Sustainability Outlook Headlines

No water cut for liquor companies in Aurangabad

Industries in the region heaved a sigh of relief on Monday after the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court vacated its order on water cut to liquor, beer industries.
The court had ordered 50% water cut from April 27 to May 10 and then increased it to 60% till June 10. The court had then also made it clear that the government could introduce more cuts in water supply to these units if the situation so demanded.
"On Monday, we brought to the notice of the high court bench comprising Justice S S... Read more..

17 lakh tonne of e-waste generated in India in 2014

The government today said that around 17 lakh tonne of e-waste was generated in the country in 2014 and it has notified rules in March this year to ensure better management of such wastes.

"Based on a survey carried out by the Central Pollution Control Board in 2005, the generation of e-waste in the country was assessed at 1.46 lakh tonne and was estimated to exceed 8 lakh tonne by 2012.

Tenders for 20GW solar power projects issued so far: Government

Tenders for solar projects worth 20,766 MW have been issued so far, out of which power purchase agreements have been signed for 8,482 MW, Parliament was informed today.

New and Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha said that out of the 20,766 MW capacity, letter of intent has been issued for 3,392 MW while financial bids have been opened for 1,930 MW.... Read more..

Tonello launches water saving tech for garment finishing

Italian textile machine builder Tonello has launched a new tech solution, applicable to all of its existing garment finishing machine range, which claims to ensure water savings of 56 per cent compared with standard washing. Tonello's new UP process also allows for reduced chemical use, reduced energy consumption and shorter processing times.

Environment ministry to install five pollution sucking devices across Mumbai

The Maharashtra environment ministry has decided to install pollution-sucking devices at traffic junctions across Mumbai. The city will become the first to get such devices. According to the ministry, the technology has been jointly developed by the National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Mumbai, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), and E-square. "This device can suck pollution from 1,000 sqft of area around its installed location. We will... Read more..

Energy Efficient Services Ltd to distribute LED tube lights to consumers at around Rs 220 apiece

State-run Energy Efficient Services Ltd will soon start distributing energy-efficient LED tube lights to consumers at around Rs 220 apiece, or just about one-fourth the prevailing market price of Rs 800.

EESL received the lowest bid of Rs 140 apiece of 20-watt tubelight in response to its tender for procurement of one crore LED tubelights, its managing director Saurabh Kumar told ET.

... Read more..

National Energy Policy by NITI Ayog to make polluter pay for emissions

NITI Aayog is likely to unveil the new National Energy Policy in the next three months with a focus on air quality issue, renewable energy, natural gas, universal electrification and clean cooking fuel.

The policy will replace Integrated Energy Policy that envisioned a road map for sustainable growth with energy security over a reasonable period of time. It was approved by the Union Cabinet in December 2008... Read more..

Discoms arbitrarily shutting off solar power, government tells CERC

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has complained to the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) that some discoms are not fully evacuating the solar power available to them, resulting in losses for solar developers.

Discoms have been arbitrarily shutting off power from solar projects, for varying lengths of time, often during peak consumption hours.

... Read more..

Handling of toxic waste: NGT seeks details from states

With the issue of toxic waste being released from industries becoming a major environmental issue, the National Green Tribunal has directed various state governments including the national capital to state how many industries were authorized to deal with the hazardous waste.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar ordered Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments... Read more..

INDO-US Clean Energy Fund

India and the United States of America (USA) will be jointly working for the creation of US $ 20 million for US-India Energy Finance Initiatives, equally supported by the USA and India, which is expected to mobilize up to US $ 400 million to provide finances for clean and renewable electricity by 2020. This was stated by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy and Mines in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

... Read more..

Swedish firm keen on bringing offshore wind energy to T.N.

Swedish company Flowocean AB has expressed interest in setting up floating offshore wind turbines in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, subject to the approval of State governments.

It is also open to exploring possibilities of making components for turbines in the two States under the Make in India initiative, according to a press release from Flowocean. The company is talking to industries in Gujarat and is... Read more..