Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Infosys turns green, proposes 50 MW solar park in Karnataka

Eight years on, the software industry posterchild is about to embark on generating its own power, in the process saving costs, getting clean reliable power for its operations and fulfilling its broader obligations to society.

Infosys has proposed a 50 mw solar park in Karnataka, becoming the first software company in India to think of generating its own power that will meet a bulk of the electricity needs of its offices in Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore.

Karnataka's Energy Minister DK Shivakumar told ET on Monday that Infosys had held one round of talks with the state... Read more..

Date : Jun 17

Source: Economics Times

BEE to set new energy ratings for premium ACs & refrigerators

Bureau of Energy Efficiency is set to announce new ratings on energy savings for high-end air-conditioners and refrigerators which, according to manufacturers, will perk up the market for premium products even if it leads to a 10-15 % price hike.

Leading white goods manufacturers said the bureau is testing the proposed ratings for inverter air-conditioners and side-by-side and multiple-door refrigerators in its laboratories.

After it receives feedback from the makers, it will lay down the norms for these premium appliances. The norms are expected to bring energy rating in... Read more..

Date : Jun 17

Source: Economic Times

DLF follows Gujarat model, to install solar panel on commercial buildings

DLF is set to become the first real estate developer in the country to generate power by installing solar panels on top of its office buildings, a move similar to the experiment in Gujarat, where the state government has installed such panels on top of government buildings in capital city Gandhinagar.

The developer has signed a build-andoperate agreement with UK-based Aniron Solatricity and Azure Power India to install solar panels on top of commercial buildings owned by DLF as an initial pilot project to produce 3 mw of power. The solar power generated will be routed to the... Read more..

Date : Jun 17

Source: Economic Times

Bank hedges corporate power tariffs: Rays Power Infra to build 10MW solar power plant in AP

Rays Power Infra, an ISO 9001 and 14001 certified company has announced solar power project commissioning 10MW solar power plant at Midjil in Andhra Pradesh.

The total cost of the project is Rs.65 crores and has an estimated annual output of 18 million KWH. The power will be sold at competitive market prices which are equivalent to commercial tariffs in Hyderabad.

Rays Power infra director Ketan Mehta, said: "Completing the project within hundred days exhibits our team's excellent capability and expertise in building solar power projects. I am proud of our team that they... Read more..

Date : Jun 17

Source: CIOL

Power equipment makers confident of opportunities for smart solutions in Indian market

With increasing installations of renewable energy and complexities of power transmission and distribution infrastructure, equipment makers are confident of opportunities for 'smart' solutions in Indian market. Following failure of electricity transmission network in mid-2012 and recent blackouts in national capital following thunderstorms have made equipment makers confident of smart grids.

India boasts of 2,45,000 mw of power generation capacity but it lacks sophisticated grid network to evacuate the same.

Unlike traditional grids, modern grids generate and communicate... Read more..

Date : Jun 17

Source: Economic Times

IWAI explores inland water transport facility from Norway

The above declaration was made by Jayashree Mukherjee, Vice-Chairperson, AIWI at an interactive session organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the IWAI held here on Jun 12.

Representatives of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi, delegates from reputed Norwegian firms like Rolls Royce and TTS Group of companies along with a financial institution, discussed the subject with some of the prominent stake holders at Kolkata from among the ship builders, and barge operating firms in India.

The prime issues identified for discussion during the meet included... Read more..

Date : Jun 17

Source: India Blooms

Renewable energy financier seeks Rs 150 cr equity infusion

Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA), the financing agency supporting renewable energy projects in India, said it was expecting Rs 150-200 crore equity infusion from the Centre. The agency also requested the Centre to reduce the guarantee fee to bring down the interest rates.

“With the current equity base of around Rs 745 crore, we can borrow eight times more. We are expecting Rs 100-150 crore equity infusion from the government though we have asked for a larger amount,” said KS Popli, chairman and managing director of IREDA.

The agency said it was also... Read more..

Date : Jun 17

Source: Business Standard

Inox Wind to supply wind turbines for 170MW wind power unit in India

Inox Wind, a subsidiary of Gujarat Fluorochemicals, has received a contract from Singapore-based company Continuum Wind Energy to provide wind turbines for a 170MW wind power unit in and around Ratlam and Mandsaur districts of Madhya Pradesh, India.

Under the INR9bn ($149.7m) contract, Inox Wind will provide 85 units of 2MW wind turbines with 100m rotor diameter.

Inox Wind CEO Kailash Tarachandani said, "With a focus on technology and customer centricity, we have launched this new product for our clients who can achieve optimum energy yield with lower wind speeds."

