Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Wipro, HP top Greener Electronics list

Greenpeace on Wednesday released a new and upgraded version of its Guide to Greener Electronics wherein Wipro retains the top slot followed by HCL Infosystem in the Indian version.
 
The international version ranks the IT manufacturing company HP at the top slot, taking the lead over Dell and Nokia in international version.

Three new companies are included in the latest version of the guide. Research in Motion (RIM), manufacturer of Blackberry phone, is included in the international version while Chirag Computers and SAI InfoSystem are included in the Indian version.... Read more..

75 crore plan in pipeline for waste management

The corporation has proposed a solid waste management plan to segregrate waste in the newly added areas of Greater Chennai. The 75-crore proposal has been sent to the state government for approval.

Corporation commissioner D Karthikayen said that the money would be used for providing better facilities in existing dumpyards. "If required, the corporation will create new dumpyards in those areas" he added.

After the expansion, the civic body is clearing 4,400 tonnes of waste from 426 sq km of the city every day. The notified grounds in Perungudi and Kodungaiyur receive at least... Read more..

India May Award 1 Gigawatt of Solar-Plant Permits Starting 2015

India plans to award another 1 gigawatt of solar power permits in the five-year period starting 2015, more than double it originally planned, Bharat Bhargava, director at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, said today in the southern city of Hyderabad

Sunny side of slowdown, policy changes ‘lowers' solar project costs

 The global economic slowdown has meant turmoil in the solar photovoltaic sector over the past few quarters. This has resulted in lower demand for solar photovoltaic products in developed markets; but the impact on the sunrise sector in India has been mixed . Exports are under pressure, but the cost of deployment is down to Rs 9-10 crore per MW, according to SEMI, the global association for semiconductor and the solar sectors.

The trigger for the fall in demand was the economic slowdown in Europe, and policy changes in some countries. This has meant that prices of solar panels have... Read more..

AEG Targets $687 Million of Clean-Energy Sales in 2012, FAZ Says

 AEG Power Solutions BV is targeting 500 million euros ($687 million) in renewable-energy sales next year as it grows in India, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported, citing Chief Executive Officer Horst Kayser.

AEG Power, a unit of Netherlands-based 3W Power SA, expects its new factory in Bangalore, which makes inverters used in solar plants, to benefit from India’s plan to install 20,000 megawatts of panels by 2020, Kayser told the newspaper.

Essar Energy to commission power projects by March next year

 Essar Energy today said it expects to complete three power projects by March next year that would increase its total generation capacity to 4,510 MW.

The company, a part of Ruias-led conglomerate Essar group, is also planning to float a sponsored ADR programme this year, that would allow American investors to trade in Essar Energy shares.

London-listed Essar Energy also has interests in oil and gas and owns the Vadinar oil refinery in Gujarat.

"In Power, we expect to commission three projects, Mahan I, Salaya I and Vadinar P2, by end March 2012 which will increase our... Read more..

SBI Macquarie Invests in Soham Renewable Energy

The SBI Macquarie Infrastructure Fund has invested $25.5 million in Soham Renewable Energy India Pvt. Ltd, a hydro-electric power projects firm based in Bangalore, according to a press release Monday.

The investment forms part of a total commitment of $76.5 million for current and future projects to be implemented by Soham Group.

Soham Renewable Energy had previously raised private equity funds from the DE Shaw group.

The company had previously constructed and commissioned two hydroelectric power projects and currently is working on five other projects. With the... Read more..

River restoration plan draws flak

The Pune Municipal Corporation's 'Restoration of Mutha and Mula-Mutha Rivers' project, planned under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, came in for sharp criticism from seven NGOs in the city.

The NGOs pointed out that the detailed project report (DPR) of the project does not really focus on restoration of rivers, but on preparing a backdoor entry for navigation project and real estate development.

These NGOs came together at an analytical presentation on the 'Restoration of Mula-Mutha rivers' here on Sunday. According to them, cleaning of the river, sewage... Read more..

ICAR proposes 100 more Krishi Vigyan Kendras for larger districts in 12th Plan

With an aim to bring about the second green revolution through adoption of effective scientific agricultural methods, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under Agriculture Ministry has proposed 100 more Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) across the country in the 12th Plan.

In a proposal sent to the apex planning body, Planning Commission, ICAR has said that in big districts, one KVK is not effective as farmers have to travel long to access the extension services — a system where farmers... Read more..

RPower to get Rs 525 cr from ADB, US Exim Bank for solar project

Anil Ambani group company Reliance Power has tied up funds for its 40 MW solar power project, with loans worth Rs 525 crore coming from the Asian Development Bank and the US Exim Bank.

The plant, coming up at Jaisalmer district in Rajasthan, would also be the first Indian power project to get financing from only global lenders, sources said.

The project -- India's largest solar PV initiative -- entails a total capital cost of about Rs 700 crore to be financed at a debt-equity ratio of 75:25.

Sources said Reliance Power would pump in Rs 175 crore into the project.

US to mobilize $25 mn for clean energy R&D in India

The United States will mobilize USD 25 million of Department of Energy funding for a joint clean energy research and development (R and D) center in India, Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco J. Sanchez said here Monday.
 
"By investing in R and D today we can ensure that we are leading the global economy of tomorrow. It is the first venture of its kind that the energy department has leveraged with the foreign government demonstrating how much we value our partnership with India," said Sanchez at an event organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).... Read more..

Carbon emissions rise by 5% after a dip in 2009

After a dip for two years, the climate change causing carbon emissions rose by 5% in 2010 with India and China being the biggest contributors indicating a global economic recovery, a study released by European Commission states. The report sponsored by European Union, which comes before
 
the global climate conference in Durban in November end, admits that the emissions from the developed world, especially United States and European Union, grew by almost 3 to 4% in 2010.
Carbon emissions by US and European Union - world's biggest emitters - had dipped by 7-12% in 2009... Read more..