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Sustainability Outlook Headlines
First offshore wind ‘emerging markets’ land World Bank fundsTwelve countries are in line to be the first cohort of ‘emerging’ offshore wind markets to see backing under a $5m programme recently launched by the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) to fast-track take-up of the increasingly competitive energy resource around the world. Vietnam, Algeria, Morocco, Brazil, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Poland, India, Sri Lanka, Argentina, South Africa and Turkey will receive support through the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme to collect... Read more.. |
Palau signs International Solar Alliance Framework agreementPalau signed the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework Agreement here, lauding India for its efforts in promoting sustainable development projects through South-South cooperation. Palau became the 76th country to sign the ISA Framework Agreement, which till date has been ratified by a total of 54 of the 76 countries. Palau President Tommy Remengesau signed the ISA Framework Agreement on Monday during a special ceremony at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations. Remengesau recognised the... Read more.. |
Vakrangee aims to set up 75,000 EV charging kendras across India by FY22Vakrangee Ltd has decided to set-up the Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure facility through Nextgen Vakrangee Kendra Outlets. Vakrangee has 3,504 Nextgen Vakrangee Kendra's spread across 19 states, 366 districts and 2,186 postal codes. More than 68 per cent outlets are from Tier 5 and tier 6 cities. Their planned target is to reach at least 75,000 by FY2021-22 and 3,00,000 outlets by FY2024-25. Vakrangee plans to leverage this deep presence by being an enabler for the EV charging facility through... Read more.. |
Hyundai exploring affordable EV for IndiaHyundai has just launched its first EV in India, the Kona Electric. While the Kona Electric has impressive specs for an EV, including a 452km ARAI-certified range, its Rs 25.3 lakh (ex-showroom, India) price tag means that it won’t be the Hyundai model responsible for mass adoption of electric vehicles. However, a new, affordable Hyundai EV could just be the model to take things into higher gear – like the 'small EV' the carmaker has said is in the works for the Indian market. The small EV is in the product... Read more.. |
JLR to get £500-million UK loan guarantee to develop next generation EVsTata Motors owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) on Tuesday said it will receive a £500-million guarantee from the UK government to underwrite a planned £625 million loan facility from commercial banks to develop the next generation electric vehicles and future mobility solutions. Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), on Tuesday said it will receive a 500-million-pounds guarantee from the UK government. The UK’s largest automotive exporter said the guarantee for the loan comes from the UK Export Finance (UKEF... Read more.. |
Cap renewable energy tariff at Rs 3 per unit under NTPC, SECI auctions: Ind bodyNational Solar Energy Federation of India has urged the government to cap tariff from all renewable energy sources at Rs 3 per unit for auctions by state-owned NTPC and Solar Energy Corporation. The capping will help keeping the renewables tariff lower than Rs 3 per unit. This will prove to be a remedy for differential treatment of electricity in the country and help in achieving 'one nation, one grid, one renewable, one price', according to National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI). In a recent... Read more.. |
Niti’s methanol plan for petrol vehicles on the backburnerThe Niti Aayog has put the brakes on its plans for the use of methanol as an alternative fuel for petrol-run vehicles, in a major shift in strategy as the government’s focus has now moved to electrification of vehicles. However, the Aayog will continue to push usage of methanol-run gensets, telecom towers and other stationary power units besides methanol-blended fuel for cooking, as India goes all out to reduce its oil import bill across sectors. Niti Aayog member VK Saraswat had drawn up an ambitious ‘... Read more.. |
Four lakh e-vehicles in India, 50% of them in Delhi, UPCurrently there are nearly four lakh registered electric or battery operated vehicles in India and half of them are in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, according to road transport ministry’s data. Sources said most of these vehicles are e-rickshaws and e-carts, which got legal status after Parliament passed a law in March 2015 to recognise these as motor vehicles. In a written reply, Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari has informed the Lok Sabha that UP has 1.39 lakh registered electric vehicles followed by... Read more.. |
