Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Rooftop solar energy policy in Delhi soon: Dikshit

 NEW DELHI, INDIA: Delhiites would now be able to sell power directly with the Delhi government about to launch a roof top solar energy policy. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Thursday said the policy will be launched in the capital soon to encourage people to switch to the renewable energy source.

"We are soon starting rooftop solar policy for setting up solar power units on rooftops of households in the capital, where the owners of buildings will get incentives and it will be connected to the main grid," Dikshit said here at a seminar.

According to the policy, house owners... Read more..

Pharmaceutical Boom in Asia Beckons for Water and Wastewater Management Companies

North America and Europe have traditionally been the major pharmaceutical producers. However, in recent years, because of increased demand from local population and low production costs, new markets such as India, China, Brazil and Russia, among others, have emerged. The growing pharmaceutical infrastructure in these emerging markets is spurring the demand for high-purity water systems, creating opportunity for water management companies. In addition, many developed and developing nations are imposing stringent effluent standards on the wastewater discharged from drug manufacturing... Read more..

PMO finds slippages in some missions under climate change plan

The Prime Minister's Office has found that some of the missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change seem to be slipping from course.

The NAPCC, launched as part of India's domestic action in limiting growth of climate changing greenhouse gases, has eight missions – on solar power, energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, water, Himalayas, afforestation, agriculture and strategic knowledge.

While some have picked up steam, many have been lagging behind or have not shown any clear results, the PMO has found during a series of meetings as part of a mid-term review of... Read more..

Wind energy generation in Coimbatore drops

Most parts of the Coimbatore saw an additional half-an-hour load shedding on Monday and Tuesday as wind energy generation dropped.

An official of the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation said that apart from the three hours load shedding, half-an-hour additional load shedding was implemented as wind energy generation was almost nil on in the morning hours during the last three days.

The generation has slumped during the three days in the morning. In the evening hours, the generation was slightly better at about 300 mw on Monday. Apart from this, there were power... Read more..

Soon: India’s first REDD project

Forest conservation effort in Meghalaya can claim carbon benefits

Illustration: DivyaINDIA’S first pilot project to be recognised under the UN’s mechanism for reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) could be in the East Khasi Hills in Meghalaya.

A watershed project, started jointly by a California-based non-profit and a tribal community in 2005 in the northeastern state aims at checking deforestation and has shown potential as the country’s maiden REDD pilot. REDD is a mechanism for encouraging developing nations to preserve their forests by giving an... Read more..

Panasonic sets up first R&D subsidiary in India at Gurgaon

Panasonic today announced the establishment of its first R&D subsidiary in India, the Panasonic Research & Development Centre India (PRDCI), in Gurgaon, Haryana.

The PRDCI is in line with Panasonic's plans to make India a hub for the development of products that would contribute to the future Indian market and help realise green innovation for a sustainable society, the company said in a statement.

The PRDCI is Panasonic's ninth R&D centre in emerging countries and is expected to expand the company's operational scale in India.

The R&D centre would... Read more..

India Could Replace Gasoline Imports With Ethanol by 2020, Study Shows

India, the world’s second fastest- growing automobile market, could replace gasoline imports with ethanol by 2020 if policies and infrastructure are put in place to promote the green fuel, a report said.

India can potentially harvest enough bagasse, rice husk and sugar waste to produce as much as 50 billion liters (13 billion gallons) of ethanol without relying on food crops or disrupting agricultural land-use, according to a report today by Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah.

That would be enough to replace 86 percent of gasoline demand and remove the need for imports... Read more..

Indian water treatment plant uses Israeli technology

The Haryana government on Tuesday announced it would set up a major treatment plant on Gurgaon Canal, which supplies water to four districts in the region — Gurgaon, Faridabad, Mewat and Palwal. The water treatment plant will use Israeli technique to ensure optimum use of available water.

This was announced by chief parliamentary secretary (CPS) Dharambir at Nunhera village in Sohna after he laid a foundation stone of the boundary wall of a graveyard.

Interacting with media persons Dharambir said that Gurgaon canal feeder which takes off from Okhla barrage supplies water to... Read more..

India, Uzbekistan sign 34 pacts - Hindustan Times

India and Uzbekistan, the energy-rich Central Asian nation, Wednesday signed 34 pacts in diverse areas, including pharmaceuticals and hydrocarbons, and agreed to cooperate closely in stabilising Afghanistan. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks with Uzbek President Islam Abduganievich Karimov, w ho is here on a two-day visit, on a wide range of issues, including economic ties and closer cooperation in areas ranging from education, health and human resource development to energy, science and technology, tourism and culture.

"Both leaders agreed to elevate the bilateral... Read more..

Tata Power to add clean and renewable energy generation to its portfolio

The Company endeavors to substantially enhance its green energy generation through various renewable opportunities including a substantial presence in wind power. Tata Power is one of the private wind generation companies with an installed capacity of 273 MW and plants spread across four states Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, one of the states promoting wind power generation in India. In the State of Maharashtra, the Company's wind farms are located in Visapur and Sadawaghapur in Satara District, Khandke and Supa in Ahmednagar District, and Bramanvel in Dhulia district.... Read more..

Bosch announces 22.8 million euro higher education funding for India

Announcing a 22.8 million euros higher education funding for India, Bosch said today it is setting up a "Robert Bosch Centre for Research in Cyber Physical Systems", at the Indian Institute of Science here.

This would be a first-of-its-kind research centre and would promote applied research in the chosen domains of cyber physical systems, mobility solutions and renewable energy, the company said in a statement.

The centre would create an ecosystem of research and working environment for future engineers, and support the entire industry through contract research projects, it... Read more..

All should get energy by 2030, India tells UN panel

The country on Tuesday asked the United Nations to ensure universal energy access by 2030 and wanted right based approach enabling legal entitlements to be part of the UN charter on sustainable development. The country provides legal entitlements through laws such as Right To Information, Right To E ducation, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the Forest Rights Act.

Environment minister Jairam Ramesh told a UN panel on sustainable development at Helsinki on Tuesday that the country’s rights based approach in service delivery and citizen empowerment can be key... Read more..