Sustainability Outlook Headlines

NCP frames committee to protect environment

In an initiative beyond politics, NCP state president Th Randhir Singh formed new 31-member committee to protect environment and save the mother earth.

Addressing media persons here today the NCP chief said that global warming has created major problem in the world. The Committee on the nature has taken pledge to protect the environment and save the mother earth. He appealed all the nature loving people of the State to come forward and join hands.

Mr Singh said that he would invite environmentalists and ecologists of the State who are working in the field to get together and... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: Daily Excelsior

New rice variety being developed

The CCS Haryana Agricultural University (HAU), Hisar, is focusing on development of a variety of rice that will require much less water for cultivation than the traditional varieties.

Stating this on Wednesday, HAU Director of Research R.P. Narwal said that to save irrigation water in cultivation of rice, one of the promising approaches could be to develop aerobic rice that combined the drought- resistant characteristics of upland varieties, grown on non-flooded sloping islands, with high yielding traits of lowland varieties that are grown in irrigated flooded fields.

Date : May 12

Source: The Hindu

Govt seeks UN funds to reduce carbon footprint

To lock climate changing carbon dioxide in the growing forests, the government has asked the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to provide a substantial part of the Rs 90 billion needed every year for 10 years.
The government has made this recommendation to the climate convention, knowing that a mechanism would be set up in future to provide investments from markets as well as developed countries for reducing carbon in the atmosphere by growing new forests as well as conserving existing ones. In the climate jargon, this is referred to as the REDD+ mechanism. The... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: Times of India

PFC subsidiary will lend to green energy sector

State-owned Power Finance Corporation is planning to float a subsidiary, Power Finance Corporation Green Energy Ltd, to finance the renewable energy projects in the country.

“We have already received a certificate of incorporation from the government for floating this subsidiary and we will begin operation soon,” R Nagarajan, director (finance) of PFC, told reporters.

Last financial year, PFC had sanctioned around Rs 3,000 crore to various projects under the renewable energy segment and disbursed around Rs 1,800 crore during the period.

“Loan disbursements to the... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: Business Standard

US, Indian think tanks form joint group

Two US and Indian think tanks, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Aspen Institute India, have announced the formation of the US-India Joint Group on shared national interests.

The group, composed of former government officials and scholars from both countries, is co-chaired by Robert D. Blackwill, former US ambassador to India and Henry A. Kissinger, former US national security adviser, and Naresh Chandra, former Indian ambassador to the US and chairman of India’s National Security Advisory Board.

The group will provide policy recommendations in seven areas: the... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: News One

Vikram Solar Plans Major Thrust towards Solarization of Telecom Towers

Vikram Solar Private Limited, one of the premier companies in India for the promotion of renewable energy and its implementation, has decided for a major initiative towards solarization of telecom towers.

Vikram Solar manufactures a wide range of Solar modules made with high efficiency multi / mono crystalline solar cells for both commercial and domestic use. The company also undertakes EPC contracts for private/government sectors on large and complex Solar PV Power projects. It has its own PV manufacturing facility and in house System Designing at its factory in Falta, West Bengal... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: 24-7PressRelease.com

Organic farming – India's future perfect?

India's struggling farmers are starting to profit from a budding interest in organic living. Not only are the incomes of organic farmers soaring – by 30% to 200%, according to organic experts – but their yields are rising as the pesticide-poisoned land is repaired through natural farming methods.

Organic farming only took off in the country about seven years ago. Farmers are turning back to traditional farming methods for a number of reasons.

First, there's a 10% to 20% premium to be earned by selling organic products abroad and in India's increasingly affluent cities, a move... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: The Guardian

IPCC report highlights policy’s role in advancing renewables

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is preparing to release an exhaustive, 1,000-page report on May 31 that will highlight the significant global role renewables can play in providing sustainable energy and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the next 40 years. Several of the key findings of the Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation were released May 9 in a summary after being approved by IPCC member countries. The summary is meant to provide governments and other parties with relevant policy information related to the various aspects... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine

Renewable sources can meet most global energy demands – UN-backed report

Renewable energy sources such as solar power, wind, biomass and hydropower could meet nearly 80 per cent of the world’s energy supplies by 2050 if governments pursue policies that harness their potential, a United Nations-backed report released on Monday says.
The findings of more than 120 researchers working with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicate that if the path of renewable source is fully followed, greenhouse gas emissions could stay low enough to keep the rise in global temperatures by the middle of the century to below 2 degrees.