ABB provides Enel Green Power with predictive software for sustainable hydro operationsABB is partnering with Enel Green Power to deliver innovative predictive maintenance solutions that will lower maintenance costs and transform the performance, reliability and energy efficiency of its hydropower plants throughout Italy. The three-year contract will enable 33 of Enel Green Power’s hydroelectric plants, comprised of about 100 units, to move from hours-based maintenance to predictive and condition-based maintenance, leveraging the ABB Ability Asset Performance Management solution. With... Read more.. |
Greaves Cotton hikes stake in EVs maker Ampere Vehicles to 81.23%Manufacturer of diesel engines, generators and pump sets, Greaves Cotton has increased its stake in Coimbatore-based electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Ampere Vehicles from 67.34% to 81.23% by investing an additional amount of ₹38.49 crore. The said amount is invested in acquiring 25,73,529 equity shares of Ampere Vehicles through primary and secondary purchase. Mumbai-based Greaves had first invested ₹77 crore in Ampere in October 2018 and had acquired a stake of 67.34%. According to the company, Greaves’... Read more.. |
Ujjwala has cut rural women’s chest congestion by 20%: StudyUjjwala, the Narendra Modi government’s flagship social welfare programme providing LPG connection free of cost to poor households, has helped ease chest congestion among rural women by 20%, according to a joint study by Indian Chest Society and Indian Chest Research Foundation. The study, published in the International Journal of Medical and Health Research, an Indian publication, was conducted on 120 females in the 20-50 age group chosen from attendants of patients seeking treatment for chest ailments. It... Read more.. |
Soot content in air declining, says IISc-Isro studyThe amount of soot or black carbon in India’s air is reducing. It has been declining at a rate of 100 nanogram per cubic metre per year, a recent study by scientists from Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) has revealed. Soot consists of tiny carbon particles called aerosols. These are much smaller than the diameter of a human hair strand and hence can enter our lungs and cause serious damage to health. Not just that. They can have an adverse impact on the Indian... Read more.. |
5-Fold Increase in Clean Energy Jobs in 5 Years - IndiaWith an average age of 27 and projected 7.5 percent economic growth rate, jobs are a key priority in India. Growth in the renewable energy market is a major opportunity to achieve India’s goals of job expansion and economic growth while meeting climate targets. In fact, solar and wind energy jobs grew an impressive five-fold in the past five years in India. With an average age of 27 and projected 7.5 percent economic growth rate, jobs are a key priority in India. Growth in the renewable energy market is a... Read more.. |
Foreign investors pumped $1.02 bn equity in India’s clean energy space in FY19The foreign investors’ interest in India’s emerging green economy continues; with around $1.02 billion equity investment made by them in the current financial year till date, according to data compiled by consulting firm Bridge to India for Mint. These investments have been growing. The international equity investment in the India’s clean energy sector was $283 million in 2016, $532 million in 2017 and $1.02 billion in 2018.To be sure, this excludes all offshore debt funding and investments made by foreign... Read more.. |
Chandigarh to set up solar plants in gardens & schoolsIn a bid to achieve the solar power generation target set by the ministry of new and renewable energy, Chandigarh Renewal Energy, Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST) has planned to install solar plants at gardens and government schools. CREST has decided to set up two solar plants of 400 kWp (kilowatt peak) capacity at two government schools in Maloya and 160kWp plant at a botanical garden in Sarangpur. Recently, the administration had approved a detailed project report (DPR) of installation of... Read more.. |
EESL to set up 200 more charging stations in Delhi, NCR by OctoberEnergy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) plans to set up 200 more charging stations in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) area in the next three months to cater to shared mobility services. “We are laying out charging infrastructure, starting in Delhi/NCR region and in 10 other cities in the country. We have put up 55 charging stations in New Delhi area. We are going to increase this to 200, largely in South Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and some other parts of Delhi that we are looking at in the next three months... Read more.. |
MPUVN and Cleantech Solar PPA signed to generate energy from a 650 kWp solar plantFollowing the historic success last year by MPUVN with regards to setting up of Rs. 1.58/kWh for Power Grid Corporation of India in its RESCO I rooftop solar tender which is one-fourth of the amount the consumers pay; and the signing of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for 291 government colleges and 12 government universities in the state at one stroke, today marks another landmark day wherein solar developer, Cleantech Solar Energy (India) Private Ltd. has signed PPA with MPUVN to implement a 650 kWp... Read more.. |
