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Major ports to get Rs 25 cr each for clean energy initiatives

The government will provide a financial grant of up to Rs 25 crore to every major port in the country for undertaking clean energy initiatives. 
 
The assistance is being given under a new incentive scheme of the Ministry of Shipping to encourage major ports to become green ports. 
 
"Green projects such as waste water treatment, renewable energy generation, use of bio-diesel and provision of shore power would be supported up to 50 per cent of the project cost. Each major port would be given a financial grant of up to Rs 25 crores for undertaking these initiatives... Read more..

Date : Mar 11
Source: Business Standard

IRENA Plans Road Map For 160 GW Energy Storage By 2030

A group of experts is next week expected to finalise details of a road map to install 160GW of battery storage worldwide in 2030. The plan, being developed by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), would see nearly four times as much battery storage being deployed in the next 15 years as all the solar power installed worldwide to date.
 
The road map is due to be launched this summer following feedback next week from political, industrial and scientific experts at an International Energy Storage Policy and Regulation workshop at the Energy Storage Europe 2015... Read more..

Date : Mar 11
Source: IRENA

A unified system for daily updates on Delhi's air quality

Amidst concern over rising air pollution levels in Delhi, the government Tuesday decided to provide daily updates on air quality in the city through a uniform and scientific validation process.
 
The Environment Ministry, which held a joint meeting of all related agencies today, said the new "unified" system is likely to be put in place in two weeks' time and will ensure dissemination of authentic air quality information of Delhi to the public at large.
 
At present, Delhi's air quality is being monitored by three different agencies - Central Pollution Control Board... Read more..

Date : Mar 11
Source: Zee News

First Solar plans to set up dedicated power plants for industrial use

US-based solar power projects developer, First Solar, is planning to set up dedicated solar power plants in India for industries and commercial outfits, which would like to meet part of their electricity requirement through renewable energy sources.
 
“We are talking to many industrial and commercial establishments in this regard,” First Solar country head, Sujoy Ghosh, told Business Standard, adding the company envisaged a good opportunity in this segment.
 
“India has lots of companies like Microsoft and Cisco, which globally do procure renewable power. Several... Read more..

Date : Mar 11
Source: Business Standard

Dual-rotor turbines boost wind energy harvests

By modifying aerodynamic design using a dual-rotor turbine, aerospace engineers Hui Hu and Anupam Sharma from the Iowa State University were able to boost wind energy generation, which addresses two problems of typical wind turbine models.
 
Hu, an aerospace engineering professor, stated two problems with the wind turbines' blades. First, the base of the blades, which are big, round structural pieces, are not shaped like an airfoil and thus do not harvest any wind. Therefore, this reduces a turbine's energy harvest by about 5 per cent.
 
Second, the wake created by... Read more..

Date : Mar 11
Source: EET India

Particulate matter levels higher in most of 244 cities: Govt

The levels of particulate matter (PM) is higher than the international norms in a majority of 244 cities and industrial areas in the country where the ambient air quality is monitored, the government informed Lok Sabha Tuesday.
 
"The levels of particulate matter are exceeding the norms in a majority of cities and towns with fluctuating trend," Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said in a written reply.
 
However, the levels of lead and sulphur dioxide (annual average) are within the norms as per National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) across the country... Read more..

Date : Mar 11
Source: Zee News

'Evidence of glacier retreat in Himalayas'

There is evidence of the retreat of glaciers in the eastern Himalayas but the river flows will not decline significantly in the coming decades, an international institute said on Monday.
 
"Multiple researchers presented evidence of the retreat of glaciers in the eastern Himalayas, but suggested that river flows will not decline significantly in the coming decades as melt rates and precipitation are projected to increase," the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said.
 
It said Karakoram was also highlighted as a region... Read more..

Date : Mar 10
Source: Zee News

Govt mulls cutting subsidy by half for rooftop solar projects

With limited funds at disposal and price of solar panels going down, the government has proposed to reduce the subsidy on rooftop projects by half, Parliament was informed today. 
 
"The ministry has proposed to reduce the subsidy on rooftop solar power plants to 15 per cent from the present level of 30 per cent due to decline in the price of solar panels and limited availability of funds among other things," Power Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. 
 
Goyal, who also holds charge of Coal and New and Renewable Energy ministries said,... Read more..

Date : Mar 10
Source: Business Standard

Maharashtra government plans to use state of art techniques for water utilisation

Maharashtra government plans to use state of the art techniques for utilisation of water resources and lend support to farmers by giving them irrigation facilities, Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao said today. 
 
