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Sustainability Outlook Headlines
'Green' vehicles and strong climate policy can create jobs, says new reportA new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council, the UAW and the Center for American Progress says that efforts to improve vehicle fuel efficiency will create thousands of clean energy manufacturing jobs. "Re-engineering the U.S. automobile fleet to use energy more efficiently will require new investments in advanced technology, increasing demand for skilled labor," the report says. The move to greater fuel economy also means greater labor content per vehicle and higher employment across the fleet, according to researchers. The analysis shows that by 2020,... Read more.. Date : Mar 17 Source: MLive.com
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Renewable energy strong despite recessionA devastating recession slowed but did not stop the clean energy industry's growth in 2009, a report issued Tuesday found. Helped in part by government stimulus funding, the world spent $63.5 billion on wind farms and turbines last year, up 23.5 percent from 2008. The global biofuel market rose 29 percent, hitting $44.9 billion, according to the annual Clean Energy Trends report from the Clean Edge Inc. research firm. Only solar companies saw their revenue decline in 2009, and that was due to a plunge in the price of solar panels. Worldwide revenue for photovoltaic companies... Read more.. Date : Mar 17 Source: San Francisco Chronicle
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In 4 yrs JK’s power demand up by 400 MWsJammu, Mar 16: The power demand in Jammu and Kashmir has shot up from 1706 MWs in 2004-05 to 2120 MWs in 2008-09 registering an increase of around 400 MWs with the Government clambering to bridge the mounting gap between demand and supply of energy. “The projected increase in the power demand of Jammu and Kashmir has increased from 1706 MWs (96401 MUs) during 2004-05 to 2120 MWs (14750 MUs) during 2008-2009”, says the latest Economic Survey conducted by State Directorate of Economic and Statistics, while quoting the 16th All India Power Survey. According to the survey, going... Read more.. Date : Mar 17 Source: Greater Kashmir
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Suniva® Solar Cells Power Solar Project in IndiaNORCROSS, Ga. --(Business Wire)-- Suniva®, Inc., a U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells and modules, today announced the commissioning of its largest solar power installation with Titan Energy Systems Ltd. ("Titan"), located in Karnataka, India. The 3MW, ground-mounted system is the largest grid-connected solar field in India, covering more than 12 acres. The system was designed and deployed by Titan and is owned and operated by Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. ("Karnataka Power"), one of India's largest power providers. Karnataka Power will... Read more.. Date : Mar 17 Source: TMCnet
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India Said to Propose Sovereign Fund to Acquire EnergyMarch 17 (Bloomberg) -- India, with $254 billion of foreign-exchange reserves, may create a sovereign wealth fund to help state companies compete for overseas energy assets with China, a government official said. The oil ministry has formally asked the finance ministry to set up a fund using a part of the reserves, the official said, declining to be identified because a decision hasn’t been reached. The size of the fund is yet to be determined, he said. “Such a fund would be very, very welcome if we are to compete with the Chinese... Read more.. Date : Mar 17 Source: BusinessWeek
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Energy Efficiency: Achieving the Potential, Realizing the SavingsFor the next few decades, energy efficiency is one of the lowest cost options for reducing US carbon emissions. Many studies have concluded that energy efficiency can save both energy and money. For example, a recent McKinsey report calculated the potential savings assuming a 7% discount rate, no price on carbon and using only "net present value positive" investments. It found the potential to reduce consumer demand by about 23% by 2020 and reduce GHG emissions by 1.1 gigatons each year -- at a net savings of US$ 680 billion. Likewise, the National Academies found in 2009 that... Read more.. Date : Mar 17 Source: Huffingtonpost.com
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'Won't resign over 'one mistake' in climate change report'The UN International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) chairman, Dr R K Pachauri, today said that he would not resign over what he called "one mistake" reported in the IPCC report. Accepting that he and his team had erred in declaring a complete meltdown of the Himalayan glaciers by the year 2035, Pachauri said "just one mistake wasn’t grounds enough for him to resign." "There is no ''several mistakes''. There is only one mistake. Why should I resign? I have no reason to resign. I have a task to complete and I will finish it," he said adding that it was he who had asked for the... Read more.. Date : Mar 16 Source: Zee News
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A climate change: Jairam Ramesh stokes debateThere is no doubt that Jairam Ramesh loves action. There is also little doubt that he often provokes extreme reactions. Government grapevine says that the prime minister’s special envoy on climate change, Shyam Saran, quit... Read more.. |
