Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Renewable energy can help bridge energy deficit, check govt's subsidy burden

Switching rural India on to renewable energy sources could help the country bridge its widening energy deficit , according to the Planning Commission. The panel has suggested diversification of the rural energy basket as a measure to deal with the shortage of fuel at thermal power stations and to check the government's rising subsidy burden .

"There is a need to change the basket of our energy sources," a Planning Commission official said. "Meeting the needs of rural India through renewables seems like a good way to go and we will try to do that in the 12th Five-Year Plan." In an... Read more..

Cars to carry fuel efficiency labels soon

The wait is nearly over. Car buyers will soon be able to compare models based on government certified fuel efficiency labels before making a final choice without having to wonder which review to trust or go by sales talk.

With rising fuel costs, the eternal question posed by the cost-conscious Indian buyer – what's the mileage – will be answered more definitely as the Bureau of Energy Efficiency has almost finalized fuel efficiency labelling rules.

Labels on cars are to be voluntary to begin with but will be mandatory by March 2012. No new car will be on the road without... Read more..

Climate change will cut water for farmers: UN

THE UN food agency on Thursday warned climate change will restrict the availability of water for farming in decades to come, including in the Mediterranean region, and urged governments to take action.

A report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said climate change will reduce river runoff and aquifer recharges, adding that the loss of glaciers 'will eventually impact the amount of surface water available.'

The report said that in Asia 'large areas of irrigated land that rely on snowmelt and mountain glaciers for water will also be affected.' 'Heavily populated... Read more..

China tops US as world's largest energy consumer

China has become the world's largest energy consumer, overtaking the US. Chinese energy consumption grew by 11.2% between 2009 and 2010, the highest for any country. India was not far behind, recording a high 9.2% increase in energy consumption, according to the Statistical Review of World Energy 2011 report released by petroleum giant BP this week.

2009-10 was a energy-hungry year, where global oil consumption grew by 2.7 million barrels per day(bpd), or 3.1%, the strongest growth since 2004. "China contributed the largest national increment; its consumption rose by 8,60,000 bpd.... Read more..

Mahindra Satyam inaugurates smart grid customer demo centre

IT firm Mahindra Satyam today inaugurated a smart grid customer demonstration centre (CDC) at its Hyderabad campus.
The CDC will help customers understand the next generation technology in real-time and evaluate various technologies underlying the smart grid ecosystem, Mahindra Satyam said in a statement.
The smart grid CDC will simulate micro-grid technologies by incorporating advanced metering infrastructure, demand response, renewable energy integration, network automation etc, it added.
The CDC is developed in collaboration with Schneider Electric India and function... Read more..

India gets first e-waste management rules

Putting the onus of re-cycling of electronic wastes (e-waste) on the producers, the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) has for the first time notified e-waste management rules.

The e-waste (management and handling) Rules, 2011 would recognise the producers’ liability for recycling and reducing e-waste in the country. The rules will come into effect from May 1, 2012.

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- SBI to complete Rs 20,000-cr... Read more..

World-Bank Backed Azure Starts Up Solar-Power Plant in India

Azure Power, an Indian developer of solar power plants backed by the World Bank, has started running a 5-megawatt project in western India.

The state government of Gujarat will buy power from the plant under a 25-year power purchase agreement, the New Delhi- based company said in an e-mailed statement. The International Finance Corp., the private-sector financing arm of the World Bank, is an investor in the project.

The 1.7 billion-rupee ($38 million) project at Khadoda village in Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district will be expanded to 10 megawatts by the time it’s completed,... Read more..

Wind energy Vestas receives 31 MW wind turbines order for India

Vestas has received a wind power order for 17 units of the V100-1.8 MW wind turbine for the Eppodum Venran Wind Farm project in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.

The order has been placed by Beta Wind Farm Pvt. Ltd, which is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Orient Green Power Company Limited (OGPL). OGPL currently operates 152.6 MW of wind power and is planning to add another 300 MW in 2011. This 31 MW wind farm in Tamil Nadu is Orient’s second project with Vestas. Last year, Vestas received its first order from Orient for the Vellappaneri Wind Farm project, also located in the state of... Read more..

6,840 kg solid waste dumped daily at Ahmedabad railway stations

Around 6,840 kg of solid waste is generated every day in the three railway stations in Ahmedabad by nearly 1.6 lakh passengers, finds a study by an Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) student.

The report, prepared by Swati Toshniwal (PGP 2009-11) under the guidance of Prof G Raghuram titled 'Non-Degradable Waste Management in Indian Railways,' suggests that the measures taken by Indian Railways are not enough. It should adopt strategies to reduce non-biodegradable waste which is a major component of solid waste, says the paper.

The study, quoting a Cept report,... Read more..

Importance not given to tackle solid waste scientifically”

 Despite legislations in place for more than a decade, there was no visible improvement in the area of solid waste management throughout the country, speakers said at a seminar here on Tuesday.

Academicians, experts, government representatives, municipal engineers, students and young researchers came together at a seminar on waste management organised by the Centre for Waste Management of Sathyabama University in Sholinganallur in association with National Solid Waste Association of India (NSWAI) and International Solid Waste Association (ISWA).

On the occasion, speakers... Read more..

Ban on use of plastic violated by hotels, shops in state

Despite the ban on the use of recycled plastics, plastic is still used in hotels and shops in the state.

The Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 which has been enforced since a notification was issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests on February 7 of this year, had imposed a ban on the use of plastic materials in sachets for storing, packing or selling goods, tobacco, pan masala, etc.

Under the new rules, foodstuffs will not be allowed to be packed in recycled plastics or compostable plastics.

Plastic carry bags shall either be white or only... Read more..

Tata, NEDO open dual fuel power generation facility

Automobile giant Tata Motors today announced the opening of an environment-friendly dual-fuel based power generation facility at its Pune plant.
The plant was selected for the project by the Indian government, the Japanese government and The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO), to produce power through clean environment technology, the company said in a statement.
A memorandum of understanding was jointly signed between the Indian government, the Japnese government, NEDO and Tata Motors, to develop the plant.
Teams from Tata Motors and... Read more..