Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Renewable energy certificate sales down 65 per cent to 3.68 lakh in April

Sales of renewable energy certificates dropped by about 65 per cent to 3.68 lakh units in April as compared to 10.62 lakh in same month last year due to lower supply, according to official data.

Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) and Power Exchange of India (PXIL) are the two power bourses in the country which are engaged in trading of renewable energy certificates (RECs) and electricity.

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e-bike sales come to a halt in April

Electric two-wheeler sales have ground to a halt this month as new norms requiring re-certification of all existing vehicles under FAME-II hit the availability of models in the market. The government wants to promote e-vehicles through FAME, or the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles, to protect the environment.

From the 20 or so lithium-ion battery powered electric twowheeler models... Read more..

Nagpur turns role model for promotion of electric 2 wheelers

A report prepared by a private cab aggregator has visioned a long road ahead for electrification of two and three wheeler segments, and taken Nagpur into account for its ground reality check. Titled as ‘Beyond Nagpur: The Promise of Electric Mobility,’ the report prepared by Ola Mobility Institute has attributed the growing popularity of small vehicles in Indian markets to the need for battery operated vehicles.

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India to install 54.7 GW wind energy capacity by 2022

India is likely to install 54.7 GW of wind capacity by 2022 against the 60-GW target set by the government, Fitch Solutions Macro Research has said in a report. The country has set an ambitious target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by the year 2022, which includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from bio-power and 5 GW from small hydro-power. ... Read more..

Navi Mumbai society switches to solar to reduce CO2 emissions

Residents of a Navi Mumbai-based cooperative housing society recently installed a 31 kilowatt-power (kWp) rooftop solar power system in a bid to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) by one tonne every month. According to the society members, the reduction in their annual carbon footprints is equivalent to planting 500 trees. ... Read more..

Mahindra to Deploy 50 Electric Vehicles in India on Uber Platform

Automaker Mahindra & Mahindra announced the deployment of 50 of its Electric Vehicles (EVs) to Uber, an on-demand ride-sharing company, to provide zero emission mobility here. Earlier, Mahindra had announced its collaboration with Uber to explore the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) on its platform in several cities across the country. To begin with, the companies would deploy 50 Mahindra EVs in the city and scale up over a period of time, a press release said.

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Ather electric scooter prices increased by about Rs 3.5k each: Prices include the FAME subsidy

Ather Energy has updated its website informing about revision in pricing of their two S340 and S450 electric scooters. These are now priced up Rs.3,480 as compared to the earlier pricing. Ather 340, which was earlier priced at Rs.1,09,750 is now increased to Rs.1,13,230 while Ather 450 is increased from Rs.1,24,750 to Rs.1,28,230. This price includes the FAME subsidy for electric vehicles and also the Rs. 500 cess levied by the Government of Karnataka. Ather scooters are only on sale in Bangalore as of now.... Read more..

IFC looks to provide $43.3 million debt financing to Hero Future Energies for solar farm business

International Finance Corporation, a sister organisation of the World Bank, is looking to invest $43.3 million in Munjal family-promoted Hero Future Energies Global (HFE) through the debt-financing route. IFC indicated in a disclosure that the total estimated project cost is approximately $200 million, of which IFC will provide a debt-financing of $43.3 million along with mobilisation of senior loans on best effort basis.

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GIP in talks to buy RattanIndia solar power assets for $300 mn

Leading infrastructure investor Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) is in advanced negotiations to buy the solar portfolio of RattanIndia Power Ltd (formerly India Bulls Power) for an enterprise value of about $300 million (Rs 2,000 crore), multiple people aware of the development told ET. “Due diligence of solar assets by GIP is... Read more..

Maruti to phase out all diesel cars from April next year

Maruti Suzuki, the country’s largest vehicle manufacturer, today announced that it will stop manufacturing diesel vehicles from April 1, 2020 when the new BS 6 emission norms will be introduced. The high cost of upgrading existing diesel engines to the BS 6 norms propelled the company to take such a decision.

The company will try to focus on compressed natural gas (CNG) and hybrid technology driven vehicles... Read more..

UK, India experts explore smart tech solution for Indian farmers

Experts from the UK and India have concluded that harnessing smartphone technology which could help Indian farmers not only make better business decisions but also tackle the sustainable cooling challenges being faced by the country. 

The University of Birmingham, working with the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation and MP Ensystems to uncover the cooling needs of farmers in the states of Haryana, Punjab,... Read more..

India should prioritize two-wheeler electrification: Study

As small vehicles dominate Indian roads, the two and three-wheeler segments in the country should be prioritized for electrification, suggests new research. The total cost of ownership, which includes the direct and indirect costs of purchasing, running and maintaining a commercial vehicle over its typical lifetime of four years, is a key driver to proliferate electric vehicles on Indian roads, said the study from... Read more..