Sustainability Outlook Headlines

India, Finland ink clean technology pact to produce ethanol

India, on Tuesday, signed an agreement with Finland to produce indigenous ethanol to promote use of clean technologies and cut down the oil import bill.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Finnish clean technology firm Chempolis will set up a pilot project to produce ethanol, bio-chemicals and bio-coal from biomass residual matters. The agreement was inked by Finnish Minister for European Affairs Alexander Stubb and Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Panabaka Lakshmi here.

“We have signed a MoU with a Finnish company called Chempolis. It is for conversion... Read more..

Australia And India To Collaborate On Clean Fuel Production

A six million dollar Australia-India partnership project will focus on improving processes involved in the production of a clean-burning synthetic fuel, dimethyl ether (DME), which is a fuel produced from natural gas.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) of Australia and its Indian equivalent, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), say the partnership could provide a solution to a number of energy concerns and ultimately reduce the reliance of both countries on imported fuels.

“There are over half a million vehicles... Read more..

ANERT proposal for solar project submitted to Centre

The Agency for Non-conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT) has submitted a proposal to the Centre to avail of central subsidies for grid-connected rooftop solar power projects - worth approximately Rs 18 crore - in the state.

Under this project, rooftop solar projects of varying capacities will be established at arious government and non-governmental institutions, including 10 collectorates - including here - the State Assembly and the Kerala University’s Kariavattom campus, ANERT director M Jayaraju said.

“The projects together total 1.83 megawatts (MW) in capacity... Read more..

Centre to set up autonomous body to ensure water security

The Centre will soon set up an autonomous body to ensure efficient use of water that can come in handy for coming generations in light of growing demand for the precious natural resource.

The body, Bureau of Water Efficiency, will be set up on the line of the power ministry's Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).

"It will be a statutory body under the ministry of water resources. Its task will be to promote efficient use of water and its conservation — the way the BEE works for energy," said a government official. The move assumes significance at a time when most of the... Read more..

Carbon Markets 94% Cheaper Than Renewable Support, OECD Says

Carbon markets are about 94 percent cheaper at cutting greenhouse gases than renewable subsidies paid to power producers, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The cost of reducing one metric ton of carbon dioxide in the power industry using emissions trading systems is 10 euros ($13.56) on average, compared with 169 euros for feed-in tariffs, the OECD said today in a report. Some tariffs cost more than 700 euros a ton, the OECD in Paris said in the study based on data from 15 countries, including China and the U.S.

The OECD called on... Read more..

BGR Energy Systems signs $246 million contract with Iraq government

BGR Energy Systems LtdBSE 1.79 % has signed a contract for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of 4x125 MW gas-based power project at Nasiriya with the Ministry of Electricity ( MoE), Iraq.

The contract is valued at $246 million and includes the scope of engineering, procurement and construction services of BOP, civil works and erection, testing and commissioning of gas turbine-generator sets supplied by General Electric, as well as, operation and maintenance of power project for six months.

As on date the order book of BGR Energy Systems is more than $2 billion... Read more..

Gamesa to equip India wind energy project with 54 MW in wind turbines

Spain-based wind turbine manufacturer Gamesa signed an agreement to supply 54 MW in wind turbines to an Indian electric utility company.

The contract calls for the wind farm development, as well as the supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance for 10 years of 27 G97-2.0 MW wind turbines at Tagguparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India. The commissioning should be completed by May 2014.

In India, Gamesa has installed over 900 MW and manages capacity of more than 800 MW under O&M agreements. In its capacity as wind farm developer, Gamesa's project pipeline in India stands at... Read more..

Hunt for the smokeless chulha

 The hunt is again on finding a smokeless chulha (stove) to replace the soot emitting ones in more than 160 million households across the country. This time the hunt is triggered not just by concerns of public health but also climate change. Many new prototypes are emerging. Corporate as well as philanthropic groups and researchers are working across the globe at finding a cheap and versatile enough alternative that could suit the need of people across various sections.

Most attempts so far to achieve success at the scale required have failed. The Centre’s own programme which began... Read more..

Don't add private investments to climate fund, says India

The developed countries should not count private investments against the commitment of $100 billion annual fund for fighting climate change, India demanded, along with several other developing countries, at the recently meeting of select countries in Warsaw.

Poland was the host of this year’s annual climate talks.

The meeting, called the pre-COP (Conference of Parties), is organised to firm up the agenda for the meeting, where all member-countries of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change... Read more..

Water Desalination Capacity Climbs on Power, Energy Needs

India to Invest $1.8 Billion in Village Water Supplies

 India, where 200,000 children four and under die yearly of diseases caused by dirty water, plans to spend 110 billion rupees ($1.8 billion) for the fiscal year ending March 2014 to improve village water supplies.

That’s an almost 5 percent increase from a year earlier.

Of the funds alloted to provincial governments to lay water pipes and modernize networks, 5 percent will be used for villages where groundwater sources have been contaminated by chemicals, according to a statement from the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

About 15 percent of the funds will be... Read more..

Govt sleeps as toxic waste poisons water in Punjab

Notwithstanding claims of the Punjab Government and the state Pollution Control Board (PPCB) that emphasis is being laid on ensuring clean and green environment in the state, the practice of discharging domestic waste and untreated industrial effluents into drains, rivulets and water channels continues unabated in Jalandhar and Kapurthala.

The worst affected is the Kala Sanghian Drain, which originates from Bullandpur village in Jalandhar and goes to Chiti Bein, which finally connects with the Sutlej.

In Kapurthala, untreated sewage waste is polluting Kali Bein. Same is the... Read more..