Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Global Energy Efficiency Investment Will = $5.8 Trillion By 2030

Global energy efficiency investment will reach the $5.8 trillion mark by the year 2030, according to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Authority (IRENA). By that point, yearly energy efficiency investment will total around $385 billion, according to the report.

This surge in energy efficiency investment will be based mostly around applications in buildings, manufacturing, and... Read more..

NLC To Set Up 50 Mw Solar Power Plant In Andaman

State-run Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) has proposed setting up a 50 MW solar power plant at an estimated cost of about Rs 370.60 crore in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

We propose to sign an MoU with the administration of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The proposal is still under scrutiny. Besides setting up a plant in the Union Territory, the NLC has also proposed to install solar power plants in Tamil... Read more..

Making Delhi a ‘SOLAR CITY’

In a bid to make Delhi a “solar city”, the Aam Aadmi Party government on Tuesday announced that it has relaxed the existing requirement of certification by “Electrical Inspector” for renewable energy plants. But, power experts were quick to respond saying that the relaxation given would be “insignificant”.

The Delhi government has decided that instead of the present 100 kW, renewable energy plants of above... Read more..

Govt setting up $1.25 bn renewable energy fund

The government is in the process of setting up a $1.25 billion fund, backed by state-owned and private institutions, to finance renewable energy projects.

The move will help in the scaling up of clean energy generation from 37 gigawatts (GW) at present to 175GW by 2022, according to a senior government official.

... Read more..

Improved Sensor Capabilities Advance Air Quality Monitors

Particles Plus says its latest environmental sensors improve performance and accuracy of the company’s line of air quality monitors.

The enhanced sensor for CO2 employs a non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) detector that, coupled with free enhanced field calibration software, provides tighter accuracies and field adjustable offsets, the company says. The NDIR sensor has a range of 0 – 5000 ppm with a 1 ppm... Read more..

“Instant” Solar Powered EV Fleet To Be Showcased At ARPA-E Summit

A company called Current Motor has come up with an “instant” EV fleet that combines four of clean tech’s favorite solutions — solar power, shipping containers, microgrids, and electric cargo bikes — in one tidy package. The Current Motor “Mini-fleet-in-a-box” is one of four new technologies selected as feature demonstrations at the upcoming ARPA-E Seventh Annual Energy Innovation Summit in Maryland, from February 29 to March 2.

... Read more..

Terrawatt Inititative takes first steps towards common global solar market goal

The Terrawatt Initiative is partnering with an Indian business association as part of its efforts to create to create a global common market for solar power.

The non-profit organisation Terrawatt Initiative, launched at COP21, is seeking to secure US$1 trillion of investment to build a terawatt of solar by 2030. As part of this it has signed a memorandum of understanding with India’s Federation of Indian... Read more..

BioCat Hopes To Solve The Grid Storage Issue

As more and more renewables come onto grids around the world, peak loads and peak production curves will shift dramatically, causing usage spikes at times when grid operators are used to seeing dips and seemingly random spikes in generation when the wind picks up. To smooth out these curves and irregularities, grid-scale storage is a key diffusing element, spreading the renewables love across a wider range of hours throughout the day.

... Read more..

Goldman Sachs: Four reasons electric vehicle sales will surge

Electric vehicles – currently languishing at just 3 per cent of the global auto market – have been named alongside solar PV, onshore wind and LEDs as one of four current “winning” low-carbon technologies with the potential to begin “bending the emissions curve”, in a recent Goldman Sachs report.

The report predicts that EVs – that is both hybrid and pure electric cars – will make up more than one-quarter of... Read more..

Lahaul's terrain challenge to HP solar power dreams

Himachal Pradesh government's plan to build a 1,000-MW solar energy park in the remote Spiti valley is facing a new challenge. Given the tough terrain of Spiti, the state government is seeking help from all corners for transmitting electricity generated at the solar park.

It has sought the assistance of Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCI) for laying high-tension power lines that would transmit electricity... Read more..

New Delhi station turns to ‘waste power’

Very soon, the waste generated at New Delhi railway station will not only be recycled but also be used to produce electricity to light up the station.

The Delhi Division of Northern Railway is going to set up a waste-to-energy plant, that will turn the garbage and other waste collected at the station into electricity and manure.

... Read more..

Check air pollution, WHO urges SE Asian region

Noting that outdoor air pollution increases the risk of cancer, World Health Organization (WHO) urged the governments of Southeast Asian region to tackle the issue with "urgency" as the area has 14 of the world's top 20 polluted cities.

WHO said that every year 8.2 million people die from the disease across the world and two-thirds of these deaths occur in low and middle income countries.