Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Nitin Gadkari’s innovative plans bring new energy to the roads sector

Union minister Nitin Gadkari revealed some interesting ideas during his interaction with this newspaper, apart from welcome determination to get things done. The most important among his ideas is speeding up highway construction with oodles of extra-budgetary resources, and using renewable fuel in city transport to bring down pollution levels. Gadkari is also determined to substitute cement for bitumen in all future road building, replacing imports with local produce in the process. And he expects to offset the higher upfront costs of cement roads through scale economies in huge purchase... Read more..

Biogas plants show way in waste management

Here is a lesson the Corporation of Chennai can learn from its own experiments with garbage management-small is efficient. The civic body had proposed several projects in the past for scientific closure of dumping yards in Kodungaiyur and Perungudi, but nothing has materialised so far. Meanwhile, small biogas generators set up in places like Koyambedu and Pulianthope are showing the way for efficient waste management. Neighbourhoods like Otteri, Velangadu, Vanagaram, MRC Nagar, Anna Nagar and Harrington Road are also likely to get biogas plants in the next few months. 
 
... Read more..

Union Budget: Sowing sustainable agriculture

Increasing climate change threat and deteriorating soil and water health are posing serious challenge to Indian agriculture. With growing number of smallholders and their declining areas of operations, the problem becomes more complex for their viability. Therefore, future policies and resource allocation should focus on sustainable and resilient agriculture that enhances income of smallholders and reduces their risks. With the budget around the corner, the finance ministry may be allocating resources for various programmes in agriculture sector. Keeping in consideration other priorities... Read more..

Environmental loss in Sundarbans worth Rs 1290 cr: World Bank

Environmental damage in the climate change-hit islands of Sundarbans is costing India Rs 1,290 crore each year, estimates a latest World Bank report.
 
The cost of environmental damage associated with ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss is about Rs 6.7 billion (Rs 670 crore) annually, while the cost of health effects due to poor environment is estimated at Rs 6.2 billion (Rs 620 crore), it says.
 
The total figure of Rs 1,290 crore is about ten per cent of Sundarbans GDP in 2009.
 
Released here recently, the report 'Building Resilience for... Read more..

Citigroup to set aside $100 bln to fund green initiatives

Citigroup said it would set aside $100 billion to fund environmental projects over the next decade, doubling the amount it had earmarked for such projects in 2007. Citigroup said it would fund projects related to renewable energy, greenhouse gas reductions and sustainable transportation.
 
The third-largest U.S. bank said it had met its previous investment target three years ahead of schedule in 2013. In 2012, Bank of America Corp set a goal of $50 billion to provide loans and other financing for environmentally friendly energy projects over 10 years. The same year, Goldman... Read more..

CII to Promote Green Designs

 Vijayawada Zone chairman VVM Krishna has underlined the need for and importance of green buildings. Saying that green buildings not only address ecological issues and concerns but will also significantly promote the health and well-being of the occupants.
 
He was speaking at a training programme on green buildings organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy here on Thursday.
 
The training  programme on green buildings will be organised in 10 cities across the country and it kick-started at Vijayawada on Thursday. The programme will focus on green... Read more..

ACME Group to invest Rs 600 crore in Punjab solar projects

Renewable energy player ACME Group on Thursday said it will invest Rs 600 crore to develop 74 MW of solar PV power projects in Punjab.
 
Delhi-based ACME is one of several companies that have won mandates to install solar power projects in the state.
 
According to the bid document floated by the Punjab government, ACME will be signing two power purchase agreements—one for 24 MW at 7.16/ kWh and the other for 50 MW at 7.06/ kWh. 
 
"We take pride in announcing our partnership with the Punjab government as the largest solar power developer in the state to... Read more..

NABARD plumps for solar pump systems

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), an implementing agency of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s (MNRE) solar photovoltaic water pumping systems scheme, is involving all the stakeholders to encourage farmers to prefer solar systems for irrigation needs.
 
The NABARD has invited the MNRE empanelled manufacturers of the solar photovoltaic water pump systems, all the banks and the New & Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh for its one-day workshop on implementation of the scheme in Krishna district. The workshop will... Read more..

Garbage figures rake up some dirt

 If one goes by the data with Nagpur Municipal Corporation's health department, the city has recorded a steep drop in generating garbage. The NMC collected 3.49 lakh tonne solid waste in 2014 as against 3.63 lakh tonne collected in 2013, the health department said in reply to a query under the RTI Act by Abhay Kolarkar. According to statistics provided by NMC, the per day lifting of garbage was 994 tonne in 2013 and in 2014 it has come down to 958 tonne per day.

In 2011, the city was generating around 825 tonne garbage a day and 3.01 lakh tonne annually, and the figure rose... Read more..

Renewable Energy: Hype, unviable promises not good for the industry

The “commitments” made by a couple of hundred renewable energy companies for setting up 266,000 MW of solar and wind power projects over the next five years has created a wave of derisive sniggers in the industry.
 
Many industry insiders as well as observers feel that too much hype and unrealistic ambitions can only harm the industry.
 
“Given the base we are at today, of around 30,000 MW (of installed capacity of renewable energy), 266,000 MW in five years looks high,” says Santosh Kamath, Partner and Head-Renewables, KPMG. However, even if 50 per cent of it is... Read more..

Railways looks at ways to cut power bill

Railways is moving to buy electricity from state utilities and central generation companies through open tender as well as through inter-state trading with the aim of paring its power bill by nearly a third, top government sources said. 
 
But the saving, if and when the system is put to practice, would not result in cheaper fares and would be used to narrowing the yawning gap between the railways' operational costs and earnings. 
 
Another option simultaneously under consideration is to use its 'deemed licensee' status, received last year, to wheel cheaper power... Read more..

Biogas from Koyambedu market to fuel households

The wholesale market complex in Koyambedu which supplies fresh produce for the city will soon supply fuel to cook the produce.
 
The biomethanation plant, which has been generating electricity from vegetable waste, will now also use waste from slaughterhouses, hotels, treated sewage sludge and banana stems to supply biogas to neighbouring houses.
 
Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), which set up the biogas plant along with CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, will work on upgrading the existing plant. The upgrade, which will be done after... Read more..