Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Trump advisers to meet Tuesday to discuss Paris climate agreement

Advisers to President Donald Trump will meet on Tuesday to discuss whether to recommend that he withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord, a White House official said on Monday.

The accord, agreed on by nearly 200 countries in Paris in 2015, aims to limit planetary warming in part by slashing carbon dioxide and other emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. Under the pact, the United States... Read more..

ISRO, BHEL tie-up for lithium-ion batteries to have buyback agreements

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which is finalising a memorandum of understanding with BHEL to help develop low-cost lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles, also envisages a buyback commitment for such batteries.

The move is expected to take care of concerns on managing the waste generated at the end of battery life. According to the MoU, BHEL will set up a production plant, while ISRO... Read more..

Piyush Goyal inaugurates Nalco's four wind power plants

Union Power and Coal Minister Pyush Goyal today dedicated to the nation 4 wind power plants built by Nalco and annuonced an expansion plan for the aluminium major to raise its capacity to 1 mtpa.

“We are taking concrete steps to increase production of Nalco. There is a major expansion programme to raise its... Read more..

Prime Minister asks states to replicate Jalyukta Shivar to tackle water crisis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday mentioned the Maharashtra government’s flagship project Jalyukta Shivar to tackle drought situation in the country. Speaking at the BJP national conclave in Bhubaneswar, he asked other states to replicate the Maharashtra model to overcome water crisis and help farmers.

Highly placed sources in the Ministry of Water Conservation said the state government already had offers... Read more..

Delhi Metro to sign agreement for Rewa solar power

Delhi Metro Railways Corporation and Madhya Pradesh Power Management Company will sign a power purchase agreements with Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited, the implementing agency for the "world's largest single-site solar project", here on Monday.

The 750 MW solar park that will produce cheapest solar power has recently completed its first phase. Signing of power purchase agreement between the developers, MPPMCL... Read more..

Dealing with e-waste the nanotech way

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are best recycled by pulverising them into nanosized particles to easily recover valuable constituents such as polymers, oxides and metals, say Indian researchers. 

The new method, described in a study published March in Materials Today, is scalable and environment-friendly, say the researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and the Rice University in... Read more..

Over 300 solar consumers deprived of subsidy by Maharashtra Energy Development Agency

Change in norms by Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA) has deprived over 300 solar power consumers of central government subsidy. Solar consumers have demanded that MEDA and state energy ministry should take a sympathetic view of their cases and sanction the subsidy.

A solar power consumer, on the condition of anonymity, told TOI that union ministry of non-renewable energy (MNRE) had approved 30%... Read more..

New Delhi Municipal Council launches initiative for recycling of waste

New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has installed smart vending machines for recyclable waste at Connaught Place and India Gate. The smart machines give monetary reward to anyone who disposes waste like plastic, glass bottle and papers.

The project is under the smart city project and the machines will be made functional in a couple of days as they are still being tested.

... Read more..

Solar tariff fixed at Rs 4.36 per unit for Megawatt scale plants

The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) has fixed Rs 4.36 per unit as the new tariff for new grid-connected megawatt (MW)-scale solar photovoltaic plants. This is the tariff solar developers selling power to the grid will get from the distribution utilities.

The new tariff is applicable to solar projects that will sign power purchase agreements (PPAs) with distribution utilities during the... Read more..

IDFC Alternatives eyes First Solar’s India assets

IDFC Alternatives, the asset management arm of the infrastructure-focused lender, is in talks to buy First Solar’s 200 megawatts (MW) of renewable power assets in India in a deal potentially valued at around $200 million, two people aware of the development said.

Mint reported First Solar’s Indian asset sale plans on 20 March.

... Read more..

India’s Tirupur Exporters Association suggests usage of recycled water

In view of water crisis in the Tirupur region of India, Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) has suggested that CETPs and IETPs can collect sewage water at various designated points, and recycle it for use in future. The suggestion has come after New Tirupur Area Development Corporation Ltd. (NTADCL) has stopped water supply to industries including CETPs and IETPs further to depletion of water level in the sourcing point.

... Read more..

IIT Indore’s startup launches mobile organic waste processing unit

Indian Institute of Technology Indore’s homegrown waste management startup ‘Swaaha’ launched its mobile organic waste processing unit “Havankund” on the institute campus in Simrol and said that its services are now open to city residents also.

IIT Indore director Pradeep Mathur and faculty members were present during the launch. Havankund is a vehicle modified into a complete wet waste composting unit and... Read more..