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Sustainability Outlook Headlines

ExxonMobil collaborates on sustainability initiatives for India

ExxonMobil has developed a solution for full polyethylene laminates that overcomes the traditional issue of significantly slower packing line speeds. The company has collaborated with local partners in India to devise replacement PE solutions for multilayer plastics (MLPs), which the Indian government intends to phase out as part of its Plastic Waste Management Rules (PWMR). The government wants to eliminate non-recyclable or non-energy recoverable MLPs. MLP refers to any packaging structure that has at least one layer of plastics as the main ingredient combined with one or more layer of... Read more..

Source: Plastics in Packaging

Harmful waste used for land reclamation

Officials of Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) who inspected a private property near Karimugal, not far away from the Brahmpuram waste plant, following complaints have found that the low-lying plot was being illegally levelled by rampant dumping of hazardous waste. The PCB has directed secretary, Vadavucode-Puthencruz panchayat, to identify the landowner and submit an action taken report. “We even spotted biomedical waste like urine bag catheter dumped in the plot. They were not just plastic waste,” said a senior PCB official who visited the spot. PCB officials suspect that the... Read more..

Source: The Times of India

Post-Covid economic recovery to be driven by renewables: UN report

As Covid-19 hits the fossil fuel industry, a new UN report on Wednesday showed renewable energy is more cost-effective than ever -- providing an opportunity to prioritise clean energy in economic recovery packages and bring the world closer to meeting the Paris Climate Agreement goals. The 'Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2020' report -- from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre and BloombergNEF (BNEF) -- analyses 2019 investment trends, and clean energy commitments made by countries and corporations for the next decade. It finds... Read more..

Source: ET Energy World

Climate Change Threatens to Wipeout Valuable Mangrove Ecosystems Entirely by 2050

Over the next 30 years, mangrove forests face the threat of disappearing off the face of the Earth due to climate change—particularly rising sea levels—a new study has revealed. Mangroves are said to be highly resilient ecosystems that form at the edge of land and sea as they can withstand excessive salt, and their tangled roots host several aquatic and amphibian life. Mangroves are also a crucial buffer during storms and floods—thus protecting the coastal communities and natural habitats from its severe impacts. Worldwide, there are about 80 different species of mangrove trees. India... Read more..

Source: The Weather Channel

IESA proposes a policy framework for energy storage in Electricity Act

The Draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 by India’s Ministry of Power seeks to address a series of challenges facing the sector. It provides a host of measures including improved regulatory discipline, private sector participation, next-generation reforms, the financial health of Discoms and thrust on the renewable energy sector. However, several current issues and technologies developments in recent years are majorly missing from the amendment, according to India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), which has sent its recommendations on the proposed bill to the Ministry of Power. IESA... Read more..

Source: PV Magazine India

NHDC seeks to empanel solar EPC installers and module manufacturers

NHDC Limited, a joint venture of NHPC Ltd and government of Madhya Pradesh, seeks to empanel EPC contractors for balance-of-system (BOS) and module manufacturers for its solar projects. The empanelment shall be for a period of two years. EPC installers can submit bids in two categories: projects up to 100 MW and projects above 100 MW. To be eligible for projects up to 100 MW, the applicant should have either developed or provided EPC services for minimum 40 MWp of cumulative grid-connected solar power capacity, out of which at least one plant should have been minimum 10 MWp. The reference... Read more..

Source: PV Magazine India

ADB, IEA discuss scaling up collaboration in energy systems

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) are discussing scaling up collaboration and renewing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two organisations. ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa Asakawa said there is great synergy between the analytical capabilities of IEA and ADB's on-the-ground knowledge in Asia. "The energy sector is an important part of the post-COVID-19 pandemic stimulus packages for our developing members and we look forward to future collaboration with IEA in this vital area," he said. The two leaders are discussing areas of potential... Read more..

Source: ET Energy World

How Chandigarh promotes electric vehicles: Power tariff reduced for charging stations

For promoting electric vehicles, Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) has introduced single-part tariff for their charging stations. The JERC has removed fixed charges and reduced energy charges from Rs 4 per kilowatt hour (Kwh) to Rs 3.80 per Kwh. The new tariff will be applicable from June 1 and valid till further orders. Last year, the commission had fixed power tariff for electric vehicle charging stations for the first time. In its power tariff petition last year, the UT electricity department had proposed a tariff plan for electric vehicle charging stations that the UT... Read more..

Source: ET Energy World

Tata Steel, Coal India in talks with JNCASR for CO2 reduction tech

The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), whose novel Carbon-di-oxide (CO2) reduction technology has the capacity of converting 300kg of CO2 per day into methanol & other useful chemicals, has tied up with an incubation firm — Breathe Applied Sciences — to scale it up to industrial scale (500 tonne). Having realised the massive potential, big firms like Tata Steel and Coal India are in talks with the JNCASR team and Breathe Applied Sciences to help set up plants that can convert CO2 into useful chemicals and fuels. On June 5, the JNCASR team at from the new... Read more..