"My government will emphasise on use of state of the art techniques for utilisation of water resources in an optimum, equitable and sustainable manner and will lend support to farmers by giving irrigation facilities," Rao said addressing the joint session of Maharashtra Legislature at Vidhan Bhavan, as the Budget session began here today. 
 
A Technology Approval... Read more..

Date : Mar 10
Source: Economic Times

Bihar combines solar power with aquaculture

Bihar wants to combine solar power generation with inland fisheries. The State plans to “pioneer a movement” in promoting solar photo-voltaic projects on lands identified for the development of inland fresh water aquaculture such as ponds.
 
A ‘request for proposal’ floated by Bihar State Power (Holding) Company Ltd notes that “there are inherent benefits from the coexistence of Solar PV projects with aquaculture as the project provides required shading from high temperature and helps improve productivity of fisheries. At the same time, the required foot-print for the solar... Read more..

Date : Mar 10
Source: Business Line- The Hindu

State industries in pollution blacklist

Five of the country's 32 severely polluted industrial areas are in Jharkhand, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has concluded after studying air, water and soil quality across the country while formulating a comprehensive environmental assessment report.
 
While Jamshedpur, Ramgarh, Bada Jamtara, Seraikela and West Singhbhum are the concern zones in Jharkhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are home to the other seriously polluted industrial areas.
 
Also, coal capital Dhanbad is among 43 critically polluted areas of the country as... Read more..

Date : Mar 10
Source: Telegraph India

The sun isn't shining on 'old energy' sectors

Deutsche Bank released a research report last month which predicted solar energy was well on its way to replacing conventional fuels as the major source of energy in the world, generating $5 trillion in revenue by 2030. That's $5000 billion. At the moment, there are 130GW of solar installed; 1 per cent of the $2 trillion annual global electricity market. By 2050, Deutsche said, solar would have captured 30 per cent of the market.
 
The rise in renewable efficiency has been spectacular. "Grid parity" is nigh; already there in half of all countries. In the first half of 2014, 30.... Read more..

Date : Mar 10
Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Carbon tax facts

The Indian government has made a notable and innovative claim of late, one which might upturn the standard assumptions by which climate-change negotiations are held. It has pointed out that India has moved from a carbon-subsidisation regime to the one where carbon spewing is taxed. This puts India among the very few countries that have included financial mechanisms like carbon tax in their strategies to deal with the threat of climate change. This shift has been brought about through recent government measures, such as decontrol of diesel prices and imposition of higher excise duty, and... Read more..

Date : Mar 10
Source: Business Standard

iGrenEnergi working on ‘energy packetization’ technology to boost productivity of solar panels

A startup headquartered between San Diego and Mumbai has invented a technology that is giving solar energy a whole new ray of hope. 
 
Two-year old iGrenEnergi's eight-panel DC Optimizer (DCO) works on 'energy packetization' technology to boost productivity of solar panels to maximum capacity through its life cycle. It addresses a pertinent problem—blockages to sunlight such as shading or any particle like dust, bird droppings or leaves that inhibit energy from falling on a panel. With present day solar technology, only 19-22% of light hitting a panel gets converted into... Read more..

Date : Mar 10
Source: Economic Times

Climate change: India eyes more financial support from developed nations

India is concentrating its efforts on ensuring that rich industrialised countries provide predictable and adequate finance and technology to developing countries to tackle climate change. New Delhi says that money pledged by rich industrialised countries to the Green Climate Fund is inadequate.
 
New Delhi stressed that without adequate financial support it would be difficult for developing countries to make ambitious plans to tackle climate change.
 
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, who is in Cairo attending the African Ministerial on Environment, said that... Read more..

Date : Mar 10
Source: Economic Times

Varanasi to have water quality monitoring system

The temple town Varanasi and other cities and towns situated on the banks of the Ganga will have automatic water quality monitoring system on the river under real time data network for water management programme. The National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) cell of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is the executing agency of this project. 
 
According to NGRBA report, under the World Bank aided project, automatic water quality monitoring has been set up for the Ganga at an estimated cost of Rs. 94.45 crore. The network will consist of 113 stations at critical... Read more..

Date : Mar 10
Source: Times of India

Mission for Green India, MGNREGA will converge to facilitate afforestation on 10 million hectares of land

The Centre has decided to extend its flagship rural jobs scheme to include afforestation as part of a move to create more durable assets through the programme that Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently derided as a living monument to the previous UPA government's failures and promised to overhaul. 
 
Officials said the National Mission for a Green India (GIM) and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) will now converge to facilitate afforestation on 10 million hectares of land over the next decade. 
 
This would, in turn, help provide... Read more..