Govt vows to fight any bid to unseat R K PachauriReiterating New Delhi’s unequivocal support for IPCC chairman R K Pachauri, the Centre on Monday made it clear that it would fight any attempt to unseat him. In the meantime, Mr Pachauri has ruled out any possibility of resigning as the boss of the Nobel Prize winning climate change panel. Responding to questions on the Himalayan glaciers in the Rajya Sabha, environment minister Jairam Ramesh, who had been accused by the IPCC boss of indulging in ‘voodoo science’, came to Mr Pachauri’s defence. “We have full confidence in the chairman of IPCC. The prime minister and I have, time and... Read more.. Date : Mar 16 Source: Economic Times
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JSW Steel Wins Additional Carbon Credits for Cutting EmissionsMarch 16 (Bloomberg) -- JSW Steel Ltd., India’s third- largest producer of the alloy, won additional carbon credits for reducing greenhouse gas emissions at a project in the southern state of Karnataka. JSW Steel was awarded 504,214 credits by the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism, the world’s second-biggest greenhouse gas market, according to its... Read more.. Date : Mar 16 Source: Bloomberg
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CNN to air special 'Greening India’In an edition of CNN’s Eco Solutions, Mumbai based international correspondent, Mallika Kapur takes viewers on a scenic ... Read more.. Date : Mar 16 Source: Indian Television
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Tatas may invest Rs 13,000 cr on wind, solar power by 2017Aiming to produce 25 per cent power from green sources by 2017, Tata Power plans to increase its wind and solar energy generation capacity to 2,000 MW and 250 MW respectively, which could entail an investment of over Rs 13,000 crore. "The company is looking for viable locations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. By 2017, it expects to generate 2,000 MW of wind energy," Tata Power Executive Director Banmali Agrawala said in Tata Review, an in-house magazine. Tata Power has two wind power generation projects each in Maharashtra and Gujarat and one in Karnataka... Read more.. Date : Mar 15 Source: Economic Times
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Moser Baer makes solar breakthroughMoser Baer PhotoVoltaic, the solar module manufacturing arm of Moser Baer India, has increased its thin film solar module manufacturing capacity by 20% to 50 million watts per year, thanks to a technological breakthrough. The company, which manufactures low-cost solar modules by spraying a thin film of amorphous or non-crystalline silicon onto glass panels, said it has become the second company in the world to achieve a 7.3% conversion efficiency for its ‘thin film’ modules. The breakthrough came through research conducted at its facility near New Delhi, it said in a release. ... Read more..Date : Mar 15 Source: Daily News and Analysis
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Govt counts on PSUs to drive mega solar projectsThe Centre is counting on the public sector brigade to execute capacity on large-scale grid connected solar power projects. ONGC, NHPC, BHEL, and NTPC are among the front runners. Hydrocarbon major ONGC is looking to start off with a 10 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant, with plans for a solar thermal project also on the anvil. Official sources told Business Line that “the company is exploring sites at Goa, Rajasthan and Gujarat for its solar PV project.” “The company has already appointed a consultant for the purpose,” an official said, adding that “ONGC Energy Centre... Read more.. Date : Mar 15 Source: Hindu Business Line
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Centralised solar power plant-Inappropriate for IndiaThe proposed centralised plants for the first phase of the 1000 MW of solar projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) has been discounted as an inappropriate model for India and will not meet the very purpose for which the National Solar Mission (JNNSM) had been launched, a senior energy expert said. Though he termed the JNNSM for setting up 20,000 MW of solar power in the country as a ''proactive and forward looking'' initiative of the government, the expert was highly critical of the mode of implementing the project through the same centralised generation... Read more.. Date : Mar 15 Source: New Kerala
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India, Russia sign atomic energy dealIndia and Russia have signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement on Cooperation in Atomic Energy and agreed to a roadmap for construction of nuclear power plants, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, said on Friday night after detailed talks with the visiting Russian Prime Minister, Mr Vladimir V. Putin. The Russians are already in advanced stages of commissioning the first phase of the Koodankulam project in Tamil Nadu and have been offered the Haripur site in West Bengal for a second nuclear project in the country. In Tamil Nadu, the two VVER (Russian version of the Pressurised... Read more.. Date : Mar 14 Source: Hindu Business Line
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Copper consumption in India set to growThe energy efficiency initiatives of the Government coupled with a rebound in the construction sector are expected to boost copper consumption in India, according to the International Copper Association (ICA). Mr Richard Xu, ICA's Regional Director for Asia said India is one of the fastest growing markets for copper consumption in the region. “Growth in India is being driven by sectors such as power and utilities, construction, appliances, industry, agriculture, transportation and infrastructure,” Mr Xu said. ICA, which represents 34 large copper producers worldwide,... Read more.. Date : Mar 14 Source: Hindu Business Line
