Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Airlines in EU biofuels pact to cut pollution

European airlines, biofuel producers and the EU Commission signed up on Wednesday to produce 2 million tonnes of biofuel for aviation by 2020 even as debate rages over how green such fuels actually are.

Airlines are keen to use biofuels as a way of cutting down on pollution from jet fuel but the use of food crops, such as palm oil, in their production has come under fire for taking land that could be used to grow food to feed people.

A report by 10 international agencies including the World Bank and World Trade Organization earlier this month said governments should scrap... Read more..

Aligarh Muslim University may get Indo-US energy centre

The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) may soon host the Indo-US energy centre.

 
Farooq Abdullah, minister for new and renewable energy, has promised to clear the project, said vice chancellor PK Abdul Azis late Tuesday.

Highlighting the increase in electricity consumption during an energy conservation meet here, Azis urged the AMU community to adopt possible corrective measures including use of modern-age technology.

AMU is a big consumer of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd. with sanctioned load of 6.1 MVA and the power is received through two 33 KV... Read more..

IIT-D to develop eight hi-tech STPs in Gr Noida

To ensure that no untreated municipal sewage and industrial effluent is drained into the Hindon, the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority has proposed to install eight new sewage treatment plants (STP) with upgraded technology at various spots across the city.

The Authority has consulted IIT-Delhi for developing all the eight STPs and these will operate using the modern Sequencing Batch Reactor technology.

The installation of these state-of-the-art STPs would not only guarantee a clean environment, ensure better quality of treated water and stop the use of ground... Read more..

India a hotspot for solar VCs

Solar energy, a growing favourite with venture capitalists worldwide in a $100 billion (Rs 4,50,000 crore), has another favourite now – India. Private equity firms putting their money on solar power equipment components such as modules, cells and waters are now looking at the country, moving away fr om advanced markets, say industry executives and analysts.

As much as $100 million (Rs450 crore) has flowed into India's solar energy sector in the past 18 months, according to the estimates by venture capitalism blog VCcircle. In 2011, the sector has received more than $45 million (... Read more..

Indian steel industry should go for green technology

There is a need to embrace green technologies for healthy growth of the steel industry, SAIL Chairman C S Verma said today.

"There is an immediate need for consensus building among stakeholders ... for ensuring the growth of the steel industry and bringing about green steel making," Verma who is also Chairman of the CII National Committee on Steel said.

Speaking at the CII National Committee meeting, he said the industry should adapt best-in-class technology and global best practices to remain globally competitive, a CII statement said.

The statement added that the... Read more..

Moser Baer May Start India’s Largest Solar Plant Within 3 Weeks

Moser Baer Ltd., India’s second- largest maker of solar cells, plans to start the country’s biggest solar-power plant in the next three weeks.

“Commissioning is subject to grid connection,” K.N. Subramaniam, chief executive officer of the company’s solar photovoltaic division, said in an interview today in New Delhi. “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

The 30-megawatt project in the western state of Gujarat would be India’s largest solar photovoltaic plant to date, according to data compiled by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Photovoltaic plants directly convert sunlight into... Read more..

Depleting forest cover could have grave impact

What might seem tiny could actually mean a lot, especially if it's to do with a huge carbon sink like the Western Ghats. Steady degradation of forest cover here is no surprise though central government remote-sensing figures show little loss. But this loss will mean grave danger in the years to come.

Prof N H Ravindranath of the Indian Institute of Science, currently doing an assessment of deforestation in the ghats, found that in Uttara Kannada district, the area under forest cover was 7,84,000 hectares in 2001 but that got reduced to 7,82,000 ha in 2007. In Shimoga, 4,44,000 ha of... Read more..

CII BEE Workshop on Energy Efficiency

Workshop on Enhancing Competitiveness through Energy Efficiency organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) on 16th June 2011 in Faridabad. Mr B S Yadav, Additional Director, Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA), Government of Haryana addressed the participants at the workshop and informed about the various incentive schemes for promotion of use Renewable energy in the state of Haryana.

Mr Yadav further said that the state of Haryana has the energy savings potential of 622.4 MW. Keeping this opportunity in perspective... Read more..

Come clean on energy, people tell Airtel chief

Disappointed over the breakdown of talks between telecom giant Bharti Airtel and Greenpeace over a timeline for disclosing its carbon emission, thousands of people sent emails to the Airtel chief demanding the same.

 
According to a statement by Greenpeace, the environmental NGO, people bombarded Bharti Airtel's chief Sunil Bharti Mittal with e-mails after the telecom giant backtracked from its earlier assurance of committing to a timeline for disclosing carbon emission and a clean energy roadmap.

"About 16,000 mobile users across India have sent e-mails to Sunil Bharti... Read more..

China's refusal to have water-sharing pacts may have serious consequences for India

The recent scare about China diverting the Brahmaputra is not the first time that India has expressed concerns about its communist neighbour's hydel projects and it is unlikely to be the last given that China not only has a host of projects lined up on the river – 24 according to some reports – but also at least five with a cumulative power generation capacity of about 2000 MW lined up on the Arun river (Bamchu) that enters India to become the Kosi.

Neither is India the only country voicing these concerns. China's abhorrence of any proposal to share natural resources has also caused... Read more..

Upcoming airports focus on greener buildings

India’s upcoming airports are focusing on energy-efficient buildings, high-performance air conditioning, rainwater harvesting, waste-water treatment, and optimal reuse of treated water to align themselves with environment-friendly development.

Such measures are also being implemented at the Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata airports that are being upgraded.

New Delhi airport’s Terminal 3, or T3, the centrepiece of its $3 billion (Rs. 13,500 crore) modernization plan that was completed last year, was designed as per the Indian Green Building Council’s (IGBC) rating system, which... Read more..

Intertek eyes textile cos for green audit services

Intertek, a leading provider of quality and safety solutions to the textiles industry has taken up green initiative under its 'Think Green Initiative' (TGI) auditing services. The company intends to bring as many textile retailing value chains under this initiative as possible so as to create a sustainable environment conservation approach.

TGI audit covers two core compliance modules including environmental legal compliance and environmental management system of the companies operational in the manufacturing as well as in the textile retailing. Some of the global retail giants have... Read more..