Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Busting the myth: Increased penetration of rooftop solar power benefits discoms

If power distribution companies think increased penetration of rooftop solar power in their area will hurt them due to loss of revenue and the expenditure involved in creating supporting infrastructure for such plants, they need to think again. A power discom in Delhi rather gains 22 paise for every unit of electricity generated from a rooftop system, outweighing the revenue loss, according to a new analysis.

The gain accrues through a combination of benefit parameters including the avoided generation capacity cost, power purchase cost (PPC), transmission charges, distribution... Read more..

Wind to become largest power source by 2050, says Irena

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has released a new report named 'Future of Wind' in which it has suggested that wind energy could be the single largest source of power generation by mid-century. The report says that wind has the capability of satiating one-third of global power needs and reducing a quarter of energy-related carbon emissions. This is possible if global wind energy installations upsurge over ten times at about 6,000 Gigawatt (GW) by 2050 from the 2018 level of 500 GW. This entails advancement in certain key factors like economies of scale, more competitive... Read more..

An Environmentally Friendly Firecracker? India Is Willing to Try.

Diwali is the Hindu festival of light, and during the height of the celebrations in India each autumn, much of that illumination is coming from barely controlled explosions: the firecrackers, sparklers and other fireworks that millions here love to ignite as night falls. But beyond the light, it all adds fumes and smoke to India’s already toxic air. So changes are coming. Facing expanding evidence that India’s air pollution has become a public health disaster, the government has dramatically rewritten rules on fireworks sales, stringently enforcing a Supreme Court ban on most pyrotechnics... Read more..

How IT, communication can boost sustainable farming in India

Agriculture has been recognised as the core of the Union Budget for the year 2019-20. The Government of India has planned to invest widely in agriculture infrastructure to provide assured income to small and marginal farmers. It has made Niti Aayog a national think tank to establish and conduct programmes and research on technologies of the future namely, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate the economic development of our country. Uzhavan app, Ag mobile, CCMobile app, IFFCO Kisan are some of the applications developed keeping in mind the need of the hour... Read more..

Delhi Metro Stations Will Soon Get Electric Vehicle Charging Facilities to Boost Last Mile Connectivity: LG

Anil Baijal, Lt. Governor of Delhi chaired a meeting recently to review the progress of implementation of Multi-Modal Integration (MMI) plans on DMRC metro stations. The meeting was attended by Secretary-cum-Commissioner (Transport), GNCTD; Spl. Commissioner of Police (Traffic), MD (DIMTS); MD (DTIDC), Pr. Chief Engineer (PWD); Chief Architect (DMRC) and other concerned officers. In the meeting, LG asked the authorities to install charging facilities for the e-vehicle at each metro station to encourage e-vehicles for the last mile connectivity. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) recently... Read more..

Indian refiners' crude processing falls 6.9% in Sept year-on-year

India’s crude processing in September fell 6.89% from a year earlier, its biggest decline since June, as refiners shut units for maintenance and fuel upgrades, provisional government data showed on Tuesday. India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer, has set an April 1, 2020 deadline to migrate to Euro VI-compliant fuels to cut its carbon emissions. Indian refiners processed about 19.41 million tonnes or 4.74 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil in September, the data showed. While private refiners such as Nayara Energy and Reliance Industries Ltd (RELI.NS) can churn out... Read more..

Chennai Gets Charged Up With Ather e-Scooters

Electric mobility is spreading fast, and the latest manifestation of this is the first batch of Ather Energy’s 450 e-scooter being delivered to customers in Chennai. The Bengaluru-based manufacturer will be delivering nearly 100 scooters this week. The company will also be providing these customers with the Ather Dot home charging system for their vehicles. Meanwhile, 10 fast-charging stations have been installed across the city to alleviate range anxiety. . The brand is offering free charging at all these stations until December this year in order to help build its brand value. Pre-orders... Read more..

Bounce has 100k rides per day in Bengaluru, users complete 70 mn kms till date

App-based two-wheeler rental startup Bounce, which lets commuters to pick and drop scooters anywhere within city limits, has hit 1 lakh daily rides in Bengaluru in October, up from around 60,000 rides in July, according to a top company executive. Bounce currently offers scooter rental in two formats, including an hourly rental option, as well as a dockless two-wheeler sharing option, which is largely aimed at daily commuters. The news was first shared by Bounce’s chief executive Vivekananda H.R. on Twitter last Sunday. According to Bounce chief technology officer Varun Agni, the startup... Read more..

MNRE says Blue Wafer solar cells will not qualify under domestically-manufactured category

In a major decision, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) today clarified that semi-processed solar PV cells, commonly called Blue Wafer cells, will not qualify under the domestically manufactured category for use in projects implemented under government schemes. Many flagship programmes of the government implemented by MNRE such as Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme have provisions for mandatory use of domestically manufactured solar PV cells. “However, it was seen that some manufacturers have been importing semi-processed solar PV cells (generally... Read more..

Adani Green commissions 50 Megawatt wind energy capacity in Gujarat

Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) on Monday said it has commissioned 50 megawatt wind generation capacity at Kutch in Gujarat. The company through its subsidiaries is implementing 725 MW wind projects in Kutch. "AGEL announces commissioning of 50 MW wind energy generation capacity and signing of power purchase agreement with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for a period of 25 years," a company statement said. The company plans to commission another 225 MW wind capacity in the area by second half of 2020, for which the evacuation infrastructure is already in place, it added. AGEL has... Read more..

IIPA signs MoU with ISA for capacity building of member countries

The Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) has signed an MoU with International Solar Alliance (ISA) for capacity building of its member countries. The institute is already engaged in capacity building of many countries in the area of climate change adaptation and mitigation under Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programme of the Ministry of External Affairs. ISA envisages to better harness the demand for solar technologies, innovation and capacity building, among others, to make solar energy affordable to all. The idea behind the association is to develop solar... Read more..

Food major Cargill redesigns packaging to reduce use of plastic

US-based food major Cargill on Monday said it has redesigned packaging for edible oil to reduce the usage of plastics and make it recyclable. "Cargill in India is working to address plastic waste management in three ways: reduce, recycle and recover," the company said in a statement. In association with Dow Chemical, the business reformulated its plastic material, making 90 per cent of its plastic packaging recyclable. The company has redesigned its packaging across oil business by cutting down on the amount of raw plastic used across all products. Cargill is committed to promoting a... Read more..