That 2-... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: Walta Information Center

Waste to Energy Project Not So Green

A waste-to-energy (WtE) project in the heart of the Indian capital and run by a powerful industrial family is testing the enforceability of the country’s environmental and zoning laws.

The WtE project, being promoted by Jindal Ecopolis—owned by the Jindal family that is close to the ruling Congress party—will, when fully operational, burn 4,000 tonnes a day of refuse derived fuel (RDF) made from municipal waste, to produce 20 megawatts of electricity.

Like many dirty industries rapidly coming up across the Indian landscape, Jindal’s WtE project may have gone unremarked,... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: Inter Press Service

ESCI organizes International Conclave on Climate Change

Climate Change has now become one of the most crucial environmental challenges of the 21st century.

India has witnessed economic losses and developmental setbacks on account of natural disasters and hazards. Nearly 60% of the country’s landmass is susceptible to earthquakes, over 8% is prone to floods, nearly 76% of its coastline is prone to cyclones, and 68% of its area is prone to droughts. In addition, increasing threats of GLOFs (glacial lake outburst floods), heat waves, precipitation extremes, pose risks to, vulnerably located populations in India. Efforts have to be made to... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: India Carbon Outlook

Water Efficient Methods Revolutionise Sugarcane Growing

When their sugarcane crops failed to deliver a good yield three years ago, Kantabai Chavan and her husband Baban decided to try a new strategy.

Discarding their forebears' conventional farming methods, they began planting stem cuttings in December, a full month later than they used to. They also switched from the "wet" method to "dry," in which the cuttings are planted in dry soil and later irrigated.

The couple also opted to plant on straight lines, replacing the traditional "zigzag" or serpentine furrows. The gamble paid off. "The straight furrow technique has reduced our... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: Inter Press Service

CM directs for satellite monitoring of forest management

Underlining afforestation significant measure to regenerate degraded forests, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah on Tuesday called for large scale plantation under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).

Chairing the first meeting of the Governing Body of CAMPA of which he is the Chairperson, the Chief Minister said that forest nurseries need to be strengthened and upgraded to produce adequate planting material to cater to the needs on this count.

Omar Abdullah said spending on chain link fencing for protection of plantations should gradually... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: Daily Excelsior

New NTPC plants to use 30% less water

Anticipating a shortfall of water for power generation in coming years, NTPC plans to use advanced technology to reduce the water requirement of its future coal-based power generating stations by 30%, a company source said.

NTPC is India’s largest coal-based power generator. It accounted for 40% of Coal India’s revenue in 2009-10.

Coal-based power plants require huge amounts of water for the purpose of cooling, mixing with generated ash, cleaning and firefighting, besides steam generation. Roughly, the cooling water requirement of a typical plant works out to 4.4 cubic metres... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: The Financial Express

Karcham plant goes on stream from May 15

The country’s largest private sector hydroelectric project will go on stream on May 15 when the first generating unit of the 1,000 MW Karcham Wangtu power plant in the tribal Kinnaur will start commercial operation.

It is the third hydropower project of Jaiprakash Power Ventures. The company has already commissioned the 300 MW Baspa project in the state and 400 MW Vishnuprayag project in Uttarakhand.

Constructed on the Sutlej upstream the Nathpa Jhakri hydropower plant, the project has four generating units of 250 MW each. As per the tentative schedule, the first unit will be... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: Tribune of India

Metro III to start on a green note

Delhi Metro’s going green. After bringing down the number of vehicles on the road, the Metro is hoping to keep pollution levels down with stringent monitoring of air, water and noise levels during the construction of phase III.
A Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson said: “The monitoring will start a year before the construction kicks off and go on till phase III is completed. It will be continued three years thereafter.” The spokesperson added that the monitoring would be done from 15 designated locations and would be as frequent as once a week for some of the... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: Times of India

GPL goes 'green', adopts Environmental Managment Plan

A new feather has been added to the cap of the country's deepest multi-purpose Port, Gangavaram Port Limited (GPL), with the port adopting Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for effective pollution control to develop more cleaner and greener environment.

