Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Tata Power Solar, Dell India build vertical solar farm

Tata Power Solar and Dell International Services India have jointly put up India's largest vertical solar farm of 120 kw.

"The first-of-its-kind, 45-metre structure built on Dell's Bengaluru campus provides the dual benefit of producing sustainable green energy and insulation of the building, thus helping reduce power consumption," Tata Power Solar statement said.

Date : May 16

Source: The Economic Times

PM to states: Follow Madhya Pradesh to breathe life into rivers

PM Narendra Modi praised Madhya Pradesh on Monday for turning the conservation of its "lifeline", the Narmada, into a "mass movement", and urged other states to follow its example in their own river-cleaning campaigns.

The plea was a clear message to states that have so far not been successful in carrying out the Centre's ambitious Ganga rejuvenation programme.

Date : May 16

Source: The Times of India

REC to extend Rs 85,000 crore assistance to Tamil Nadu utilities

State-run Rural Electrification Corp (REC) today said that it will extend financial assistance of Rs 85,723 crore to Tamil Nadu power utilities TANGEDCO and TANTRANSCO.

"REC has entered into Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO) and Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Limited (TANTRANSCO) for extending financial assistance to the tune... Read more..

Date : May 16

Source: The Economic Times

India, Sweden to further use of renewables to fight climate change

Sweden, one of the top 20 investors in India, is keen to partner Delhi to further the goal of use of renewables to combat challenges of climate change in keeping with the Paris Accord.

Eva Svedling, State Secretary for Climate Policy, Sweden was recently in India with an aim to strengthen ties in the area of climate change.

Date : May 15

Source: The Economic Times

Andhra eyeing its place in sun with Kurnool park; aims at 10,000 MW solar capacity by 2022

When the Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park, the world’s largest solar power park, is fully ready by the end of May, Andhra Pradesh would have buttressed its position as the leading solar power generator in the country. Of the Kurnool Park’s total capacity of 1000 MW, 900 MW has already been commissioned.

“We are generating 1867.23 MW of solar power, which is the highest in the country. Rajasthan is second with... Read more..

Date : May 15

Source: Financial Express

India no longer needs global support to decarbonise itself: UNEP expert

India no longer needs international cooperation to decarbonise itself and needs to pressure countries to remain ambitious, including wealthier countries that need to act domestically and support developing countries in the transition to a green economy.

Similarly, China today is the world’s largest issuer of green bonds, a new way to fund “green” projects.

Date : May 15

Source: Eastern Mirror

PM Modi to launch river conservation project in Madhya Pradesh to ensure pollution-free Narmada

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch on Monday the Narmada Seva Mission for the conservation of the crucial river, which is a lifeline of Madhya Pradesh.

Modi is expected to announce the road map of the project while attending the concluding ceremony of the 148-day long Narmada Seva Yatra in Anuppur district’s Amarkantak, the source of the river.

Date : May 15

Source: Hindustan Times

Swachh Bharat an opportunity to turn waste into energy: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said big business houses have started participating in the Swachh Bharat mission as they see an opportunity in turning waste into energy. Speaking at an event to celebrate 90 years of the Essel Group, Modi said the group’s expansion into social entrepreneurship reflects a growing business opportunity as well.

“Yeh baat baniya hi samajh sakta hai ki issme bhi kamai hai... Read more..

Date : May 15

Source: Indian Express

India: Adani Group’s renewable energy arm may raise $200m

Adani Group’s renewable energy arm is seeking to raise external equity capital after having pumped in millions of dollars of its own money to build a pipeline of projects worth over 2 gigawatts (GW), two people aware of the development said.

The proposed fundraising could see Adani’s renewable arm—Adani Green Energy Ltd—raise as much as $200 million (about Rs1,300 crore), said one of the two people cited... Read more..

Date : May 15

Source: Deal Street Asia

After Nirmala Sitharaman visit, Italy evinces interest in Railways, Make in India, Startup India, Digital India

The bilateral relationship between India and Italy is witnessing significant changes, with a large Italian business delegation visiting India in the last week of April and commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman just concluding her trip to Rome.

Sitharaman, accompanied by senior officials from the Department of Commerce and DIPP, had gone to Rome to participate in the 19th Joint Commission for Economic... Read more..

Date : May 15

Source: Financial Express

Researchers find ways to make solar energy affordable

In a recent study, researchers used data science to determine and predict the effects of exposure to weather and other conditions on materials in solar panels.

The study, performed by a team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University and Gebze Technical University (GTU) in Turkey, has been in the journal PLOS ONE.

Date : May 15

Source: Daily News & Analysis

Vedanta Group adopts UJALA in its business locations in the UK

Vedanta Group adopts UJALA in its business locations in the UK. Commends 560 million LED bulbs replaced in India. This was informed by the Vedanta Group Chief Anil Agarwal.
The Indian High Commission in London and metals tycoon Anil Agarwal led Vedanta Group will be among the first to adopt Indias UJALA scheme of replacing all their old lamps with energy-saving LED bulbs in the UK.

