Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Storage-linked renewable energy to reach ₹5 kWh by 2022 for India

Solar power with storage is already available at half the cost, compared with power from diesel-run generators, according to industry watchers.

Vikram Kailas, Managing Director and CEO, Mytrah Energy, told BusinessLine: “We are probably going to hit the ₹5 kWh rate for solar power with storage in another five years.”

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Indian model to predict impact of climate change

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, are likely to unveil in December a computerised model that can forecast the impact of climate change on the Indian monsoon until 2100.

This model is significant because it is the first time India will be submitting a home-grown assessment to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a body convened by the United Nations, and... Read more..

Subsidy for roof-top solar power plants: Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited

Consumers can avail of subsidy benefits for installation of roof-top solar plants for their homes,” said MM Nayak, chairman and managing director of APEPDCL.

The APEPDCL has taken up the programme of Solar Rooftop Systems (1KW) in Vizag for the low income group customers whose consumption is less than 200 units a month.

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Sea levels 'could rise higher than a three-storey building due to climate change'

The last time ocean temperatures were this warm, sea levels were up to nine metres higher than they are today, according to the findings of a new study, which were described as "extremely worrying" by one expert. 

The researchers took samples of sediment from 83 different sites around the world, and these "natural thermometers" enabled them to work out what the sea surface temperature had been more than 125,... Read more..

P&G's Head & Shoulders Launches World's First Recyclable Shampoo Bottle Made with Beach Plastic

Today, at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, The Procter & Gamble Company announced that Head & Shoulders (H&S), the world’s #1 shampoo brand, will produce the world’s first recyclable shampoo bottle made from up to 25 percent recycled beach plastic.

In partnership with recycling experts TerraCycle and SUEZ, the bottle will come to France this summer as a limited-... Read more..

Waste bins to double by February 1 in Odisha

The civic body will install 3,600 dustbins at 1,800 locations across the city to ensure better waste management and a cleaner city.

By February 1, as many as 1,000 bins will be set up at 500 locations. Each location will have two coloured bins for waste segregation. While one bin will be used for bio-degradable waste, the other one would be for recyclable waste.

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Madhya Pradesh, Israel to collaborate in water management

An Israeli delegation led by its Ambassador to India, Daniel Carmon, met chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here on Thursday and showcased its core strengths in various key sectors like agriculture, water management, irrigation and floriculture.

Chouhan expressed his desire for Israel's cooperation in production of fruits and flowers, apart from water management, as Israel is already developing two '... Read more..

Unilever commits to 100 per cent recyclable plastic by 2025

Unilever, the maker of ubiquitous food, personal care and home brands such as Knorr soups, Dove soap and Domex on Saturday committed to ensuring that 100 per cent of the plastic packaging in its products is reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.

The company also called for the entire fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry to transition from a “take-make-dispose” consumption model towards a circular... Read more..

Novel solar-powered bicycle to combat air pollution

In an effort to reduce air pollution due to vehicular emissions in the country, scientists have designed a new solar-assisted bicycle that may prove to be a low-cost, eco-friendly alternative to two wheeler motor vehicles, and may hit the market by next year. 

The bicycles, which can switch between the solar energy powered motor and the pedals, may cost around 12,000 to 15,000 rupees, researchers said. ... Read more..

New study to identify source of air pollution in Kolkata and Howrah

A much-awaited study to detect the source of air pollution and quantify the amount of contaminents in Kolkata and Howrah has finally been commissioned by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB). Source apportionment studies have already been done for Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune and Kanpur.

The two-year study will commence by April, once 14 new automatic air pollution measurement stations... Read more..

India as a solar power bright spot helps fill Japan, China slowdown

India may be a bright spot for global solar markets this year as it adds capacity at a record pace, becoming one of the top regions for panel producers struggling with rock-bottom prices.

India is expected to add nearly twice as much new solar as last year, outpacing once-booming Japan, according to forecasts by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). China, the world's largest renewables market, will see solar... Read more..

'Only 2 of 10 most polluted cities covered by real-time monitoring'

Only two of India's 10 most polluted cities, Delhi and Faridabad, are covered by the government's real-time air quality monitoring system, leaving more than one billion unprepared for toxic episodes, Greenpeace India said on Thursday, asserting that the country's air is now "deadlier" than China. 

In its new analysis, the green body said that in the cities not covered, lack of real-time monitoring means... Read more..