Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Parity in energy prices needed for higher growth: Montek

Concerned over rising energy import bills amid a weaker rupee, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the deputy chairman of Planning Commission on Friday said there is a need to raise energy prices to achieve nine per cent growth.

“Domestic coal prices are one third of international rates at present. There is need for better alignment of energy prices,” he said while speaking at the foundation day ceremony of National Aluminum Company (Nalco) here and in the process backed the Coal India Ltd (CIL) move to implement a new coal price structure effective from this year.

The recent CIL move to... Read more..

Andhra to invest Rs 1,800 crore in wind power evacuation

As part of its efforts to woo the wind power investors to the state, Andhra Pradesh has drawn up plans for strengthening the power evacuation system in the state involving an outlay of Rs 1,800 crore.

“We have sent proposals worth Rs 1,800 for strengthening the power evacuation network to the Centre. We expect about 50 per cent of it coming as grant,” said Ajay Jain, chairman and managing director of Andhra Pradesh Transmission Corporation.

Power evacuation is a key aspect for the wind power sector to grow. Other aspects include availability of land with potential for tapping... Read more..

Solar gear makers seek policy relief as Chinese imports hurt

Faced with stiff competition from Chinese players, and under utilised capacities, domestic solar equipment makers are in talks with the government for "policy interventions" to cushion their business against shocks.
Low-cost equipment supplies from countries such as China and Taiwan are impacting domestic manufacturers, even as things are promising on generation side, according to solar panel makers.
Many solar project developers are also getting equipment from the US. In most of the cases, the companies also get cheaper loans from China and the US.
"There is tremendous... Read more..

Future brightens for solar sector

The solar energy sector doesn't have much to show off right now in terms of its contribution to the total power generation in the country, but the recent dramatic drop in its cost of production for power is poised to herald sunny days for the clean energy.

"We will easily achieve the target of 20,000 megawatt capacity by 2022 set by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. But the sector faces challenges from the manufacturing side. But the high interest rate, which is as high as 13-14%, has been a main dampener for businesses to invest," said Deepak Puri, chairman and managing... Read more..

‘Green' cars steal the show

With petrol prices shooting up and environment pollution becoming a major concern, hybrid cars and those powered by electric engines are in the spotlight at the Auto Expo 2012. Though there is still time before the automakers make these “sustainable mobility solutions” available commercially, they know that the future belongs to “greener” and fuel-efficient vehicles.

At the Auto Expo 2012, almost all major carmakers have showcased their hybrid vehicles or those running with “greener” fuels like CNG and LPG. New entrant in India, Peugeot SA of France, has unveiled its hybrid car ‘... Read more..

Thirsty towers

India has more mobile phone subscribers than the population of Europe. At 764 million connections, India is only second to China in the number of mobile phones. And these connections are not limited to cities and towns; in 2012, the number of mobile phone users in the rural areas may reach 200 million.

But, there is a flip side to this feel-good story. And it's time we took it seriously.

The mobile phone towers have reached everywhere, mountains, valleys, fields and deserts, but many of these places do not have electricity. In towns and villages far from the power grid, the... Read more..

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Tata Capital Limited sign an MoU for energy efficiency financing

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Tata Capital Limited today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work closely on the former’s Energy Efficiency Financing Platform (EEFP). Present at the occasion were Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General, BEE and Mr. Praveen P Kadle, Managing Director and CEO, Tata Capital Limited.

The EEFP, an initiative under National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE), seeks to create a mechanism for enabling mainstream financing of energy efficiency projects.

Dr. Ajay Mathur said “This MoU is an important step towards strengthening... Read more..

Power exchanges head for a shake-up with Marquis Energy ready to launch bourse

Power exchanges may be heading for a shake-up as Ahmedabad-based Marquis Energy Exchange gets ready to launch country's fourth such bourse. 

According to power market regulations, once a third exchange comes into play, existing bourses with less than 20% market volume have to shut operations or merge with another exchange within two years. 

Financial Technologies-promoted India Energy Exchange currently commands a market share of 93% while Power Exchange India, jointly promoted by NSE and NCDEX is the smaller exchange, which needs to improve its share. Power Exchange... Read more..

Give the city a green cover

The Sapling Project is back with round 5 in Mumbai. On January 26, the group’s core members and volunteers will be out on the streets distributing saplings to fellow Mumbaikars in a bid to increase the city’s green cover. Their agenda is to promote plantation, not only in forests and gardens, but also in buildings and residential areas.

“This time around, our mission is to distribute more saplings to even more people. We also want to rope in school children and senior citizen groups to promote the cause,” says Satish Vijaykumar, core member of The Sapling Project. The team... Read more..

GAIL, Mahindra, Welspun to develop solar PV projects

 NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) expects to sign power purchase agreements with 22 companies by January-end to develop 350 MW of grid-connected solar photovoltaic energy. The companies include GAIL (India), Welspun Solar, Mahindra Solar One, Enfield Infrastructure, Essel Infraprojects, Azure Power India and French firm Fonroche Energie S.A.S.

The trading arm of NTPC has been designated as the nodal agency for sale and purchase of grid-connected solar power under the Phase-1 of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. Last December, NVVN had issued letters of intent to the short-... Read more..

Mahindra to launch its first compact car next year

More than a year after Mahindra & Mahindra bought stake in Reva Electric Car Company, the SUV-maker is gearing up to launch its first compact car — it promises nine times the mileage generated by the country’s most fuel-efficient petrol-powered car.

The Reva NXR, due for launch next year, will be only the second follow-up model after the Reva, the country’s only all-electric car, was introduced in 2001.

The NXR has done away with all the limitations of the first-generation Reva, which did not find takers in huge numbers due to its impractical attributes like... Read more..

NZ Co LanzaTech to help IOC, JSPL set up bio jet fuel plant

 The New Zealand-based renewable energy company LanzaTech is in talks with its partners here - IndianOil and Jindal Steel & Power - to help them set up plant to produce commercial bio jet fuel from ethanol, a top company official has said. As a first step, LanzaTech will open an office in the country in the first half of 2012 as part of its plan to expand its operations here, LanzaTech vice-president for business development for Asia Pacific Prabhakar Nair said. 

IndianOil and Jindal Steel & Power (JSPL) are already in discussions for collaborating to accelerate deployment... Read more..