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Sustainability Outlook Headlines
Gujarat textile units want cap on solar machinery be raisedUnder the Solar Energy Credit initiative, an integral part of the scheme, the central government is providing a subsidy of 50% to power loom units having maximum eight looms for adopting solar energy for captive use either in grid or off grid system. Even as the much-publicised PowerTex India scheme aimed at development of power loom sector completes its stipulated three years by March 2020 and the central government is indicating its intent to continue it with some modifications, Gujarat-based textile units... Read more.. |
India leads world in growth of energy sector investments between 2015-18Growth in energy sector investments was the most pronounced in India compared to any other region in the world between 2015 and 2018. Data compiled by the International Energy Agency (IEA) showed that India’s energy sector investments expanded by 12 per cent in calendar 2018 alone. During 2015-2018, investments flowing into the country's energy sector are estimated to have grown by seven per cent CAGR (compounded annual growth rate). Investments, including private foreign capital, poured into areas like coal... Read more.. |
Tesla shows interest in India’s plans to build battery plantsTesla and China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd (CATL) are among the companies that have shown an initial interest in the Indian government’s plan to build large factories to make lithium-ion batteries at an investment of about ₹50,000 crore. Among the other firms that have shown an interest in the mega project is China’s BYD Co. Ltd, said two government officials aware of the matter, requesting anonymity. The robust global interest comes amid a strong push by the government to make India a global... Read more.. |
EESL inks pact with Apollo Hospitals to install public EV charging stations in its hospitalsState-run Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) on August 18 said it has signed a 10-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Apollo Hospitals Enterprises to install public electric vehicle charging stations in its hospitals across the country. "This is a first such MoU by EESL with a private partner, to set up public charging infrastructure in the country," the company said in a statement. Under the MoU, EESL will make the entire upfront investment on specified services and deploy qualified manpower... Read more.. |
BRICS nations come together for Urban Environmental ManagementAcknowledging the importance of urban environmental management for improving quality of life in cities, the Environment Ministers of BRICS countries on Friday agreed to work together to resolve the multifaceted environmental issues faced by BRICS cities. These discussions and announcements were made during the 5th BRICS Minister of Environment Meeting which was preceded by a two-day meeting of BRICS Joint Working Group on Environment. Highlighting the path-breaking work done by India in achieving its... Read more.. |
Tata Motors strives to reduce flexible plastic packaging in operationsTata Motors Ltd has initiated actions to minimise the consumption of flexible plastic packaging in its operations, the company said in its 2018-19 (Apr-Mar) annual report. The company reduced plastic packaging used for dispatch of auto parts between plants and warehouses. It is now working on sensitising its suppliers towards reduction of plastic packaging. Tata Motors is also converting expendable (single-use) plastic packaging to returnable (multiple-use) packaging, where possible, it said. The company... Read more.. |
Maruti seeks tax relief for hybrid, CNG carsThe country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) is pitching for tax relief for hybrid and CNG cars in addition to electric vehicles in order to promote green mobility in the country. MSI Chairman R C Bhargava said there is a need to promote hybrid and CNG cars as it will take some time for mass acceptance of electric vehicles (EVs) considering the high cost of technology right now. "Personally we would like to see GST benefits linked to greener/cleaner cars. The Government gave tax cut on EVs but... Read more.. |
Massive decline in coal power project lending in IndiaA financial assessment on Friday revealed a massive 90 per cent decline in coal power investment in India in 2018 compared to the previous year. The report looks at coal and renewable energy project finance made in 2018 and compares that with the numbers in 2017. “Coal vs Renewables 2018” — an annual energy investment trend report — recorded a significant drop in lending to coal power projects compared to the lending received in 2017. The report by the Delhi based financial institute Centre for Financial... Read more.. |