Talking to media persons here yesterday, GPL Environment Senior Manager D Jyothi said," India’s deepest multi-purpose Port has adopted the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for effective pollution control and the development of cleaner and greener environment." She said the Port had adopted the EMP consisting of mitigation... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: New Kerala

BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept Car on Display in New Delhi

The BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept car was unveiled at Deutsche Motoren by Praful Patel, Honorable Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises at New Delhi. The German Ambassador to India, Thomas Matussek was present as the Guest of Honour.
BMW Vision EfficientDynamics is a road ready, four seater concept sports car that combines the performance and emotional character of a BMW M Car with extraordinary fuel economy and emission management. BMW Vision EfficientDynamics with its outstanding fuel efficiency of 26.5 kilometres/litre and an exemplary CO² emission rating... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: Wheels Unplugged

National Solar Mission gathers momentum with new projects

The National Solar Mission is gathering momentum as more number of projects move towards financial closure and achieve land acquisition, the review meeting of projects noted.

The appraised projects include smaller projects of 1 mw and 2 mw, 5 mw solar photovoltaic projects and large scale solar thermal projects. While 80% of the project developers under the rooftop and small solar generation programme have finalised the technology, majority of them have confirmed land acquisitions. According to the reports, 24 project developers confirmed financial closure.

"For the 5 mw... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: Economic Times

DEGERenergie increases commitment in India – Cooperation with Reliance Industries Ltd. expanded

Horb am Neckar, Germany, 10 May 2011. DEGERenergie expands its cooperation with Indian solar park operator Reliance Industries Ltd.. With more than 35,000 systems installed worldwide, DEGERenergie is the global market leader for solar tracking systems.

To obtain reference values for comparison with its rigid solar modules, Reliance is currently testing six DEGERtraker 5000HD systems. Reliance Industries Ltd. is one of the largest companies on the Indian subcontinent. The company”s solar department among other things operates a 5 megawatt solar park in the state of Rajasthan, where... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: Your Story

Companies see a realistic chance of bringing down cost of solar power

It's an old idea whose time has finally come. Converting the sun's energy into electricity, or solar power, is a compelling proposition. It's clean and green, with an endless supply of fuel (from the sun). It's also faster to set up: a farm of solar cells to trap the sun's energy can be installed in six months; by comparison , a nuclear plant would take a decade, and thermal and hydro projects four to six years. Making the case for solar power stronger are the growing risks associated with conventional power — from pollution and galloping costs to natural and manmade disasters. The ongoing... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: Economic Times

Tourist Influx Increases Polution Level in Northern India

The hilly Kullu region of India's Himachal Pradesh state is facing increased threats from air pollution with more and more tourists coming to the region.

Studies reveal that atmospheric pollutants are increasing day by day.

[Krishan Bihari Lal Srivastava, Chief Medical Officer, Kullu]:
"Up until now whatever research work we have done on air pollutants, or on the level of tourism, the conclusion that is appearing before us is that the level of air pollution is increasing."

A rise in vehicles the region is the main cause of increasing pollution.

The... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: NTD Television

Power from renewable sources surpasses N-power for the first time

For the first time in 2010 total renewable energy from three specific sources - wind turbines, biomass and waste-to-energy plants, and solar power - exceeded the total global nuclear power generation capacity.

According to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2010-2011, published by the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute, the combined global installed capacity of wind turbines at 193 gigawatts (or 193,000 MW), biomass and waste-to-energy plants at 65 GW, and solar power at 43 GW reached 381 GW, exceeded the entire global installed nuclear capacity of 375 GW prior to the... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: Domain-b

Solar power systems to power cell phone towers

Bangalore based Indo-Chinese joint venture ALTA-XinTong Solar Tech Pvt Ltd is in the process of finalising a deal to sell 2,000 solar systems to power mobile phone towers, said a top company official Tuesday.

"We are in advanced stages of finalising 2,000 solar power systems for leading tower companies in India under zero investment plan. The deployment of these solar power systems would create job opportunities for more than 70,000 skilled and semi-skilled technicians in India," managing director E.M. Abdul Manaf told reporters here.

The company is a 65:35 joint venture... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: New Kerala

Delta India Electronics Unveils New Green Office Building in Gurgaon, India

Delta India Electronics Pvt. Ltd., the world's leading provider of power management and thermal management solutions, today announced the official launch of its new green corporate office in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. As part of Delta's expansion plans in India, the new eco-friendly corporate office supports Delta's commitment to the environment. This facility also doubles as a manufacturing unit for Delta display solutions. Attending the grand opening ceremony were Bruce Cheng, Founder and Chairman, Delta Electronics, Inc., Yancey Hai, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Delta... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: Newsblaze.com