Source: The Times of India

COVID-19 led to dramatic fall in funding, capital cost of solar: IEEFA

One of the most relevant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the collapse of interest rates in the global developed markets, according to Tim Buckley, director of energy finance studies South Asia at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). “For solar, the tariff required is a direct function of the solar resource, the capital cost of installation, and the required rate of return for debt,” said Buckley in a recently published note. He added that with dramatic falls in the capital cost of solar -- driven by a 20 per cent fall in solar module costs in the... Read more..

Source: ET Energy World

Agriculture can be a saviour in the pandemic-hit economy

India has always been an agricultural state, characterised by small holdings, where bulk of its farmers are small and marginal, depending on subsistence farming, yet they feed 1.3 billion people. Agriculture employs about 55 per cent of the population and contributes roughly 17 per cent to the GDP. India is second in agricultural production, next only to China. We produce 12 per cent of the entire world’s agricultural out. The sector creates wealth from land, water and light, using semi-skilled labour and agri-inputs. In learning to live with coronavirus, we also must realise that... Read more..

Source: The Tribune

MNRE Creates FDI Cell to Process Foreign Investment Proposals

In order to keep a closed eye on the investment made by neighbouring countries in India, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has set up a new cell in the ministry for taking care of the foreign direct investment (FDI) into the sector. The Ministry said in a statement that, the FDI cell will be comprised of two members i.e. Amitesh Kumar Sinha, Joint Secretary (Solar), MNRE, who is the Nodal Officer; and Ruchin Gupta, Director, MNRE. This Cell will further process FDI proposals. The move came after the Central Government had recently reviewed the FDI policy for curbing... Read more..

Source: Saur Energy International

Rising pressure on land as India launches urban forest plan

A plan to create urban forests in India would help mitigate the effects of climate change in the country’s polluted cities, but could lead to evictions and result in plantations that harm the environment, planning experts said on Monday. The 200 urban forests will be developed over the next five years on forest land or “other vacant land” in cities, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said. “Urban areas have gardens but very rarely forests ... these forests will work as lungs of the cities,” Javadekar said last week. But open spaces in Indian cities are already highly contested, with... Read more..

Source: Reuters India

49,000 farmers agree to give up paddy cultivation

The government had launched the scheme “Mera Paani, Meri Virasat”, under which it planned to reduce the area under paddy by 1 lakh hectares by diversifying to other crops like cotton, maize, bajra and pulses, besides horticulture. Paddy is grown on over 12 lakh hectares in Haryana. In response to the Haryana Government’s efforts to decrease acreage of paddy in view of the depleting water table, 49,674 farmers have agreed to sow alternative crops like maize, bajra, cotton and pulses on 54,881 hectares. Of these, 6,838 farmers with 6,934 hectares are from the eight blocks where the water... Read more..

Source: The Tribune

World Bank launches $50M project to help South Asia curb marine plastic pollution

The World Bank, Parley for the Oceans, and the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) launched today, on World Oceans Day, a $50 million regional project to help South Asia curb its marine plastic pollution and ramp up eco-innovation to reinvent plastic use and production. The agreement was signed virtually by Dr Abas Basir, Director General of SACEP, Cyrill Gutsch, Founder and CEO of Parley, and Hartwig Schafer, World Bank Vice President for South Asia. The Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia project will help coordinate activities and facilitate the region's... Read more..

Source: DevDiscourse

Adani Green Energy wins world's largest solar bid worth $6 billion

Adani Green Energy Ltd has bagged the world's largest solar bid entailing building a photovoltaic (PV) power plant of 8,000 MW and setting up a domestic solar panel manufacturing capacity of 2,000 MW, envisaging a total investment of roughly $6 billion. Under the offering of domestic manufacturing-linked solar power projects from state-run renewable energy agency SECI (formerly Solar Energy Corporation of India), Azure Power will also get to build a PV project of 4,000 MW and solar kit manufacturing capacity of 1,000 MW. The SECI board has approved the awards under the greenshoe in the... Read more..

Source: ET Energy World

Brookfield inks deal to acquire Emami Group's solar energy arm

Canada-based alternative investment giant Brookfield Asset Management Inc. has signed a deal to acquire Emami Power Ltd, a solar power-focused company owned by the promoters of the Emami Group. The acquisition comes around seven months after VCCircle exclusively reported that Brookfield was in advanced talks with the Kolkata-based cosmetics-to-paper conglomerate to acquire Emami Power. “As part of our divestment plan of non-core business assets, we are happy that we could conclude the deal with Brookfield Asset Management to sell our solar power business – Emami Power,” a spokesperson for... Read more..

