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Sustainability Outlook Headlines
Mahindra enters Bhutan, launches electric car e2oUtility major Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd launched electric car e2o in Bhtuan on Thursday, hoping to cash in on the government's strong commitment towards environment and sustainable development plans. The company also signed an MoU with the Bhutan government to promote electric cars in the country at a function here where Bhutam Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and M&M executive director and president Pawan Goenka were present. "It is a common sense for us to go for electric cars in Bhutan because we produce cheap electricity and we are committed to make Bhutan carbon-... Read more.. Date : Mar 28 Source: Times of India
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Hydrocarbon produced by trees could power rockets in near futureResearchers have engineered a bacterium to synthesize pinene, a hydrocarbon produced by trees that could potentially replace high-energy fuels, such as JP-10, in missiles and other aerospace applications. With improvements in process efficiency, the biofuel could supplement limited supplies of petroleum-based JP-10, and might also facilitate development of a new generation of more powerful engines. By inserting enzymes from trees into the bacterium, first author and Georgia Tech graduate student Stephen Sarria, working under the guidance of assistant professor Pamela Peralta... Read more.. Date : Mar 27 Source: Newstrack India
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Siemens wind turbine factory lauded by environmental groupSiemens to build a wind turbine plant in the United Kingdom is a "massive boost" for a low-carbon economy, British Friends of Earth said Tuesday. The German engineering company announced Tuesday it was investing more than $260 million to build a facility that would help produce rotor blades and other components for 6-megawatt turbines. Simon Bowens, a campaigner with Friends of Earth, said it was a welcome step given the British government's push to extract more oil from the North Sea. "This world-class manufacturing hub for the offshore wind industry will be a massive... Read more.. Date : Mar 27 Source: UPI.com
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Panasonic to give 4000 solar lantens to off-grid communities in India this yearIn a bid to provide 100,000 solar lanterns to off-grid communities, Panasonic India has announced that it will provide 4000 solar lanterns to people based in areas with no power access. This is in addition to 5000 lanterns company had granted in 2013. For this initiative Panasonic has joined hands with six NGOs (non-profit organizations) – the World Health Partners, Plan International India, World Vision India, Care India, Japan Lutheran Evangelical Association and SARD (Society of All Round Development) in the areas of Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal and Haryana. ... Read more.. Date : Mar 27 Source: Financial Express
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Electric buses to hit the road in Mysore soonEco-friendly electric buses may soon hit the road in Mysore, thanks to Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the Union government’s flagship programme, which has been extended till this year. Out of the 125 buses allotted for intra-city operations here under the mission, three were electric ones. The urban division of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, Mysore, will operate green buses on select routes. “The zero emission battery-operated buses are ideal for cities like Mysore. After Bangalore, Mysore is the second city to get hybrid buses... Read more.. Date : Mar 27 Source: The Hindu
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Kolkata forays into residential green-building leagueA: The city finally has a couple of environment-friendly residential apartments to feel proud of. The premium projects - Astitva by Primarc and MCK groups and Platinum by Godrej Properties - join the elite league of over 250 such projects countrywide, including a slew of projects in the National Capital Region, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. Both Astitva located in north Kolkata's Kankurgachi and Platinum in posh Alipore have received gold certification from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), the second highest rating after platinum. In Salt Lake Sector V, IT... Read more.. Date : Mar 27 Source: Times of India
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India's first green office building using solar power comes up in DelhiStepping in to join a global trend of adopting green technology for running office premises through harnessing renewable source of energy, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday dedicated India's first 'zero net energy' building to the nation. With an installed capacity of 930kw peak power, the building - called Indira Paryavaran Bhawan -- has the largest roof top solar system among multi storied buildings in India. Located here on Jorbagh Road, the building has provision to accommodate about 600 officials of the ministry of environment and forests. It was constructed... Read more.. Date : Mar 27 Source: Times of India
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Oil firms to set up solar and wind energy projectsIn a bid to boost renewable energy generation, oil giants like ONGC and Indian Oil Corp will form new companies to set up large sized solar and wind energy projects in India and abroad. Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) along with Oil India Ltd (OIL), GAIL, Engineers India Ltd (EIL), Solar Energy Corp of India (SECI) and Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) will set up a special purpose vehicle to undertake big electricity grid-connected projects. A second SPV led by Indian Oil Corp (IOC) will look at setting up off-grid projects using advanced technologies. This... Read more.. Date : Mar 27 Source: Business Standard
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Air pollution kills 7 million worldwide: WHOAir pollution killed 7 million people in 2012, causing one in eight of the total deaths globally, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday. The new estimate, which includes both outdoor and indoor air pollution, is almost double the earlier WHO estimate of 3.7 million deaths of outdoor air pollution in 2012. Indoor air pollution caused 4.3 million deaths in 2012 in homes cooking over coal, wood and biomass stoves, say the current estimates. Worldwide, 2.9 billion people live in homes using wood, coal or dung as their primary cooking fuel. This makes air... Read more.. Date : Mar 27 Source: Hindustan Times
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Lanzatech raises $60 million to rid the world of toxic gasesClean technology pioneer LanzaTech wants to clean up the world’s toxic belching factories one smokestack at a time.
