You are here
Sustainability Outlook Headlines
A stronger backbone for regulatorsStatutory regulators were first created in India in the financial sector. The Reserve Bank of India, the Forward Markets Commission and the Railway Rates Tribunal were some of the regulators created before Independence. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority followed later. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India was created in 1997. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission came in 1998, and other state electricity regulatory commissions followed. In more recent years, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory... Read more.. Date : Dec 26 Source: Business Standard
|
Non-availability of subsidy is not the only reason for fall in electric vehicle sales: MinistryThe ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) has provided financial assistance for the purchase of new battery-operated vehicles (four wheelers and two wheelers) and supported 47,000 vehicles so far. However, no new proposal could be supported due to utilization of budget for liquidating the committed liabilities in the past few years, an official statement said. Several companies have complained of a drop in sales and shutting down of dealerships since sales of electric vehicles (EV) had not taken off. Companies like Mahindra & Mahindra had also said that they would not... Read more.. Date : Dec 26 Source: Times of India
|
Agri companies now prefer solar powered products in rural IndiaAround 150 km from Lucknow, progressive farmer Atul Singh recently invested in a 5 hp 'Shashwat Green' brand solar pump costing Rs 4.25 lakh for irrigation of his banana crop spread across 5-6 acres.
"We expect to recover the cost of investment in a year's time," said Singh who was purchasing over 10,000-12,000 litre of diesel annually.
"Solar powered irrigation system is a strong answer to prevailing energy insecurity and erratic power supply in the farm sector that needs to improve its productivity to beat the inflation," said... Read more.. Date : Dec 26 Source: Economic Times
|
Maharashtra loses 2100 sq km of forest area due to development: contributes to climate change and water insecurityMaharashtra has lost a staggering 2,116 sq km of forest area or an equivalent of three Tadoba forest reserves in the span of two decades, reveals a report tracking climate change in India released recently by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation. The state has also gained 5,030 sq km of forest cover in the period covered by the report (1987-2011). However, forest cover is not the same as forest area; mapped by satellite imaging, it includes zones such as rubber and teak plantations which do not deliver the... Read more.. |
One solution for two problems in fuel cellsToday, two innovations lead the roster of answers in the search for pollution-free sources of energy. The first, electric batteries, are already marketable but also plagued by concerns over high recharge-time and suboptimal performance in cold climes. Hydrogen fuel cells (HFCs), the other solution, face a different problem. Asian car-makers are ready with HFCs running at 60 per cent efficiency and already 50 per cent cheaper to make than in 2011. However, there is a conspicuous absence of hydrogen-refuelling stations owing to... Read more.. |
Mytrah Energy adds 150 MW wind power capacityMytrah Energy Ltd has added wind power generation capacity of about 150 MW in the three southern States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This has increased its installed wind power generation capacity from 309.9 MW to 459.9 MW. The wind power generation company, based in Hyderabad and listed on the Alternative Investment Market of (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange, is implementing wind farms with total capacity of 238.2 MW at three locations — Burugula (37.4 MW) in Andhra Pradesh, Savalsang (100.3 MW) in Karnataka and Vagrarai (100.5 MW) in Tamil Nadu. It has... Read more.. Date : Dec 25 Source: Business Line
|
PMC willing to recycle grey waterThe Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has proposed a pilot project to recycle grey water in an effort to find a sustainable solution to the city's water woes. The civic administration's proposal says that sewage water generally contains 69% grey water and 31% black water. "If grey water is separated from black water and treated, it will help save the treatment cost. Corporator Aba Bagul, who represents ward 67 in Sahakarnagar, has insisted on installing a pilot project. The civic administration has to provide guidance on the further process," says the note prepared by the... Read more.. Date : Dec 25 Source: Times of India
|
Indian Ministry of Power reviews year end 2013The year 2013 saw several important decisions and critical steps being taken to speed up the languishing power projects, remove bottlenecks and interact closely with all stakeholders whether state governments, ministries, or the private sector to make power generation a seamless process. 1. Installed Capacity/Capacity Addition and Power Generation The total installed capacity of the power sector stood at 2,29,252 MW by October 31st 2013 with the private sector contributing a significant 72,927 MW... Read more.. |
