Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Indo-US N-deal has miles to go: Anil Kakodkar

A key negotiator of the Indo-US nuclear deal, former atomic energy commission chief Anil Kakodkar , did not mince words on Monday in saying" more hurdles were coming in our way" in the form of the latest guidelines proposed by the nuclear suppliers group (NSG).

The NSG's move to restrict export of enrichment and reprocessing technology (ERT) to countries that have not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) will negate a considerable part of the waiver granted to India as a result of the Indo-US deal." Instead of moving forward, we are moving backward," Kakodkar said.... Read more..

BU to set up biogas plant at Jnanabharati

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Austerity measure
BU to set up biogas plant at Jnanabharati
Bangalore, July 4, DHNS:

Bangalore University (BU) will set up a biogas plant at its Jnanabharati campus to cut down expenditure on power bills and LPG cylinders. 

 
The University spends about Rs 2.50 crore per annum for electricity and incurs substantial expenditure on the LPG cylinders used for cooking at its various hostels. The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will supply 25 metric tonnes... Read more..

11th Five Year Plan targets 62,000 mw power

The India Power Summit 2011, a 2-day conference will be held on September 30 and October 1, 2011 to discuss and identify the challenges, investment opportunities in conventional and renewable energy sectors to leverage the enormous opportunities inherent in the Indian power sector.

Investment advisory firm Sparta Strategy will organize the conference which will offer the ideal environment where foreign power producers, investors meet Indian power producers, regulators, contractors financiers and advisories will deliberate promoting foreign direct investment, partnerships and capital... Read more..

Environment Ministry's nod must to import 2nd hand computers

Concerned over dumping of e-waste like used computers in the country, the Revenue Department on Monday asked customs officials to ensure that no such goods are imported without a nod from the Environment Ministry .

The direction comes after the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) assumed significance in wake of reports that e-wastes such as used computers, cathode ray tube, random access memory and electrical and electronic assemblies are being dumped in a big way into the country thereby posing serious threat to environment.

"We must ensure that India does not become... Read more..

GM crops save billion kg of CO2 gas emissions

Genetically modified crops have saved around 18 billion kg of C)2 gas emissions, which is equivalent to removing 8 million cars from the road, a fact that reveals importance of the newer plant technology in mitigating climate change.

"In 2009, the combined permanent and additional saving through sequestration was equivalent to a saving of around 18 billion kg of CO2 or removing about 8 million cars from the road," ISAAA chairman Clive James said quoting Brookes and Barfoot, 2011 (a UK-based PG Economics company).

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Big Impact

The Arctic is one of the regions that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) believes will be most affected by climate change. Some of the documented changes include thinning of the ice sheet, less multi-year ice (thick ice, accumulated over two melting seasons), increased river discharge into the Arctic Basin, speedy melting of glaciers, warmer surface temperatures and greater inflow of Atlantic water masses.

According to Geir Wing Gabrielsen from the Norwegian Polar Institute, these changes may potentially alter species distributions, food web structures, and carbon... Read more..

Tea industry irked as govt demands pollution control fees

The Assam government classifying tea industry under ‘orange’ category and asking them to pay pollution control fees for 10 years at lump-sum has irked the industry. It has demanded reconsideration of the government’s decision.

As per the Assam industrial policy 2008, which was announced in 2009, the state government classified all industries in the Assam under four categories, viz.; non-polluting, green, orange and red for obtaining faster pollution clearances and formalities. The ‘non-polluting’ ones need not obtain any clearance, while the ‘green’ ones just need to inform the... Read more..

Chennaiites looking up to solar energy

Rising fuel prices, frequent power cuts and the overall costs that accompany the use of electrical devices have forced many households and institutions in the city to look beyond conventional sources of energy, especially at solar power.

Suppliers point to a nearly-ten per cent-increase in the sale of solar devices in the city in the past one year. According to K. R. Jagadeesh Babu, General Manager, Solkar Solar Industry, the number of players in the solar energy market has increased from 50 to 75 this year with most of them based in Chennai. Solar water heaters, solar streetlights... Read more..

India tech breakthrough in solar thermal cooling system

Gurgaon, an industrial hub in India, witnessed the inauguration of world’s most efficient solar thermal cooling system at the Solar Energy Centre there Friday.

The new 100 kw Solar Air-Conditioning System works at 30% higher efficiency than the current available systems and has several unique features. It is based on the new triple effect absorption cooling technology. The system has indigenously built medium temperature high efficiency parabolic troughs for collection of solar energy and effective solar thermal energy storage in the form of Phase Change Materials.

Deny ENR tech, lose out on Indian N-reactor market: Rao

Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao has dropped hints that India may not buy nuclear reactors from countries which refuse to sell enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) technology to it.

This was even as she said that India already had reaffirmation of support for the 2008 NSG clean waiver to India, as also bilateral civil nuclear commitments, from major partners like the US, France and Russia in the wake of fresh NSG guidelines which ban sale of ENR to non-NPT signatories.

"We will defend our interests to the hilt," Rao said when asked in a TV interview if India would not buy reactors... Read more..

Kyoto Protocol must be preserved: India

India has said that the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol was essential to safeguard future of the global climate change negotiations process. Many countries argue the second commitment period for the protocol is possible when emerging economies like India and China agree to limit their emissions. New Delhi had clarified that while it recognises the need for a global goal to limit emissions, it can't happen at the cost of the economic growth of developing countries. India emissions will not peak for another three to four decades, during which time it will address its development... Read more..

Farooq Abdullah urges northeastern states to maximize use of renewable energy

Union New and Renewable Energy Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah today reviewed the implementation of renewable energy polices and programmes in the northeastern states at a meeting in New Delhi.

 
The meeting was attended by the Chief Minister of Meghalaya and the Power Ministers of other northeastern states, senior officials from the New and Renewable Energy Ministry and the state governments.

It was informed during the meeting that out of 4965 remote villages to be electrified/ illuminated through renewable energy systems in the region, 3841 villages have been... Read more..