Date : Mar 9
Source: Economic Times

Go green, new power mantra at Infosys

Infosys has embarked on a road map to power its entire electricity requirement from renewable sources by 2018, going by the current trend of global organisations shifting to clean energy. The company is planning to invest in 175 MW of solar plants by March, 2018. It did not disclose the amount to be invested.
 
But going by the market rate of Rs.7-8 crore cost per MW of solar-based power plant, the company will invest Rs.1,200-1,400 crore.
 
In 2013-14, Infosys used 75.6 million units of green power, roughly 30 per cent of the overall electricity requirements of its... Read more..

Date : Mar 9
Source: The Hindu

In a first, Himachal Pradesh to introduce electric buses

In an effort to reduce carbon emission from vehicles, Himachal Pradesh state transport department has decided to introduce electric buses and in the first phase 500 such buses would be bought. Heavy emission of carbon due to rising number of petrol and diesel vehicles has left the Himalayas bleeding, and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had recently directed the state government to introduce CNG buses between Manali and Rohtang Pass.
 
Considering the tough geographical location of the state, these electric buses would first be introduced in lower areas of the state.... Read more..

Date : Mar 9
Source: Times of India

Ecologically disastrous dams may get the go-ahead

In mid-February, the ministry of environment and forests virtually approved six hydropower dams. This is the latest in an 18-month-long debate on the ecological impact of dams in Uttarakhand.
 
In June 2013, floods severely damaged parts of the state. About 6,000 people died, and tens of thousands of pilgrims were stranded. The disaster destroyed six villages, buried dozens of others in silt, and wrecked highways. 
 
Within days of the disaster, environmentalists and villagers alleged dams aggravated the disaster. When reservoirs brimmed over the danger mark, dam... Read more..

Date : Mar 9
Source: The Guardian

Govt’s thrust on renewable energy to give a leg-up to PFS

After languishing below Rs.30 for three years till May last year, the PTC India Financial Services Ltd’s(PFS) stock has doubled to Rs.62. The intervening period saw the government scaling up its total renewable energy capacity target to 175,000 megawatts (MW). The installed renewable power capacity as of December stood at 33,800MW, according to the 2014-15 Economic Survey. 
 
The sharp rise in target capacity surprised many. Expecting a surge in demand for loans, institutional investors are buying PTC India’s shares. Between June and December last year, the shareholding of the... Read more..

Date : Mar 9
Source: Live Mint

IIT developing bio-hydrogen fuel from waste

As part of a project funded by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Professor Debabrata Das of IIT-Kgp's department of biotechnology is leading a group of Indian scientists from six institutes to produce bio-hydrogen (hydrogen gas) using waste.
 
"Our pilot plant of 10 m3 capacity would be ready within 3-4 months for which we are constructing a building inside the campus. Hopefully the pilot plan study would be done within a year and after that we can go for commercialisation of the technology," Das who has been working on hydrogen production for about 16 years said.... Read more..

Date : Mar 9
Source: Jagran

Changing gears: ABB draws power from solar biz

The thrust provided by the Narendra Modi-led government to solar power generation in India spells good news for ABB India, which has been manufacturing in the country India long before the Prime Minister’s recent emphasis on ‘Make in India’.
 
The local arm of the Swiss-Swedish power equipment and automation technology company notched up an important milestone as a part of its recent push into the country’s solar energy industry, in February. It sold solar inverters with a cumulative power generation capacity of 1,000 MW, a third of India’s current installed solar power... Read more..

Date : Mar 9
Source: Financial Express

Land acquisition bill row delays solar policy nod in Maharashtra

The hurdles in the passage of the land acquisition bill in Lok Sabha has delayed the announcement of Maharashtra government's solar policy, which is aimed at generating 7,500 MW power through solar energy.
 
Who's opposing land acquisition bill?
The Centre has been facing too many hurdles for the passage of the land acquisition bill. Noted social worker Anna Hazare led the agitation at Jantar Mantar against the proposed Act while the entire Opposition as well as alliance partners of the NDA, including Shiv Sena and Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, have... Read more..

Date : Mar 9
Source: DNA India

Sunderbans losing green cover and land mass, says ISRO study

The Indian Sunderbans has lost 3.71 per cent of its mangrove and other forest cover, while losing 9,990 hectares of its landmass to erosion in one decade, according to a satellite analysis conducted by the Indian Space Research Organisation.
 
As much as 1,607 hectares of the eroded area had vegetation, says the study comparing satellite data from February of 2003 and 2014. During the 10 years, 216 hectares of landmass had been added, of which 121 hectares has green vegetation.
 
The Eastern Zone Bench of the National Green Tribunal, which is hearing a case of... Read more..

Date : Mar 9
Source: The Hindu
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