IIT-M to study powering rail coaches with solar energyIndian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras will soon be carrying out a feasibility study on setting up solar panels to generate electricity to non-air conditioned Indian Railway coaches. The project, mooted by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) soon after it got national award for energy conservation recently, will be implemented based on the study’s outcome. “The power generated from the solar panel will be used for lights and fans in non-air conditioned coaches”, ICF spokesperson G Subramanian told Deccan Herald. The official said that the aim of the ambitious... Read more.. Date : Dec 25 Source: Deccan Herald
|
'Delhi Master Plan should make waste disposal area mandatory in each zone'The Delhi Master Plan 2021 should make it mandatory for each zone to have a designated area for waste disposal, said Sunita Narain, Director-General of the Centre for Science and Environment on Monday Ms. Narain said: “The new Master Plan needs to have an environment service zone so that no zonal plan can be passed on disposal of liquid or solid waste without its approval.” Expressing concern over city dwellers’ reluctance to have waste disposal plants near their houses, she said: “As cities are... Read more.. |
India offers Nepal assistance in renewable energyIndia has offered all possible assistance to Nepal in developing its renewable energy resources. This offer was made by Dr Farooq Abdullah, Minister for New and Renewable Energy when he called on the President of Nepal Dr. Ram Baran Yadav at Kathmandu. Farooq also called on Khil Raj Regmi, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Interim Election government. During the meeting, Farooq briefed him on the energy situation in India and the rapid growth of the renewable energy sector in India. He spoke... Read more.. |
Why 2014 is a critical year for the politics of climate changeThe formal processes of the UNFCCC (UN climate body) will mosey on to plot the structure and lay out the policy options for the 2015 agreement. But it is the informal processes which have the most potential to shape the national interest debates in many critical countries. In the past, the political dividends created from the informal processes have remained invisible to the naked UNFCCC negotiator eye until the ‘grand finale’, often resulting in considerable levels of frustration for those of us who track the COPs (annual UN climate summit) and intercessionals (smaller UN meetings... Read more.. Date : Dec 25 Source: RTCC
|
NASA Satellite Sees Increase of India's Sulfur Dioxide EmissionsPower plant emissions of sulfur dioxide - an atmospheric pollutant with both health and climate impacts - have increased across India in recent years, according to a new analysis of data from a NASA satellite. The analysis of data captured by an instrument on NASA's Aura satellite found that emissions of sulfur dioxide from Indian power plants have increased by more than 60 percent between 2005 and 2012, according to new research led by Zifeng Lu of Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Ill. The study was published online Dec. 5 in... Read more.. |
Green activists demand complete ban on hydel projectsA day after green activists created uproar during the consultation meeting held at Jhakri in connection with the Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) study of Satluj basin, Himalaya Niti Abhiyan on Sunday demanded moratorium on hydro-electric projects in Satluj and other river basins of Himachal Pradesh. Green activists claim that hydel projects are destroying all five river basins and the entire riverine ecology and future of people's livelihoods in Himachal Pradesh. They said Satluj basin alone accounts for 13,332 MW (revised... Read more.. |
India proposes JV to develop Nepali hydropowerIndia has proposed to form a joint venture for the development of hydropower in Nepal. Indian officials floated the idea at the two-day Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) - a commerce secretary level meeting between Nepal and India - that concluded in Kathmandu on Sunday. Responding to the proposal, Nepali officials said the issue should be dealt by Nepal-India Joint Committee on Water Resources (JCWR) -- a secretary-level joint committee of Ministry of Energy of Nepal and Ministry of Water Resources of India that oversees water resources related issues. A joint company promoted... Read more.. Date : Dec 24 Source: MyRepublica
|
Enzyme discovery to help develop efficient biofuelsIn a breakthrough, scientists have discovered a family of enzymes that will help develop effective second generation biofuels to be used in vehicles. Biofuels have increased in popularity because of rising oil prices and the need for energy security. Researchers from the University of York have now discovered a family of enzymes that can degrade hard-to-digest biomass into its constituent sugars. The use of 'difficult-to-digest' sources, such as plant stems, wood chips, cardboard waste or insect/crustacean shells, offers a potential solution. Fuel made from... Read more.. Date : Dec 23 Source: Times of India
|
Research body joins hands with Bayer to develop solar dryers for farm producePlanters’ Energy Network, a research organisation, and Bayer MaterialScience have joined hands to develop sustainable and efficient drying technologies to solve post-harvest problems. In Tamil Nadu, Bayer has chosen eight places for installing solar dryers and sensitising farmers on the benefits of the technology. These include Krishnagiri for mango, Thottiam for banana, Pollachi and Ottanchattiram for vegetables and Virudhunagar for chilli. Isaac Emmanuel, Head – Business Development and Social Business Initiatives, Bayer MaterialScience, told Business Line that his... Read more.. Date : Dec 23 Source: Hindu Business Line
