Sustainability Outlook Headlines

IFC to raise additional Rs. 180 cr via Maharaja bonds

International Finance Corporation (a multilateral institution of the World Bank Group) has increased an outstanding Maharaja bond to raise an additional Rs. 180 crore ($27 million) for infrastructure investment in India. This is probably the first re-issuance of debt securities by a non-government in the domestic rupee markets.

IFC Maharaja bonds are issued under a $2.5 billion programme. The bonds are... Read more..

Government may soon come out with tenders for 2-4 GW solar power

The government is planning to bring out large tenders for producing 2-4 giga-watts (GW) of solar power, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said today.

"We are looking at coming out with 2-4 GW of solar power tenders. This will lead to economies of scale as large players will come as well as large capital..." Goyal told reporters on the sidelines of the India-Australia Energy Dialogue here.

... Read more..

MNRE revises benchmark cost of CST Technologies

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), has announced that it has proposed an upward revision of the benchmark cost of Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) Technologies Programme. The initiative is taken with the aim to promote energy efficiency.

The benchmark cost will be related to the performance efficiency in design and manufacturing of systems so that smaller systems could deliver more energy in a... Read more..

Himachal Pradesh announces 700MW solar policy, Karnataka tenders 240MW after proposal shortfall

The Indian state of Himachal Pradesh plans to establish 700MW of solar PV capacity under its revised Solar Power Policy 2016.

Unlike most states in India, Himachal Pradesh has been able to provide electricity to all its households since 1988, so the emphasis is now on moving to 100% renewable energy, according the state’s Department of Non-Conventional Energy Sources.

... Read more..

OST supports Solar In India

 OST Energy (OST) has announced that it has opened an office in New Delhi, India, to support its increasing work in the Indian renewable development market. OST incorporated its Indian business division in December 2015, and has already carried out a number of solar surveys with developer CLP.

Under Prime Minister Modi’s reforms of the energy market in 2014, solar energy has been identified as the leading... Read more..

Yes, Solar Can Go Lower (Perovskite Solar Cells, That Is)

Some solar industry observers have predicted that the cost of solar power will not continue to drop at its current rapid pace, but it’s still going to keep dropping, and with that in mind let’s take a look at a new breakthrough from EPFL, Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. It has concocted a perovskite solar cell that replaces a critical — but pricey — layer with a new material at only one-fifth the cost.

... Read more..

Date : Feb 8

Source: Clean Technica

Amsterdam firm creates online platform to help recycle, sell textile waste

In this era of Circular Economy, where ‘waste’ also holds value, an Amsterdam-based company has come up with Circulator, an online global market place to facilitate trade of recyclable textiles.

Initiated as a pilot project, and launched in January, it is facilitating industries in possible recovery, reuse and resale of resources across sectors and regions. It will cater to the supply and demand of... Read more..

CPWD eyes 42.50 MW solar power by Sept Our Bureau

 The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) is taking the solar route to make buildings energy-efficient and save on electricity costs.

“The CPWD will generate 42.50 MW of solar energy across the country besides replacing energy inefficient electrical fittings in 20 government buildings in Delhi by September 2016 and in the rest of the country later. These initiatives are estimated to result in a total... Read more..

Kiira Motors Unveils Solar-Powered Electric Bus In Uganda

The Ugandan company Kiira Motors recently showed off what it claims to be the first solar-powered bus in Africa — the Kayoola prototype solar-electric bus — in the capital city of Kampala, according to recent reports.

The prototype utilizes two batteries — one of which can be charged by the solar photovoltaic (PV) panels located on the roof — to provide a range of over 80 kilometers (50 miles). The more that... Read more..

Charkha makes a spin with solar energy

The charkha (spinning wheel) is undergoing a churning process.

With the central government working towards making khadi a ‘zero-effect, zero-defect’ global product, the charkha will soon run on solar power across the country. This course of action will enable handspun khadi to become the zero carbon footprint green fabric of India.

... Read more..

March start for Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation waste plant

About 300 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste is likely to be processed daily at a facility set up near Siddharth Vihar off NH-24 in Ghaziabad from the first week of March. The facility is scheduled to be handed over to the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC) in the last week of February. A subsidiary agency of UP Jal Nigam has undertaken the work at a cost of around Rs 4 crore.

"Organic materials... Read more..

Telangana has 4K MW wind energy

Following a feasibility study, the National Institute of Wind Energy has estimated a potential to tap 4,244 MW of wind energy in Telangana state.

Disclosing this at the 4th Green Energy Summit-2016 held at New Delhi on Wednesday, TS energy minister G. Jagadish Reddy said the state government would unveil its wind power policy. “Capacity allotment has been done for 361 MW and projects would be commissioned by... Read more..