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Now, drive an energy-efficient hybrid carHow about installing a solar panel in the house to tap solar energy or driving an energy-efficient hybrid car? While a number of papers on technological innovations in electrical and electronics engineering have gained attention in Prastuti-2010, a number of engineering students have also come up with eco-friendly renewable energy technologies and pollution-free sustainable development solutions to tackle burning issue of climate change, on Saturday. "More than one-third of energy requirement in the country is met from fuel sources that add to environment pollution and tapping solar... Read more.. Date : Mar 14 Source: IndiaTimes
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Kerala to distribute CFL bulbs to 75 lakh householdsIn what is being billed as the single biggest programme to save electricity, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) will from Monday distribute two 14 watts compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs to 75 lakh households in the state at subsidised rates. State Electricity Minister A.K. Balan told reporters Saturday that the state level inauguration of the scheme Monday will have Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan handing over a pair of CFL bulbs to Leader of Opposition Oommen Chandy. "The CFL bulbs would be distributed across the state and each household will have to hand over... Read more.. Date : Mar 14 Source: Webindia 123
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India ties among most consequential in 21st century: USWASHINGTON: Looking at relations with India "as one of the most consequential of US foreign policy in the 21st century", the US wishes to capitalise on their converging values and interests to confront global challenges, said a senior US official. "India is going to be an increasingly important factor in the 21st century, but also an increasingly important friend," Robert O Blake, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, said in an interview. "So, it's very much in our interest to seize that opportunity now," he said noting, "That's why you saw... Read more.. Date : Mar 13 Source: IndiaTimes
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India's smoggy capital tries a whiff of fresh airNew Delhi: India has switched on its first public air purifier in the heart of capital New Delhi as part of an experiment that backers say could help other smog-choked cities in emerging countries. The maker of the seven-ton machine, Italy's Systemlife, claims the box-like structure can purify 10,000 cubic metres of air every hour, scrubbing out pollutants such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide. The unit, plugged in Saturday on a traffic-clogged street of central Delhi, is a pilot that could lead to more being installed in other areas of the city, ranked the world's fourth... Read more.. Date : Mar 13 Source: Zee News
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UK to join hands with India to tackle climate changeThe United Kingdom is keen on joining hands with India to explore business opportunities in the fields of research and technology development in creating a low carbon economy, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York and UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, said here on Friday. He was addressing a seminar, UK-India Partnership: Low Carbon Economy, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry. As international action on climate change gathers momentum, the global market for low carbon and environmental goods and services would grow to an estimated £4... Read more.. Date : Mar 13 Source: Hindu Business Line
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Kerala's 'green' budget foresees revenue deficit of Rs 3,630 crKerala’s budget for 2010-11 claims to be green, lays emphasis on higher education and the IT sector, and refuses to toe the Centre’s line on increasing VAT rates to compensate for the reduction in CST rates from 4 per cent to 2 per cent that has caused revenue loss to states. Predictably for a government presenting its final budget, the Left Democratic Front government’s budget is choc-a-bloc with welfare measures, gives special consideration for schemes benefiting women, and proposes a reduction on effective stamp duty. It envisages revenue receipts of Rs 31,180 crore and... Read more.. Date : Mar 12 Source: Economic Times
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India’s ONGC and Russia in energy pact talksIndia’s Oil and Natural Gas Corp is in talks with Gazprom and Rosneft over taking equity stakes in oil and gas projects in Russia to help cement an energy partnership between New Delhi and Moscow. An official at India’s foreign ministry said on Thursday the talks would form part of an official visit by Vladimir Putin, Russia’s prime minister, to New Delhi on Friday. Ajay Bisaria, joint secretary for Eurasia at the ministry, said: “We have had ongoing discussions with the Russian side on several more investments where ONGC Videsh is willing to go along with Russian oil and gas... Read more.. Date : Mar 12 Source: Financial Times
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Climate activists say businesses are buying their way out of costly greenhouse gas cutsBRUSSELS (AP) — Major European polluters are buying their way out of making big cuts to greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing carbon offsets that pay for environmental programs in developing nations, a nonprofit group said Friday. To avoid the high cost of becoming greener, power companies and steel makers are using offsets to meet emissions-reduction requirements, and thus undermining the EU's cap-and-trade program that would otherwise punish them financially for not cleaning up their operations, the group Sandbag said. Businesses and regulators should be "striving for the... Read more.. Date : Mar 12 Source: Los Angeles Times
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