And the venture capitalists are listening.
The Roseville, Ill-based company snared $60 million in venture funding Tuesday.
LanzaTech’s gas fermentation technology converts toxic carbon monoxide and dioxide emissions into renewable ethanol and butadiene that can be used for the production of nylon, rubber, and other plastics on site at the chemical spewing factories themselves. This is a huge leap... Read more.. Date : Mar 26 Source: VentureBeat
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'Nuclear Energy Key to Sustainable Growth'A two-day workshop to explore the role of nuclear energy for sustainable future development was inaugurated by Nikolay Listopadov, Consul General Russian Federation in Southern India, at the Jeppiaar Institute of Technology on Tuesday.
Addressing the gathering, Listopadov said that in the changing world, India was emerging as a superpower. In view of that, the country should be able to produce enough electricity to support all needs, he added.
He further spoke on the extended bond of friendship that India shared through strategic civil... Read more.. Date : Mar 26 Source: The New Indian Express
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Incineration keeps Singapore squeaky cleanExperts say Chennai can take lessons from the Lion City of south east Asia. Singapore, with a population of 5.3 million and a reputation for being one of the cleanest cities in the region, generates 7,600 tonnes a day of solid waste. In the past, municipal workers shovelled refuse from roadside bins and households into handcarts and dumped the waste into swamps. Collection bins were often left uncovered and rubbish-strewn streets were a common sight. Waste collection was irregular and inefficient, so refuse often piled up on roads and alleys. The tropical climate quickly decomposed the... Read more.. Date : Mar 26 Source: Times of India
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Asia's great cities face rising flooding risks in warming worldSome of Asia’s main cities could be under siege from rising sea levels by the end of the century, a UN panel of scientists is set to warn later this week.
Kolkata, Mumbai, Dhaka, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai, Bangkok and Rangoon are among those most at risk, drafts of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s forthcoming report suggest.
Rice and maize yields could also decline if temperatures rise and coastal growing regions are submerged, although winter wheat yields could increase.
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Indian solar installations are forecast to be approximately 1000 MWIndian solar installations are forecast to be approximately 1,000 mw in 2014, according to Mercom Capital Group, llc, a global clean energy communications and consulting firm. Solar installations in India totaled 1,004 MW in 2013 compared to 986 MW in 2012. In line with Mercom's forecast, there was very little growth in installations year-over-year. The firm's detailed survey of the market revealed that growth in installations might be elusive again in 2014 with numbers forecast to be similar to 2012 and 2013. According to Mercom, there are several factors behind the slow... Read more.. Date : Mar 26 Source: Economic Times
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Come clean on waterThe bad news on water is known to experts, but not perhaps to most Indians. By some estimates, India will become water scarce in just about five years, and be a massive 50 per cent short on water in another 10. The country, therefore, needs to find better ways to use water. Is India Inc, in particular, thinking about this problem? The Carbon Disclosure Project, a non-profit organisation, has released a report that builds a business case for corporate water disclosure in India. Last year, it released a questionnaire that was responded to by 29 Indian companies, including Larsen &... Read more.. Date : Mar 26 Source: Business Standard
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Intertek gets mandate to certify wind turbinesIntertek has been recognised as a certification body for wind turbines under India’s Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-WET) programme. In a statement, Rajesh Saigal, Regional MD, Intertek South Asia, said: “Energy from wind holds high promise in India as a non-conventional energy source that can supplement grid power generation and it is more important than ever for manufacturers selling or installing wind power in India to understand the applicable regulations and standards . Wind power currently accounts for more than 70 per cent of renewable capacity in the country. As... Read more.. Date : Mar 26 Source: Hindu Business Line
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UK, India funding for nanotechnology projects in renewable energyResearchers from the University of Surrey have today been awarded funding by the UK government and the government in India for two projects which will explore how nanotechnology will impact the future of renewable energy. Awarded to researchers from the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) at the University of Surrey through the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UK-IERI), both programmes will involve close collaboration between universities in the UK and India, as well as with Tata Steel Research and Development UK. The first project will bring together researchers... Read more.. Date : Mar 26 Source: Nanowerk
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National Green Tribunal reserves forest clearance given to Parsa East and Kante-Basan coal blocksThe National Green Tribunal (NGT) has set aside the forest clearance (FC) to captive coal blocks in Parsa East and Kante- Basan in Chattisgarh given by former environment minister, Jairam Ramesh in 2011. The final approval for the coal blocks were issued in 2012 for diversion of 1898.23 hectare of forest land in these two blocks located in the Hasdeo-Arand coal fields. The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) had declined to recommend the proposal thrice and the then environment minister had over-ruled FAC and recommended clearance for the project. The NGT bench... Read more.. Date : Mar 25 Source: Times of India
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Scientists meet in Japan after grim climate forecastInternational scientists gathered near Tokyo on Tuesday for a week-long meeting centred on a grim climate change report that warned of floods and drought that could stoke conflicts and wreak havoc on the global economy.