Large industries unable to tap rooftop solar energyFor large-scale industries, which are high tension (HT) electricity consumers, in the State, rooftop solar energy system is yet to become attractive though Tamil Nadu has a new solar policy. “The solar policy has not addressed the HT consumers. Several applications submitted during the last two years are also pending for approval with the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco),” claimed A.D. Thirumoorthy, member, State Level Renewable Energy Committee. According to him, Tamil Nadu has... Read more.. |
AP to target only corrupt green projectsAndhra Pradesh has shown the first sign of changing its controversial stand that contracts with renewable energy companies should be renegotiated to bring down tariffs, as a top-ranking official told ET that the state was only targeting projects where corruption was evident. "The intention of the chief minister was not to review all PPAs across the board. There was prima facie evidence that there was mala fide, corruption and kickbacks in some of the wind projects, which had not gone through the bidding... Read more.. |
Potential of the economy can be better realised by clean power: Schneider ElectricIn a bid to move forward in India on its global philosophy of Sustainable Development, Schneider Electric, had earlier this month, announced its innovation challenge ‘Hackware 2019.’ The company, which boasts of energy and automation digital solutions for efficiency and sustainability, has called for participant entries to present ideas on areas that have impacted urban, residential, buildings and industry spaces. Built around the three themes of Decarbonization, Decentralization and Digitization, the company... Read more.. |
Air pollution due to crop burning set to fall this yearAir pollution due to crop burning in north India is set to fall sharply this year because of extensive use of technology to chop off farm stubble and mix it with the soil to make it more nutrient-rich, the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) said. The practice of stubble burning around October raises the concentration of particulate matter (PM) in the air to 1,000 micrograms per cubic metre, far outstripping the safety limit of 50 micrograms. This triggers a medical emergency in which people are... Read more.. |
Guwahati: Tea planters sought 90% subsidy on installation of solar plants in tea industryTea planter have sought 90 percent subsidy on installation of solar plants in tea industry from Union ministry of Commerce and Industry. On Wednesday Union ministry of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal will hold stakeholders meeting with representatives of tea industry at New Delhi. Tea planters body North Eastern Tea Association (NETA)in a memorandum to the government stated, “Energy consumption constitutes one of the major costs of tea production. The Power Tariff for the tea industry is distinctly... Read more.. |
Green bonds hold the key to fighting climate changeIndia made its biggest contribution to the global green bond market last month through the Hyderabad-based Greenko group’s $950 million green bond. Latest reports reveal that Greenko’s bond issuance comes at a time when India’s emerging green economy will require additional investments of around $80 billion till 2022, growing more than threefold to $250 billion during 2023-30.Greenko Energy is backed by GIC Holdings and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. Helping firms to clean up their act, latest research finds... Read more.. |
To fight carbon emission, ER fixes solar panels on passenger trainIn a landmark move, Eastern Railway started operating a Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) with solar panels on its roof between Sahibgunj and Jamalpur in its Malda division from Saturday. The six-coach DEMU is the first to be run in the eastern sector though a prototype was launched by the erstwhile railway minister, Suresh Prabhu, at the Safdarjung station in 2017. “This is a unique system. Utilities in the train will be powered by batteries charged by the solar panels even after dark. The life of solar... Read more.. |
Siemens Gamesa wins 2 orders to supply wind mills for 453 MW capacitiesSiemens Gamesa Renewable Energy on August 13 said it has bagged two orders from Alfanar to supply equipment to aid generation of 453 MW at two wind farms in Bhuj. The Spanish firm has secured its first order in India from Alfanar for supply of 206 units of the SG 2.2-122 wind turbines for the two wind farms, a company statement said. The SG 2.2-122 is specifically optimised for low wind, low turbulence sites typical of the Indian market. Both projects will be located in Bhuj, Gujarat, where the company will... Read more.. |
Mumbai: City to get 300 e-buses, 100 for Navi MumbaiBEST is among five city transport undertakings allotted the most electric vehicles (300) under the Central government's FAME-2 (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) scheme. The Rs10,000 crore scheme was launched recently to boost electric mobility and increase electric vehicles in commercial fleets. Under FAME-2, the Centre sanctioned 5,595 buses to 64 cities, of which Maharashtra has got a lion's share of 725 for six cities. This was followed by Uttar Pradesh (600 for 11 cities... Read more.. |