|
Tata Power solar targets granted 2016 extensionThe utility unit of Tata Power Co. will be allowed to push back its solar power procurement targets to as late as 2016 after an Indian state electricity regulator agreed that a shortage of sun-based power generation in the country had hindered the company’s aims. A statement issued by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission outline how Tata Power has been unable to meet government renewable mandates since 2010 because of a nationwide shortfall in PV installations. "It faced a genuine difficulty," said the commission, setting a new date of March 31, 2016 for the... Read more.. Date : Dec 23 Source: PV Magazine
|
Farming system to address nutritional needsThe M S Swaminathan Foundation has launched farming system for nutrition (FSN) in Koraput's Boipariguda block to address malnutrition problems among tribals, particularly women and children. The initiative has been designed to produce crops and promote nutrition gardens to meet the nourishment need of farmer families, said eminent agri-scientist M S Swaminathan here on Monday. "Our aim is healthy farming. We want farmers not just to concentrate on commercial crops, but also integrate food crops which can address specific nutrition deficiencies in people and reduce... Read more.. Date : Dec 23 Source: Times of India
|
Tech Committee Okays GEDCOL ProposalThe State Technical Committee (STC) has approved the proposal of the Green Energy Development Corporation Limited (GEDCOL) for establishment of a solar power park at Manamunda Industrial Estate in Boudh district. The first meeting of the STC held recently discussed the technical details of the project which proposed to generate about 50 MW of solar power with an investment of ` 400 crore. The detailed project report is under preparation by WAPCOs, a Government of India undertaking providing consultancy services in power and infrastructure, sources in the Energy Department... Read more.. Date : Dec 23 Source: The New Indian Express
|
MERC against competition in wind powerEven as MSEDCL is facing allegations of irregularities in power purchase, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) has turned down a plea in which MSEDCL was seeking transparency. MSEDCL wanted to purchase wind power through competitive bidding, but the Commission wants MSEDCL to buy it at rates fixed by it. MSEDCL filed a petition in MERC seeking a review. The Commission agreed that it was a valid point, but referred the matter to a committee headed by principal secretary (energy), with representatives of wind power companies, Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (... Read more.. Date : Dec 23 Source: Times of India
|
Electro-chlorination to Take Top Spot in Water and Wastewater Disinfection Systems Market in India[Report Release] The increasing difficulty in meeting the growing water demand of industries in India is necessitating optimization of available water resources. Public pressure on industries to treat their effluents is also increasing; at the same time industries have become conscious about the quality of water and therefore, are adopting advanced disinfection systems to enhance its quality. Initiatives to improve water supply and sanitation for the expanding population too are on the rise. Such endeavors are providing increasing growth opportunities for players in... Read more.. |
Solar jackets to make next summer coolerEnjoy the chill in air for the time being instead of fretting over the sultry summer that will follow the brief winter season in city. By the time summer sets in, you may have a new jacket in your wardrobe to save yourself from the heat. Solar expert SP Gon Chaudhuri and scientists of the SN Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences are working on the final stages to introduce solar jackets some time next month. Gon Chaudhuri, the former advisor to the state power department, said the prototypes had already been prepared and will be launched officially in the first week of January. "... Read more.. Date : Dec 23 Source: Times of India
|
World Bank Foresees Potential For 20 GW Indian Solar FutureIndia’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, launched in 2010, is “well-poised to make India a global leader in the development of solar power,” says the World Bank. Aiming to install 20 GW of solar power by the yer 2020, India is already well on her way, having grown from an installed solar capacity of only 30 MW in 2010 to 2,000 MW in 2013. A new report released by the World Bank – Paving the Way for a Transformational Future: Lessons from JNNSM Phase 1 (PDF) — notes that solar power can reduce India’s dependence on foreign... Read more.. |
Deutsche Bank: Sustainable solar market expected in 2014The German bank has raised its 2013 global solar demand forecast to 30 GW – representing a 20% year-on-year increase – on the back of suggestions of strong demand in markets including India, the U.S., China (around 7 to 10 GW), the U.K. (around 1 to 2 GW), Germany and Italy (around 2 GW). Rooftop installations are, in particular, expected to be a main focus, says Deutsche Bank. A trend for projects being planned with either "minimal/no incentives" has also been observed, despite the belief that solar policy outlooks are improving, particularly in the U.S., China and India, and "... Read more.. Date : Dec 19 Source: PV Tech
|