A draft of their document, seen by AFP, is part of a massive overview by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), likely to shape policies and climate talks for years to come.
Scientists and government representatives are meeting in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, to exchange ideas and release a full report at the end of the... Read more.. Date : Mar 25 Source: Times of India
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Asia Pacific plays critical role in energy-water cooperationThe interdependence between energy and water has never been more pronounced than it is now in the Asia Pacific, where sourcing its energy supply, primarly coal, has severely contributed to the scarcity of water in the region, said the United Nations in a report released on Friday, just before World Water Day. Called the United Nations World Water Development Report 2014 (WWDR), the 230-page document launched in Tokyo, Japan is a comprehensive review of data and scientific investigations from various UN agencies on the state of water around the world. It widely explores the nexus... Read more.. Date : Mar 25 Source: UN - eco-business.com
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Algae Work as Biofuel Source Even in Cold ClimatesEven in a cool climate as in Finland, algae might be used to produce biochemicals and biofuels, besides use in capture of industrial carbon dioxide emissions. The ALGIDA project coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland explored algae growing in Finland.
Algae are not yet profitably cultivated for energy production purposes. The cultivation is challenging especially in cool climate where there is little daylight in winter.
Production is expensive compared with wood and agricultural biomass. But the findings of the ALGIDA... Read more.. Date : Mar 25 Source: Daily Fusion
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Erode farmers promote use of biogasA farmers' organisation in Erode held a demonstration using a tractor and a motor cycle powered by biogas at a city college. Around 200 farmers attended the demonstration and some even tried their hand in operating the exhibits on Sunday. The purpose of the demo is to encourage the use of biogas, one participant said.
A tractor and a two-wheeler powered through methane were exhibited at the college grounds. Their tanks were removed and modified for the purpose. Methane gas used was extracted from vegetable and animal wastes. To pump the gas requires expensive... Read more.. Date : Mar 25 Source: Times of India
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India may see slow growth in solar capacity additionAfter a good start two years ago, solar capacity addition seems to be hitting the slow growth lane. India is forecast to see flat capacity addition in 2014 when compared with 2013 even as the global market may improve capacity by about 24 per cent in the current calendar year. The total new solar power capacity addition in the country is forecast at about 1,000 MW for 2014. But, there was very little growth in installations year-over-year and the solar installations in India stood at 1,004 MW for 2013 when compared with 986 MW in 2012, points out Mercom Capital, a global clean... Read more.. Date : Mar 25 Source: The Hindu
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First Shipment of Grains Via Water Reaches KeralaFor the first time, Kerala has received foodgrains via waterways. The first such shipment arrived at Vallarpadam Container Terminal in Kochi on Tuesday from Kakinada in Andhra Pradehs. The shipment carrying 6,323 tonnes of rice (2,989 MTs of boiled and 3334MTs of raw) is intended for the three Food Corporation of India (FCI) depots at Alappuzha, Kochi and Arakkulam. The FCI moves boiled rice from Andhra Pradesh to Kerala, to the tune of around 70,000 tonne to 80,000 tonne a month or 8 to 10 lakh... Read more.. |
Infuse Venture gets commitment of ₹110 cr for cleantech startupsIndian Institute of Management– Ahmedabad’s Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) on Wednesday announced that it had received commitments of over ₹110 crore for its cleantech focused fund, Infuse Ventures. Initially, four startups from different parts of the country will be supported by Infuse Ventures in the field of cleantech segment. “The startups require piloting support at the initial stage. We have been able to bring global partners to support these entrepreneurs. This... Read more.. |