Minister of state... Read more..

Date : May 15

Source: Orissadiary.com

Air pollution: Delhi government’s expensive PUC vehicular emissions network system fails utility test

Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) in a report pointed out the hurdles the department is facing with the new network installed to monitor the vehicular emissions in Delhi. The report pointed out that it was facing issues with data, accuracy, and usability of the information from the online system and this is despite the massive expenditure in setting up the system.

It has also proposed an... Read more..

Date : May 15

Source: Financial Express

New Hampshire town commits to 100% renewable energy

Hanover, New Hampshire, is the 29th US city to commit to a goal of procuring 100% of its energy from renewable sources.

Pledging to run on 100% renewable electricity by 2030, and adding in renewable heat and transportation by 2050, this latest commitment is indicative of a trend towards a low-carbon future for the US, which is here to stay.

Date : May 15

Source: PV Tech

Government to issue quality order on solar modules in a month

The government will in a month issue a quality order on purchase of solar modules by power companies, power, coal, renewable energy and mines minister Piyush Goyal said on.

"We will soon issue a quality order on solar modules. It will apply to all future auctions," Goyal said.

He said that the government... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: The Economic Times

Government to come out with e-vehicle policy this fiscal: Goyal

The government will come out with a policy for promotion of electric vehicles this fiscal with an aim to make India a global leader in the segment, Union minister Piyush Goyal said today.

"We will see a very robust policy (for promotion of electric vehicles) in this fiscal," the power and coal minister, who is on a four-day visit to Vienna and London with a business delegation, told PTI in an interview.... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: Asian Age

Yet another record low for solar power tariffs in India at Rs 2.44 per unit

Solar power tariffs in India have fallen to a new record low of Rs 2.44 per unit in the just concluded bidding for Bhadla Phase-III Solar Park in Rajasthan, power, coal, renewable energy and mines minister Piyush Goyal said.

“Latest solar power auction at Bhadla Solar Park 3 sets new record with electricity tariff of Rs 2.44/unit,” Goyal tweeted on Friday. Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: ET Energyworld

Niti Aayog calls for carrot and stick policy for electric vehicles market

In a game-changing move for India’s mobility, energy and environment needs, Niti Aayog has recommended fiscal incentives for electric vehicles (EV) manufacturers and discouraging privately-owned petrol- and diesel-fuelled vehicles.

The other key recommendations made by Niti Aayog and Colorado-headquartered Rocky Mountain Institute, in its report released on Friday, include incentivizing efficient new... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: livemint

Ease of getting power: India’s rank up by 73

The focused reforms unleashed by the Narendra Modi government in the last three years have halved the rate at which power prices rose every year, and improved India's position in the global 'ease of getting electricity' ranking.

The compounded annual growth in power prices in the 2014-16 period stood at 3.27% against 5.94% through the last 10 years between 2004 and 2014.

Date : May 12

Source: The Economic Times

India Explores clean energy collaboration with Austria

Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy and Mines is visiting Austria from May 10-11, 2017 to participate in the Vienna Energy Forum, which has been organized jointly by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Date : May 12

Source: Orissa Diary

Renewable energy companies seek total clarity in solar park auctions

Solar parks have helped renewable energy companies reduce tariffs substantially but some developers are complaining that at times the parks charge high fee and do not provide adequate infrastructure.

Gyanesh Chaudhary, CEO and MD at Vikram Solar, said: “Unlike the Rewa auction, there are a lot of unknown factors in other auctions for solar parks. Terms and conditions for each of these parks also vary, making... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: Orissa Diary

4 e-waste collection centres on the cards in Nashik

The civic body has decided to set up four electronic waste garbage collection centres in the city to manage the rising quantity of e-waste.

Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) is also in the process of identifying e-garbage collectors, who will collect e-waste and dispose them off.

E-waste is a term used for... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: The Times of India

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar expresses displeasure over power franchisee model

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Thursday expressed his displeasure over franchisee model of power distribution system and described its work as unsatisfactory especially in terms of rural electrification in the state.

“In my opinion, the functioning of franchisee is futile (bekaar). The state government’s intention is to get rid of the franchisee (system). The electrification of some of the villages in few... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: Indian Express

India plans automated ocean pollution observation

India is all set to opt for automatic observation of pollution in the ocean to crunch data that will aid the tourism industry and could also come in handy in countering allegations levelled by developed nations against the country being a major polluter, according to a scientist.

"We have proposed a completely new project to automatically observe pollution in the ocean and see whether we can mimic that... Read more..

Date : May 12

Source: The News Minute

NTPC invites tenders for battery storage for 8 MW solar capacity in Andaman and Nicobar

India’s largest power generation company NTPC Ltd has invited bids for battery energy storage system for 8 Megawatt solar project at Chidiyatapu in Andaman and Nicobar islands.

The company, in the tender document, said the scope of work shall cover design, engineering, supply, packaging and forwarding, transportation, unloading, storage, installation, testing, commissioning and grid integration.... Read more..

Date : May 11

Source: ET Energyworld