Bengaluru will get 12 fast charging stations for Electronic Vehicles by end of AugustElectric vehicle (EV) users will soon have more options to charge their vehicles in the city. The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) is set to start operations of 12 EV charging stations by the end of August. Bescom officials said the equipment for the fast charging stations has arrived and would take a few days to be installed. C.K. Sreenath, DGM, Smart-grid and EV, Bescom, said, “EV fast charging stations at 12 locations will be operational by August-end while 100 slow charging units will be... Read more.. |
IPCC Special Report on Land to Add Impetus to UNCCD COP 14 NegotiationsPreparations are underway for the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 14) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which takes place from 2-13 September 2019 in New Delhi, India. Several recently released global assessments, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL), as well as a high-level dialogue exploring “missing links” in the Convention’s implementation are expected to provide new impetus to efforts to... Read more.. |
With help from West Asia, ISA to reach 100 countries mark at second general assemblyIn the run-up to the second general assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to be held in New Delhi from 30 October—2 November, the first treaty-based international government organization headquartered in India has stepped up efforts to sign up two-dozen new countries from geographies such as West Asia. ISA will see the number of inducted countries that have signed its framework agreement reach 100 nations at its second general assembly, from the 76 countries who are currently signatories to the... Read more.. |
Soon, solar panels to be a must in new Greater Noida buildingsAll new constructions in Greater Noida will soon have to mandatorily install solar panels to meet at least 10% of their electricity requirement. In a move aimed towards meeting the guidelines of the Smart Cities Mission, the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) is promoting the use of renewable energy to supplement electricity supply in the city. Solar panels will also be installed at the Authority office and other government buildings. NMRC metro stations have already installed solar panels... Read more.. |
Govt planning mega renewable energy projects like UMPPsThe government is planning large renewable energy projects like the coal-based ultra-mega power project s (UMPPs) through the publicprivate-partnership route. The renewable power projects may include any renewable source of generation or a combination of them. The plants are likely to be 1,800 MW in capacity, which can be spread over three areas of 600 MW each, and the power purchase agreements (PPAs) will be for 25 years, a senior government official said. Industry insiders, however, are skeptical about the... Read more.. |
Hyderabad: Electric vehicle policy to lure buyers, manufacturersThe state government’s draft electric vehicle policy has many sops for consumers and manufacturer. For EV buyers, it proposes not collecting lifetime road tax as well as exemption from all fees under the Motor Vehicles Act 1988 (fee for registration, fitness renewal and permits) for EVs purchased till 2023. To encourage manufacturers, the government proposes an EV promotion fund of Rs 500 crore for adoption and charging infrastructure development. A cross-departmental steering committee will manage the fund.... Read more.. |
UK scientists granted £60m share to tackle global environmental challengesThe government is awarding £60 million to scientists in the UK to work with researchers across nine countries to tackle some of the world’s biggest environmental and health challenges. The funding will be matched by international collaborators from nations including China, India, Japan and the US. Projects include Britain’s scientists joining US experts to examine sub-polar ocean currents in the North Atlantic and the impact on world climate and establishing connections in new technology areas like advanced... Read more.. |
European Union To Promote Bamboo MSMEs For Sustainable Development In IndiaBamboo is one of the most important nature’s substitutes for the endangered forest hardwoods and partially energy-intensive steel, plastic and other construction materials and lifestyle products. It is also a Zero waste potential since all the parts can be utilized. Besides, bamboo has many other merits. At this backdrop a project ‘Promote bamboo MSME cluster for sustainable development’ has been designed with SDG mandate of ‘Sustainable consumption & sustainable production’ to be implemented in 9... Read more.. |
