Sustainability Outlook Headlines

India's carbon credit claims to triple in 3 years

The number of carbon credits or certified emission reduction (CERs) issued for a cut in the release of greenhouse gases into the environment is set to triple in India [ Images ] over the next three years, due to a rising number of claims from rapidly growing renewable energy (RE) projects.

According to the latest report by research firm Crisil, Indian projects are estimated to receive 246 million CERs by December 2012, a three-fold rise from 72 million in November 2009. This will cement India's second position in the global CER market, the report said.

Each tonne of obnoxious... Read more..

India's Ajay Mathur named among energy-efficiency 'visionaries'

Mr. Ajay Mathur, director general of India's Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), has been named as one of the energy efficiency "visionaries".  He has been honored for his excellence in the field of saving energy. He will receive the award from the Alliance of countries from Africa, Asia, South America and Europe.

Mr. Mathur will receive the award in Washington in a conference of the Alliance. The Alliance is basically a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders from various parts of the globe. They promote efficient and clean use of energy all... Read more..

India's carbon credits to triple by 2012: CRISIL

India is expected to see a three-fold rise in the number of carbon credits issued for emission reduction projects over the next three years, according to a study by CRISIL Research.

New capacity addition in renewable energy sector will drive the issuance of carbon credits (Certified Emission Reduction units or CERs) to 246 million units by December 2012 from 72 million in November 2009, the study said.

This will cement India's second position in the global CER market that is dominated by China. Eligibility of more renewable energy projects to issue CERs will also contribute... Read more..

SEMI India announces ‘SOLARCON India 2010’

SEMI India, the Indian arm of SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment Materials International) and PV Group, a leading industry association serving the photovoltaic supply chain, will be conducting SOLARCON India 2010 at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), Hyderabad between July 28 -30, 2010. The forthcoming event is the second edition of the country’s largest and most successful solar-focused event, backed by the solar industry.

SOLARCON India 2010 will focus on the recently launched Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JN-NSM) which has set an ambitious target of 20,... Read more..

EU should boost investments in renewables - Suzlon

Europe needs to invest 200 billion euros ($268.3 billion) in renewable energy to achieve energy security and a low carbon economy by 2020, the head of Indian wind turbine maker Suzlon Energy said on Monday.

Tulsi Tanti said during a World Economic Forum conference there was not enough investment momentum in the sector and governments had to do more to boost investments to meet demand.

"In the next 10 years, Europe should be able to develop 150 to 200 gigawatts of electricity and within that, about 100 gigawatts could potentially be harnessed through offshore windpower," Tanti... Read more..

DHL aims for 30 pc improvement in carbon efficiency by 2020

DHL, the world's leading express company, is targeting a 30 per cent improvement in carbon efficiency by 2020, a top company official
said.

"We are committed to sustainability and have a responsibility to address environmental challenges. In India, our internal initiatives included optimising delivery routes, switching to clean fuels and consolidating facilities in the country," DHL Express Chief Executive Officer John Pearson told reporters here today.

The express division of the company has improved overall CO2 efficiency by 19 per cent on a year-on-year basis.... Read more..

India’s Ajay Mathur among energy-efficiency ‘visionaries’

Ajay Mathur, director general of India’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), is one of the energy efficiency “visionaries” from Africa, Asia, Europe and South America to be honoured by the Alliance to Save Energy.

Mathur received the award here Tuesday during a conference here of the Alliance, a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide.

Mathur is also a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change and has been involved in driving India’s market transformation towards... Read more..

Jairam Ramesh Writes To Manmohan, Sonia To Explain His Position

In a tight spot over his remarks in Beijing criticising the government's policy towards Chinese companies, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi explaining his position.

A senior Congress leader, who didn't want to be identified, said the minister wrote to the two leaders after he was rebuked by the prime minister for his remarks that have stirred into a major political controversy.

He said he did not know the details of the note.

The prime minister had telephoned Ramesh and made it clear... Read more..

India submits plan on energy subsidy cuts to G-20

India last month submitted to the Group of 20 (G-20) a detailed plan to phase out inefficient energy subsidies, said two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

India’s commitments, as detailed in its final plan, will be reiterated when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meets leaders of other member-states of G-20 in Canada in June.

“We have had two meetings (on the issue) and are expected to meet again,” a senior official in the petroleum ministry said on condition of anonymity, explaining that some details are being calibrated.

“G-20 is asking the Indian government... Read more..

From Halogen to Solar

The BK Gupta family, which built the Halonix brand, will approach the stock markets again, this time to fund their new solar venture.

The family had raised $29 million, Rs 165 crore, after tax, by selling its promoter stake in Phoenix Lamps to private equity firm Actis in 2006 and is now looking to raise Rs 400 crore from the public.

“After cashing out of the halogen lamp business, we evaluated for about six months which sector to enter,” says H R Gupta, son of patriarch B K Gupta. The search ended in the solar photovoltaic business, solar cell manufacture, to be precise.... Read more..

On rivers and glaciers, India, China walk on thin ice

India will not accept any plans by China to divert the Brahmaputra river waters, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said here on Sunday even as he urged the Government of India to expedite hydel projects along the river in Arunachal Pradesh.

China is building a 540 MW ‘run of the river' power generation project on the Yarlung Tsangpo, as the Brahmaputra is known in Tibet. While there are, at present, no plans to divert the river, Mr. Ramesh warned that any project “would be difficult for India to accept.”

“The great fear in India has been that China... Read more..

Atomic Energy Canada helps India find deadly nuclear equipment sold for scrap

News reports in India say a radioactive machine that killed a scrap dealer and seriously injured six others was purchased in Canada more than 40 years ago.

Indian newspapers reported on the weekend that the University of Delhi purchased the machine _ a gamma cell that contains the radioactive substance Cobalt-60 _ from Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. in 1968.

Indian police said last week that the scrap dealer died on April 8., while trying to recover the steel and lead cladding by prying open and melting the radioactive cell. Six other workers remain in hospital with severe... Read more..