Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Indian Techie Will Drive Solar-Powered Auto to Britain

An Indian techie will soon embark on a trans-national expedition riding on a self-built solar-powered autorickshaw to Britain to promote a sustainable low-cost alternative transport solution and check air pollution in towns and cities across the country.

"The objective of this 10,000 km (6,250 miles) adventure through 10 countries is to demonstrate the environmental and economical benefits of using a solar-powered autorickshaw, a popular transport mode in South Asia used for commuting by ordinary folks," 33-year-old engineer-turned green activist Rabelli Naveen told IANS here.

Delhi schools try out solar power

In a bid to increasing the use of solar power, several public schools are considering setting up roof-top solar power plants. 

The environment department of Delhi government has already installed these in four government schools—Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalayas in Mayur Vihar Phase I, Mangolpuri, Jwalapuri and RK Puram, Sector 12—which will produce 10 kilowatt each. 

Vasant Valley School set its kit up about a year-and-a-half ago. Principal Rekha Krishan says, "It takes care of about a third of our power requirement." Usha Ram, principal, Laxman Public School, too had tried to set... Read more..

BJP's river linking plan likely to get push

BJP's ambitious proposal to link rivers across the country is set to get a push with the water resources ministry being asked to prepare a future roadmap. 

Ministry of drinking water and sanitation (DWS), headed by senior Cabinet minister Nitin Gadkari, has urged the water resources ministry to prepare a roadmap for interlinking of rivers. 

In a letter to the Uma Bharti-headed ministry, DWS secretary Pankaj Jain has said that many states have become highly water stressed due to fast depleting underground water and so it is necessary to recharge the ground water table for... Read more..

Govt plans biggest solar-power auction of 1,500 megawatts

India plans to auction 1,500 megawatts of solar-power capacity in its biggest tender yet, saying photovoltaics may supply power as cheaply as coal five years earlier than it expected. The government proposes to introduce a scheme for setting up 1,500 megawatts of grid-connected solar photovoltaic power projects, power minister Piyush Goyal said in a written response to questions in Parliament on Thursday. He also said solar electricity may become cost-competitive with fossil fuel-based grid power by 2017, instead of 2022. Emerging economies including India, Brazil and South Africa are... Read more..

Power plants in A.P. facing acute shortage of coal

APGenco working overtime to ensure supply. Alarmed over the situation, the State government has dashed of a letter to the Central government seeking allotment of 80,000 tonnes a day to meet the demand of the thermal power plants.

Power utilities in the State are facing an acute shortage of coal to service the thermal power projects.

As against the requirement of at least 80,000 tonnes of coal every day, the State is able to get 55,000 tonnes as of now and officials are worried over the prospects if the supply situation worsens further. Senior officials of the A.P. Power... Read more..

India keen to partner with UK in renewable energy space: Goyal

The government is keen to partner with the UK for harnessing the country's energy potential, mainly in the renewable energy sector, Power Minister Piyush Goyal said today.

The matter was discussed during a meeting between Goyal and UK's Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Edward Davey today.

"We are keen to partner with UK on harnessing India's true energy potential, particularly in the renewable sector (solar, wind etc)," Goyal tweeted today.

According to the minister, officers on both the sides are working on the modalities of the plan.

"I'm... Read more..

JP Power down 7%, TAQA annuls Rs 10500cr buyout transaction

Shares of  Jaiprakash Power Ventures  fell as much as 7 percent intraday on Thursday after Abu Dabhi-based energy company, TAQA has withdrawn from the agreement to acquire company's two hydro power projects in Himachal Pradesh for Rs 10,500 crore. This is seen as huge blow for JP Power, which is on a debt reduction spree. The company was looking to pare debt to the tune of nearly Rs 15,000 crore this year, with the help of this deal. The 300MW of Baspa hydroelectric plant and 1000MW of Karcham plant are based in Himachal Pradesh. “..TAQA India Power Ventures informing us that they will be... Read more..

IIT to study JNNURM city bus service

The state government has engaged IIT-Bhubaneswar to conduct an "impact assessment study" of JNNURM-city bus service in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri.

Though the housing and urban development (H&UD) department selected the School of Infrastructure of IIT-Bhubaneswar in December, a formal contract was signed last month.

"The IIT-Bhubaneswar experts will assess the performance of the city bus service in terms of effectiveness, safety and environmental impact. The School of Infrastructure will complete the study in four months," said Sisir Kumar Ratho, special secretary of H... Read more..

CYAN SIGNS MOU FOR INDIAN SMART METER DEALS

Cyan, the Cambridge UK smart metering and lighting control technology business, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding  with El Sewedy Electrometer India Pvt Ltd  to develop, market and deploy integrated smart metering solutions in India and across the globe.

Under the MOU, El Sewedy and Cyan will tender as part of a consortium for a number of smart metering projects in India and other target markets. 

Cyan's smart metering solution, CyLec, will be integrated with El Sewedy's single-phase smart meters and will support the Open Meter Protocol (OMP), which provides an open... Read more..

Rise in temperature impacting India’s wheat production: study

The recent rise in temperature, especially during night time, is having a negative impact on India’s wheat production, according to a new study that warned of “serious implications” to the country’s food security. Geographers at the University of Southampton in the UK have found a link between increasing average temperatures in India and a reduction in wheat production. More specifically, they found a rise in night time temperatures is having the most impact. Researchers Dr John Duncan, Dr Jadu Dash and Professor Pete Atkinson have shown that recent warmer temperatures in the country’s... Read more..

India supports Dearman Engine

 Support for the Dearman Engine liquid air technology as a solution to the challenges of postharvest food losses and air pollution gained prominence recently, following events in both the UK and India.

This began with a call for urgent attention to cold chain development, discussed at the two-day Clean and Cool Summit on June 30 and July 1 in London, organised by the Liquid Air Energy Network (LAEN) and hosted by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Alongside the Summit, the IMechE’s Head of Energy and Environment, Dr. Tim Fox, launched the Institution’s latest... Read more..

Discoms to raise power tariffs; move aimed at offsetting increase in fuel costs

Power tariffs will rise across the country to reflect the increase in fuel cost due to higher railway freight, doubling of clean energy cess and rise in customs duty on coal, executives at leading companies and analysts said.

"It is inevitable that discoms across the country will have to increase tariffs, as they will have to pass on these costs in the form of variable charges to consumers and its only prudent that they do so as they are already under financial stress," said Issac George, CFO, GVK Power & Infrastructure. 

"Consumers will have to brace themselves for... Read more..