Source: VC Circle

Recykal in pact with UNDP, HCCB for plastic waste management

Recykal, a digital technology company in the waste management space, has partnered with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) for Project Prithvi, a joint initiative for developing sustainable plastic waste management practices in the country. As part of this partnership, Recykal will leverage its cloud and mobile applications to raise consumer awareness on segregation and recycling. It will enable collection, channelisation of plastic waste from schools, colleges, corporates, RWAs, and bulk generators to connect with recyclers, closing the... Read more..

Source: The Hindu Business Line

Environmental concern grows over India gas well blowout

Authorities in northeastern India on Monday ordered a probe into the deaths of five people following an uncontrollable gas leak from an exploded well almost two weeks ago. They announced the investigation as experts from Singapore arrived to try and stem the blowout near popular ecotourism spots. The gas well in an oil field managed by state-owned Oil India Ltd blew out on May 27 in Tinsukia district of Assam state, and was still "flowing gas uncontrollably", the firm said late last week. Five people from the areas surrounding the oil and gas field have died since then, sparking a... Read more..

Source: ET Energy World

Flipkart to deliver in paper-based packaging instead of poly bags

Companies world over are looking at reducing their carbon footprint and decreasing the use of single use plastic. Flipkart had earlier announced it would eliminate single use plastic in packaging. The idea was to move towards using 100% recycled plastic in its supply chain by March 2021. The firm has already reduced its new plastic consumption by 50% through different initiatives. In line with its sustainability roadmap, one of its latest initiative is to use eco-friendly recycled paper bags to replace the poly pouches for packaging of products. Since May 2020, it is doing a pilot of these... Read more..

Source: Business Today

1,400 GW of offshore wind is possible by 2050, will be key for green recovery

On World Ocean Day, the Ocean Renewable Energy Action Coalition (OREAC) has announced its vision for 1,400 GW of offshore wind globally by 2050 to drive decarbonisation and a green economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. This ambition goes beyond current offshore wind forecasts, but is entirely achievable considering the resource potential, technology innovation, and government appetite to position offshore wind at the centre of the global energy transition. OREAC was formed in response to the 2019 call for ocean-based climate action by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean... Read more..

Source: ET Energy World

Energy transition: Hydrogen use in India's energy mix can grow 10 times by 2050

The potential scale of hydrogen use in India is huge and can increase in a ange between 3 times and 10 times by 2050, facilitating the transition to a carbon neutral economy, according to The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). "Hydrogen can provide a supplementary role to renewables and batteries, in a transition to a carbon neutral economy," the institute has said in a policy brief titled "Make Hydrogen in India" adding that the early demand markets for hydrogen include fuel cells for trucking, balancing supply and demand in the power sector, and replacing fossil fuels in industry.... Read more..

Source: ET Energy World

Textile Inc to focus on sustainability to tap global market

A textile industry forum is on a mission to showcase the sustainability measures followed by textile units in the state to the global market and tap more business opportunities. As part of the project, which is titled ‘India for SURE’, the Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF) has started collecting data on sustainable practices by individual member companies to make the best practices available across the forum. Prabhu Dhamodharan, convenor, ITF, said the project’s focus would be on stable, sustainable, reliable and ethical methods. Pointing out that global clothing brands had been... Read more..

Source: The Times of India

West Bengal: Sunderbans solar grids, smart beehives clear Amphan test

Post Amphan, when most of the Sunderbans was reeling under power woes, two gram panchayat areas covering over 3,000 villagers set an example in the cyclone-ravaged landscape. Armed with environment-friendly solar micro grids, installed by WWF-India since 2011, they managed to get back power within only two-three days of the cyclone. Of the seven micro grids, one is located under Kumirmari panchayat, while the rest are under Lahiripur GP area in Satjelia island. The micro grids stood strong and turned out to be places of emergency electricity sanctuaries within the mangroves. A member of a... Read more..

Source: ET Energy World

Electric Vehicles boom will push Nickel Sulphate supply to peak in 2027: Wood Mac

With the demand from the electric vehicle (EV) sector continuing to accelerate, Nickel Sulphate production is expected to rise from 211 kilo-tonnes (Kt) in 2019 to its peak at 450 Kt in 2027, reaching approximately 800 Kt by 2035, according to research firm Wood Mackenzie. Nickel Sulphate has historically been used in solution as an electrolyte in nickel plating, with other minor applications, such as in the manufacture of catalysts. More recently, it has become increasingly important as a feed chemical in the production of battery cathode materials, particularly in lithium-ion batteries... Read more..

Source: ET Energy World
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