Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Solar energy more cost-effective than thermal power

The state will become self-sufficient in power by 2013, said minister for energy and higher education Jitendra Singh. He was speaking at the inaugural of two-day state-level conference on Power and Energy Systems-2011 at Rajasthan Technical University on Saturday. "Our daily power requirement is 1,300 lakh unit against a generation of 1,150 lakh unit," said the minister.

The Union government's Jawahar Solar Mission scheme will help generate 1,000 MW of electricity from solar energy and it will end power-cut in the state. In this project, the state will generate upto 1,500 MW in 2013... Read more..

Cities account for 70 per cent of emissions,says UN-HABITAT report

The Global Report on Human Settlement 2011 by UN-HABITAT says the world's cities, which account for just two per cent of the land area, are responsible for the emission of up to 70 per cent of the harmful greenhouse gases.

“Urban centres have become the real battleground in the fight against climate change and cities will neglect their role in responding to this crisis at their peril,” the report says.

The combination of urbanisation's fast pace and the demand for development poses the major threat, it adds.

Joan Clos, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, says that while... Read more..

India to see next wave of solar cell production: Expert

Michael Splinter, President and CEO of Applied Materials is looking at India as the next stop for chip manufacturing. In a CNBC-TV18's special show Forbes India, Splinter said, "I think there are real possibilities in India to see next wave of solar cell manufacturing. New technologies as well as, utilizing existing technology to satisfy the solar mission here in India is a tremendous opportunity to create jobs in manufacturing."

Splinter is a 30-year veteran of the semiconductor industry and has led Applied Materials to record revenue and profits during his tenure. Under his... Read more..

Suzlon Former Chief May Build Wind Farms With Suzlon, Kenersys, Regen

Sumant Sinha, former chief operating officer of India’s largest wind-turbine maker Suzlon Energy Ltd. (SUEL), may develop wind projects with his old company and with Germany’s Kenersys GmbH and Regen Powertech Pvt.

Sinha, who left Suzlon last May, has started a new company, ReNew Power Pvt., which plans to set up wind farms and solar power plants in India.

ReNew has signed agreements with Suzlon, Kenersys and Regen Powertech to identify sites and develop farms, Sinha said in a phone interview from Mumbai. ReNew has arranged some financing and may seek to raise more funds... Read more..

Walmart Scores First Absolute Emission Reduction, but Lags on Goal - Reuters India

Walmart is lagging on it plans to cut emissions at stores that existed in 2005 by 20 percent, but for the first time emissions at all stores, including ones built since then, have dipped.

In its 2011 environmental and social responsibility report, Walmart looks at its progress on the three ambitious goals set in 2005 — to be powered 100 percent by renewable energy, create zero waste and offer sustainable products — and related plans. Although Walmart details the work it's done related to the goals and gives figures on other goals, it doesn't have specifics on where it is in relation... Read more..

Energy saving light bulbs contains carcinogenic chemicals

Researchers have warned that use of energy saving light bulbs contain cancer-causing chemicals.

Scientists have warned that prolonged contact with the European Union-imposed bulbs could put people at risk after discovering that they "pulse out" poisonous materials when switched on.

While it was known that harmful amounts of mercury are released if one of the new "green" bulbs breaks, experts have now discovered they also emit several carcinogenic chemicals.

These include phenol - a poison used by the Nazis to kill concentration camp victims - and the toxins naphthalene... Read more..

Brevini to supply gearboxes to Winwind's manufacturing plant in India

Winwind Ltd has signed an agreement with Brevini Wind, a part of the Brevini Group to supply main gearboxes for Winwind's 1-MW turbines to Winwind's manufacturing and assembly plant in India.

The development and supply agreement is for the manufacturing of 1 MW main gearboxes at Brevini Wind's newly established factory in Yorktown, Indiana (USA). Brevini Wind Deutschland has developed a new planetary main gearbox for deployment in Winwind's 1 MW turbine in close co-operation with Winwind, from its engineering department at Bad Homburg (Germany).
The production for this type... Read more..

India Solar Projects Face Rising Costs, Deadline Crunch, Moser Baer Says

Some companies may miss deadlines to build India’s first solar power plants this year while others face rising costs as they compete for contractors and labor, the second-biggest solar-cell maker in India said.

Developers are having trouble obtaining financing from banks wary of lending to the new sector, which delays them from starting on their projects, K.N. Subramaniam, chief executive officer of the solar systems division of Moser Baer India Ltd. (MBI), said in an interview.

“If everybody is going to compete at the same time for resources, for contractors, for mechanical... Read more..

Abdul Kalam calls for India-Dubai energy platform

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, former Indian president, proposed an India-Dubai joint energy platform with about $700 million (Dh2.56 billion) for research, development and implementation of a green energy solution.

The continuous depletion of fossil fuels — oil, gas and coal reserves — as well as the fluctuation in the price of crude oil has made energy independence imperative.

"The India-Dubai Energy Platform will be a mission-mode partnership with about $700 million funding which would stimulate research, development, marketing, deployment and maintenance of customised and... Read more..

Assocham urges gov to encourage use of alternative fuel

Industry body Assocham today asked the government to make a policy, which encourages the use of alternative fuels such as cellulosic ethanol and set targets for blending it with petrol in order to reduce dependence on oil imports.

Cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel produced from wood, grasses or the non-edible parts of plants.

As one of the fastest growing economies in the world, India's demand for fuel is rising by five per cent per year and the country imports nearly 70 per cent of its crude oil requirements, putting a huge burden on foreign exchange reserves, it said... Read more..

ADB To Provide Up To $150 Million Credit Guarantee For India Solar Sector

The Asian Development Bank said Tuesday it will provide up to $150 million in credit guarantees to lenders in India to promote solar power as a major renewable energy source.

The guarantees will cover 50% of the payment default22222 risk on bank loans made to project developers, the multilateral financial institution said in a statement.

India has established a solar program under which it intends to commission 20, 000 megawatts in grid-connected solar power by 2022 to help fill persistent energy shortages in the country.

Siemens launches new wind turbine for Indian market

Siemens Energy Sector today said it has launched a new wind turbine for the Indian market.

The new product SWT-2.3-113 (Direct Drive) with leading technological edge was launched at Wind Power India International Conference and Exhibition 2011 at Chennai.

With this launch, Siemens intends to utilise its engineering expertise in energy efficiency to strengthen its local presence by manufacturing and supplying range of wind turbines, the company said in a statement.

Siemens will manufacture these products at Vadodara, Gujarat. The production at Vadodara is slated to... Read more..