Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Toyota, Tesla and Vestas ranked among world’s top green companies

Toyota, Tesla, Vestas, DONG Energy and Panasonic are among the top ranked companies in the first ever Carbon Clean 200 list, which claims the world’s greenest large companies are outperforming their more polluting counterparts by as much as three to one.

Published today, the inaugural Clean 200 ranks the largest publicly listed companies worldwide by their total clean energy revenues, as rated by Bloomberg... Read more..

Prime Minister Modi says LED bulbs can save at least Rs 1.25 lakh cr in energy cost

Price of energy-efficient LED bulbs has dropped to Rs 50 from previous Rs 350 following government intervention, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he targeted saving Rs 1.25 lakh crore in energy cost through installation of 77 crore such lighting devices. Delivering his third Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, he said light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs not just save electricity but also reduce CO2 emissions and... Read more..

Danish wind major Vestas to breeze into India again

Wind turbine manufacturer Vestas will unveil its India strategy at a customer meet in September, company sources have said.

Domestic players will keenly watch the move, as it will mark the ‘re-entry’ of the Denmark-based firm, the world’s largest wind turbine maker, into India.

Vestas is no stranger to... Read more..

SunLink pursuing Indian commitment with solar development joint venture

U.S. solar energy solutions provider SunLink has partnered with Indian engineering company Ganges Internationale to help facilitate solar deployment in India, as part of an agreement to develop 1.4 GW of solar in India over the next five years.

SunLink is pushing forward with the White House commitment that it agreed to in June to help renewable energy deployment in India, with a view to assisting India... Read more..

NMPT to become Green Port in 2017

New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) chairman P.C. Parida on Monday said that the port should become a Green Port by next year after it gets entire energy requirement through non-conventional sources.

He was speaking after hoisting the tricolour and inspecting the guard of honour by the Port CISF unit, fire services and students on the occasion of 70th Independence Day celebrations here. Mr. Parida said the port... Read more..

CPCB directs 21 states to curb air pollution

Asking 21 states to take action against air pollution within the given deadline, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued a total of 31 directions under six different sections.

The order asks the states to form an action plan to check fuel adulteration and public helplines in all towns for air pollution within 30 days and action for non-complying industries within 60 days.

... Read more..

Zero Tolerance Over Ganga Pollution: Environment Minister

Union Minister of State for Environment Anil Madhav Dave on Aug. 12 spoke about "zero tolerance" for pollution in the Ganga River, adding that government policies may be reconstructed from scratch if required.

Dave told the media here that a solution to the long-pending issue of the Western Ghats will be found.

... Read more..

SC Lifts Ban On Big Diesel Cars, Slaps 1% Green Cess

In a major relief to the automobile industry, the Supreme Court on Friday lifted the restriction on registration of diesel cars and SUVs having engine capacity of 2000cc and above in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) on payment of one per cent of the ex-showroom price of such vehicles as green cess.

The cess, charged as environment protection charge, has to be paid by the vehicle manufacturer with... Read more..

Azure Power in talks to sell stake to Brookfield to raise Rs 500 crore

Azure Power Global is in talks with Canadian asset manager Brookfield to raise as much as Rs 500 crore by selling a significant minority stake to fund the Delhibased clean energy firm's plans to expand its generation capacity, two people with direct knowledge of the development said. 

The fund raise would be a prelude to its proposed New York or Indian public offer, which it had announced late last year. ... Read more..

Discoms to get help on demand projections

The Centre plans to help state power distribution utilities in electricity procurement through efficient and scientific demand-supply projections, a move that aims to lower electricity costs as well as tariffs. 

It is considering appointing the Central Electricity Authority as the nodal agency for the exercise and engaging India Meteorological Department (IMD) for weather forecasting to derive power demand... Read more..

Sukhbir inaugurates solid waste management project amid protests in Punjab

As many as one hundred agitating protesters, including MLAS, at Bhagatanwal garbage dumping site courted arrest while protesting the decision of not shifting the dumping site out of city even as deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal inaugurated the controversial solid waste management project.

Those who offered arrests included sitting MLA Inderbir Singh Bolaria , former Congress MLA Harjinder Singh... Read more..

Greenko raises $500 million via India’s first high-yield green bond issuance

Hyderabad-based Greenko Group has raised $500 million by selling green bonds to overseas investors, marking India's first high-yield issuance of its kind.

The clean energy firm, backed by Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC and one of the shortlisted contenders to buy SunEdison's Indian assets, plans to use the proceeds to refinance debt and meet transaction or operating expenses.

... Read more..