Centre’s push for EVs may make internal combustion engines stutterThe Union government’s push for electric vehicles (EV) in the Budget and the Economic Survey may adversely impact the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) auto industry, which is already under stress, in the medium to long term. The two wheeler segment could be affected in the immediate future. The tax benefits, GST rate reduction and the mammoth plan to make India the hub of EV manufacturing as well as elaborate measures for charging infrastructure through tax sops makes a strong case for EVs, but unless... Read more.. |
Use water judiciously, Madurai corporation tells residentsAs the water resources available for Madurai Corporation is dwindling at an alarming rate, the civic body has decided to supply water to houses once in four days instead of once in two days. The corporation also appealed to the residents to make use of the water judiciously. The decreasing water level in the Vaigai dam, which is the main source of water for Madurai city, coupled with absence of summer rain has forced the corporation to decrease the frequency of water supply. The water level at Vaigai dam... Read more.. |
Government schools to get solar power plants in PunjabAs many as 880 government high and senior secondary schools across the state will be covered under the solar net metering project in which 5kW solar power system (solar panels) will be installed. The Punjab government has allotted funds totalling Rs 3,080 lakh for the purpose. Of the 880 government schools, 69 schools are in Ludhiana and will be covered under this project. These schools include Government Model Senior Secondary Smart School, Panjab Agricultural University, (PAU); Government Senior Secondary... Read more.. |
Solar power scheme now open for Tamil Nadu small powerloom unitsOfficials at the regional office of textile commissioner in the city said small powerloom weavers in the state could avail of subsidy for setting up solar-powered looms and also benefit from the solar power scheme as the sector has been included under the ‘net feed-in scheme’. M Balasubramanian, deputy director at the regional office of the textile commissioner in the city, said the state had in March this year given a notification that the net-metering system in solar power would also be applicable to the... Read more.. |
Automobile R&D investments soar on new regulations & emerging technologiesDespite pressure on sales, automobile companies’ spending on research and development (R&D) grew in 2018-19 mainly owing to the regulations and the emergence of new technologies. An analysis of listed Indian automakers' (excluding Maruti) annual report for 2018-19 shows two-wheeler makers spend close to two per cent of their turnover on R&D, while other auto companies spend 3-5 per cent. Tata Motors and Mahindra top the table in R&D spending. Tata Motors increased its R&D spending by around 23... Read more.. |
Delhi to shut down Rajghat thermal power plant, use its land for solar parkThe Delhi government has decided to "officially" shut down the Rajghat thermal power plant and use its land to develop a 5,000 KW solar park, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Thursday. The decision to close down the plant, where power generation was stopped due to pollution concerns in 2015, was taken during a meeting of the Delhi Cabinet, Sisodia said. "It (power plant) will be officially shut down and the 45 acre land on which it is located will be used to develop a solar park that will produce... Read more.. |
Indian State Threatens Wind, Solar Assets With Tariff RenegotiationsThe government of the state of Andhra Pradesh in India threatens to deliver a massive jolt to the country’s solar and wind energy market with a potential decision to renegotiate or even cancel existing power purchase agreements. Several media agencies have reported over the last few days that the newly elected government of Andhra Pradesh is looking at the power purchase agreements signed with several solar and wind energy developers in the state. The government believes that the tariffs for these PPAs are... Read more.. |
EESL introduces India’s first of its kind, super energy efficient AC at Rs. 41,300Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture of four public sector enterprises under the power ministry, recently announced the commencement of sale of the first-of-its-kind, super-efficient air conditioners, for consumers in Delhi. Manufactured by Voltas, these 1.5 TR inverter split super-efficient ACs are available at an attractive price of Rs. 41,300 including GST. This price is 30 percent less than the retail prices of BEE 5-Star ACs, and comparable to the BEE 3-star ACs, available in the... Read more.. |