Date : Jun 17

Source: Wind Energy Business

Japan, India near carbon offset deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions

Japan plans to agree a carbon offset deal with India, Japanese media reported, citing unnamed government sources, potentially making the south Asian country the largest economy yet to sign up to cut greenhouse gas emissions under a Japanese scheme.

The two are expected to announce plans to accelerate negotiations over Japan's bilateral carbon offset mechanism when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe welcomes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Tokyo in early July for annual talks, the Nikkei news agency reported on Monday.

A deal would allow Japanese companies to install... Read more..

Date : Jun 17

Source: Economic Times

Tata Power crosses 500MW renewable energy capacity

Tata Power recently crossed the milestone of 500MW renewable energy capacity with the commissioning of solar plant at Palaswadi in Maharashtra.

"This achievement is in line with the company's commitment to have a 20-25 per cent contribution in energy generated from clean power sources that includes a mix of hydro, solar, wind, geothermal, and waste gas generation,'' said an official.

Tata Power has a total operating capacity of 460.6MW from wind farms and 54MW in solar generation. In addition the Company has 447 of hydro and 202.5MW from waste gas based generation.

Date : Jun 17

Source: Times of India

India's 1st solar water project in Nagaland

Nagaland minister for public health engineering department Noke Wangnao inaugurated an innovative water technology project — solar-powered water treatment unit — at Tsiesema village near Kohima on Friday. Nagaland is the first state in the country to set up the unique technology.

Wangnao said three similar projects had been installed in three most villages most hit by water scarcity in Kohima district - Tsiesema, Meriema and Kijumetouma. At a time when the state badly needed a solution to the water scarcity problem of the villages, a Mumbai-based company developed a suitable... Read more..

Date : Jun 17

Source: Times of India

Rooftop solar power generation projects to ease Delhi's power burden

Residential colonies and commercial establishments could reduce the burden of their electricity bills if a study currently being carried out by Tata PowerBSE -2.34 % Delhi Distribution finds rooftop solar power generation projects feasible and the city joins the club of such power producers that includes Gujarat.

According to estimates, 33 km of Delhi's total area of 1,483 sq km can be used for rooftop solar photovoltaic projects to install 2,557 mw of capacity. However, Delhi's potential to produce solar power has not been exploited yet, even as power demand touches new heights... Read more..

Date : Jun 13

Source: Economic Times

Now, personalized climates to save energy

MIT researchers have developed a system that creates personalized climates around individuals, providing an alternative to heating entire buildings. The project, called 'Local Warming', uses WiFi-based motion tracking and ceiling-mounted dynamic heating elements to target a single person and create a precise personal climate around occupants of a building. As a result, each person is kept comfortable while the space around them is maintained at a lower temperature — saving energy, the researchers said.

"Today, a huge amount of... Read more..

Date : Jun 13

Source: Times of India

Can Waterless Dyeing Processes Clean Up the Clothing Industry?

ach year, one global industry gulps down trillions of liters of fresh water, together with massive amounts of chemicals. The wastewater from that industry is then dumped, often untreated, into rivers that bring its toxic content to the sea, where it spreads around the globe.

The industry in question? The textile dyeing sector, whose colorful products belie the reality that it is an egregious polluter, especially in China, which by some estimates produces — and then discharges — roughly 40 percent of all dyeing chemicals worldwide... Read more..

Date : Jun 13

Source: Yale Environment

Google to enter energy market with utility tools - report

According to Bloomberg, Google is planning to further delve into the USD 363.7 billion US power-sales market by working to develop tools that help utilities deliver electricity to homes and businesses in a more efficient way, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Google is currently in the early stages of building software and hardware tools to manage power lines and other infrastructure, said the people, who asked not to be named because the matter is private. The new technology is being developed by Google's Energy Access... Read more..

Date : Jun 13

Source: Telecompaper

Govt to go for major investment in agricultural infrastructure

Agriculture sector under the new government will see implementation of some innovative ideas which may not only increase farm production through use of technology but also by reclaiming 'non-cultivable land' in scientific manner under a national policy.

This along with other measures, including increasing investment in Agri-infrastructure — like setting up specialized Agri-Rail networks for perishable farm products, launching massive irrigation projects at village level and inter-linking of rivers, if feasible, for irrigation — and... Read more..

Date : Jun 13

Source: Times of India

Nitin Gadkari opposes plan to impose anti-dumping duty on solar gear

Voices against the government plan to slap anti-dumping duty on solar panels are getting stronger with Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari asking his commerce counterpart to drop the proposal as it would ‘escalate’ the cost of solar power in the country.

The Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) had recommended slapping the restrictive duty on imported solar panels from the U.S., Malaysia, China and Chinese Taipei to protect domestic manufacturers.

The recommendations came... Read more..

Date : Jun 13

Source: The Hindu

High operating costs affect biomass power projects: Upendra Tripathy

Despite so many inherent benefits, a number of biomass power projects, of late have been facing problems due to high cost of operation, said Upendra Tripathy, Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), while inaugurating a workshop on ‘Regulatory and financial barriers and challenges in power generation from biomass’ on June 9, 2014.

Underlining the importance of biomass based power generation, Tripathy said that it plays a very important role among various renewable sources due to its high plant load factor (PLF),... Read more..

Date : Jun 13

Source: Business Standard

India’s Metro Rail: Are We On Par With Global Systems?

Think Mumbai and we think of the 'maximum' city; the city that never sleeps; the city on the Indian coastline that never ceases to amaze with its spirit and perseverance; the city that never loses the spring in its step.

Till now, the city lived and thrived upon its local train network. Most of the population must have spent most of their time in those trains, only visiting their respective homes to catch up on food and sleep. That may sound like an overstatement to many who don't live there. But the truth is this train network, stretching up to 465 km and built by the British way... Read more..

Date : Jun 13

Source: Business Insider

Indian scientist Rasik Ravindra elected to UN entity on ocean affairs

Indian scientist RasikBSE 0.00 % Ravindra has been unanimously elected as member of the UN's body focussed on oceans and law of the sea.

Ravindra, India's candidate for member of the Commission on the Limits of Continental Shelf (CLCS), was elected during the 24th Meeting of States Parties of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea here yesterday.

He secured support of all the 111 members present and voting. His term in the CLCS will be till June 15, 2017.

The election, in which there were seven contenders, was to fill the vacancy in the CLCS... Read more..

Date : Jun 13

Source: Economic Times

Slow pace of talks on food security at WTO worries India

India has expressed concern over the “slow progress” in post Bali talks of the WTO on arriving at a permanent solution on safeguards to run food security programmes of developing nations and a 'package' for least developed countries (LDC), even as it indicated that work is gaining ground on trade facilitation at the behest of some developed countries.

The Bali talks for a global trade deal had arrived at an agreement to ease trade by reducing red tape and improving infrastructure. The WTO member countries have to submit commitments in July with regard to the trade facilitation... Read more..

Date : Jun 12

Source: Financial Express

PM Narendra Modi sets 2022 deadline for water, electricity and toilet in every house

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said his government would focus on uplift of the poor while working for development of all sections, including Muslims, and promised to take along every political party and state to make the country prosperous and powerful.

In his first speech in the Lok Sabha, he talked about his "dreams" of ensuring the country's progress and converting the image from "scam India" to "skills India" through "cooperative federalism".

He specifically mentioned his ideas about improving the agriculture and infrastructure sectors and for which best practices... Read more..

Date : Jun 12

Source: Financial Express

Honeywell starts renewable energy equipment manufacturing in India

Honeywell today added its sixth manufacturing facility in India with the inauguration of a plant that will manufacture solar water heating systems for its Environmental and Combustion Controls (ECC) business, adding to other manufacturing facilities the business has in Chennai and Dehradun.

The 50,000-square-foot Vadodara facility will manufacture solar water heating (SWH) systems for residential, commercial and industrial applications for the domestic market in India as well as for export to Southeast Asia and North Africa. Honeywell's Vadodara facility will manufacture 10 solar... Read more..

Date : Jun 12

Source: CIOL

Govt may rejig subsidy for solar projects

The subsidy regime for solar projects may be in for an overhaul, with power minister Piyush Goyal asking officials to address the problem of accumulated bills of about Rs 3,200 crore and find ways to ensure that claims don't pile up in future.

Sources familiar with the development said Goyal has told officials in the ministry of new and renewable energy to see how much and how soon can the pending subsidy be cleared, given the government's tight financial situation. "It can't be anyone's case that you make a policy and keep promising something but can't keep your promise. The idea... Read more..

Date : Jun 12

Source: Times of India

Power plants lack coal, crisis in north India critical

The government may have said that the Capital’s power crisis will ease in the next few days but poor summer rains and plunging coal stocks at plants nationwide are set to worsen north India’s energy woes.

The Union power ministry’s latest data shows that as many as 21 power projects have less than four days of coal supply, while another 15 projects are running less than 7 days of coal stocks. These plants together produce 55,000 mega watts (MW) or more than 20% of the total power generated in India.

Out of these, six projects of the NTPC — some of which provide power to... Read more..

Date : Jun 12

Source: Hindustan Times