW-rated DBX2000 fuel cell systems will be delivered in India and installed at sites of a major telecom service provider by year-end.

‘This initial sale under our collaboration agreement with... Read more..

Ex-Im Bank Announces $103.2 Million in Export Financing for Solar Deals to India

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) approved $103.2 million in financing for two more solar transactions in India in the final months of fiscal year 2011. The approvals brought the total number of Indian solar projects that the Bank has financed in FY 2011 to six and the Bank's total authorizations for these projects to $176.4 million. 

The recent increased demand for solar power in India is in part due to India's national solar initiative, the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, and its establishment of a clean energy fund valued at $223 million. The... Read more..

Carbon emission details of only 7% Indian firms public

Indian companies seem to be shying away from making their carbon emission details public, according to a survey by a UK-based non-profit body. Only seven per cent of Indian firms give out complete and verified data about their carbon emissions, says London-headquartered Environmental Investment Organisation (EIO) in its study.

Among the BRICS countries, companies in Brazil and South Africa are more forthcoming in making their emission details public than in India, the study notes. About 31 per cent companies in South Africa do share complete and verified data about their emissions... Read more..

Trendtour India for Sustainable Growth

The Syntens Trendtour focuses on innovation and sustainability. The Trendtour has been organized in collaboration with NexusNovus and Booming India and covers Mumbai & Bangalore in five days.

The 25 Dutch participants will have a heavy schedule to digest on their five days business trip to India, but certainly one worth the long flight from Europe. The Syntens Trendtour concentrates on sustainable growth in India and is one of a series of Trendtours following each a specific topic, every time with maximum 25 participants.

From Monday 7th to Friday 11th of November... Read more..

Swedish govt team shows interest in developing Mihan

Vidarbha's ambitious project Mihan may get some financial and technological support from the Swedish government. A four-member Swedish team expressed interest in the project during their visit on Wednesday. They were also keen to extend technological support to Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) in four other projects.

Pravin Darade, NIT chairman and joint managing director of Mihan, said the Swedish team visited Mihan and went through all projects. He added that they were very happy with the detailed information about Mihan which was given to them. "The Swedish government... Read more..