Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Jaisalmer, Pushkar to be developed as solar cities: Energy minister

Jaipur: Jaisalmer and Pushkar will be developed as solar cities in the state, according to state energy minister B D Kalla. Chairing a meeting of senior officials from related departments including district administration, transport, energy, urban and local-self-government, the minister said rooftop solar power systems, solar parks, solar street lights and solar powered-power electric vehicles will be key features of the cities.

“All the energy requirements of these cities will be met from solar sources,” Kalla said. The projects will be implemented under the solar city scheme of... Read more..

Date : Aug 19

Source: Economic Times

India to recalibrate guidelines for air quality next year

India is likely to have a new National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) in 2022, factoring in more pollutants, including ultra-fine particulate matter of less than PM2.5. The existing standard was formulated 12 years ago.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has awarded the work of updating NAAQS to an IIT-Kanpur-led team of experts, which also includes scientists from IIT-Delhi, National Physical Laboratory, NEERI and AIIMS.

The team will be given 12 months to finalise its report, said an environment ministry official. CPCB will give its final nod after considering... Read more..

Date : Aug 18

Source: Economic Times

India faces twin challenges of decarbonising power sector, meeting rising energy demand: CoalMin

New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) The Indian economy faces twin challenges of fulfilling its commitments for decarbonising the energy sector as well as meeting the country''s rising power demand, which would primarily be reliant on coal due to its affordability and indigenous availability, the coal ministry said on Tuesday.
India''s coal sector has to play a crucial role in the foreseeable future in fulfilling the country''s energy demand for meeting various developmental needs, and at the same time, be responsible towards environment and society, the ministry said in a statement.

Date : Aug 18

Source: Outlook India

Goodyear Ventures Invests In EV Charging And Software Company AmpUp

AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodyear (NASDAQ: GT) announced today that its venture capital arm, Goodyear Ventures, has added AmpUp, a leader in electric vehicle (EV) charging, to its investment portfolio.

AmpUp supports the EV driving community through their advanced charging network and software solutions. With operations across North America, AmpUp aims to make charging accessible and seamless for every EV driver.

"Goodyear is interested in enabling the future of mobility, including within the EV sector," said Abhijit Ganguly, managing director, Goodyear... Read more..

Date : Aug 18

Source: PR News Wire

Siemens and Tata Power-DDL partner for Smart Metering Technologies

Siemens Limited and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL) jointly announced the successful deployment of Smart Metering Technology for over 2,00,000 Smart Meters in North Delhi. The state-of-the-art EnergyIP Meter Data Management System installed and commissioned by Siemens enables timely and accurate collection of electricity meter data leading to increased visibility of the consumer network and reduction in carbon emissions. The AMI program is one of Tata Power-DDL’s key strategic initiatives for the modernization of the grid.

This implementation will help the... Read more..

Date : Aug 18

Source: Siemens

Three Delhi Waste Management Companies Fined for Air Pollution

New Delhi, Aug 17 (PTI) The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) on Tuesday issued notices to three waste management companies in the city, imposing a fine of at least Rs 5,00,000 on each of them for air pollution.

The DPCC issued three separate notices to the East Delhi Waste Processing Company Limited in Ghazipur, Delhi MSW Solutions Ltd in Bawana, and the Timarpur-Okhla Waste Management Company Limited in Jasola.

In its inspection of the Delhi MSW Solutions on September 24-25, 2020, the officials of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the DPCC found "Dioxins... Read more..

Date : Aug 18

Source: Latestly

Solar could be 40% of U.S. power by 2035 -Biden administration

Aug 17 (Reuters) - Solar could supply more than 40% of the nation's electricity by 2035 - up from 3% today - if Congress adopts policies like tax credits for renewable energy projects and component factories, according to a memo published on Tuesday by the Department of Energy.

The memo is part of a push by the White House to pump up solar as a jobs engine and pivotal pillar in the climate change agenda of President Joe Biden.

The sector is also taking center stage as officials plug the administration's legislative priorities on the road, with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh... Read more..

Date : Aug 18

Source: Reuters

“Draft Electricity (promoting renewable energy through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2021” circulated - Green hydrogen purchase to count as RPO

The Ministry of Power has circulated the “Draft Electricity (promoting renewable energy through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2021”. They have placed them on the Ministry of Power website - https://powermin.gov.in/ and sought comments within 30 days.

These rules are proposed for purchase and consumption of green energy including the energy from Waste-to-Energy plants. The draft rules have the following subheads within which details are provided:Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO); Green energy open access; Nodal Agencies; Procedure for... Read more..

Date : Aug 17

Source: PIB

Centre to set up 10 more Handloom Design Resource Centers

In order to promote Handlooms in a big way, Ministry of Textiles has undertaken many new initiatives.

10 more Design Resource Centres (DRCs) are in the process of being set up by National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) at Weavers’ Service Centres (WSCs) of Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kannur, Indore, Nagpur, Meerut, Bhagalpur and Panipat with the objective to build and create design-oriented excellence in the Handloom Sector and to facilitate weavers, exporters, manufacturers and designers access design repositories for sample/product improvisation and... Read more..

Date : Aug 17

Source: PIB

HDFC launches 'green and sustainable' deposits programme for retail clients

The country’s largest mortgage lender, HDFC Ltd, on Monday launched a “green and sustainable” deposits programme for retail clients, funds from which will be used to finance sustainable housing credit solutions and services.

In a statement, HDFC Ltd said individuals can earn interest at 6.55 per cent on their deposits, whose period can range from 3-10 years. Also, senior citizens will be eligible for an additional 0.25 per cent per annum on their deposits of up to Rs 2 crore. Further, an additional interest rate of 0.1 per cent per annum will be applicable on these deposits up to... Read more..

Date : Aug 17

Source: Business Standard

Villagers protest encroachment of farmers’ land by solar company

Villagers at Uttamnagar Lal Karada gram panchayat here staged a protest outside the collectorate on Saturday against a renewable power company allegedly encroaching upon the ‘khatedari’ land of farmers and doing fencing over it.

Solar power project companies being set up in various parts of Jaisalmer district are encroaching upon pasture lands and fields, irking the locals. Meanwhile, BJP leaders supporting the villagers, submitted a memorandum to ADM Hari Singh Mena and demanded action against the company.

The protesting villagers said the private solar company is doing... Read more..

Date : Aug 17

Source: ET Energy World

China state planner vows crackdown on projects with high energy use

China will curb development of projects that use large amounts of energy and have high carbon emissions, the country's state planner said on Tuesday.

Nine provinces and regions in China, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Jiangsu, increased their energy consumption on an annual basis in the first half of the year, spokeswoman Meng Wei from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said at a news conference.

"The national energy conservation situation is very severe," Meng said.

The NDRC has stopped reviewing proposals in those areas for new high... Read more..

Date : Aug 17

Source: Reuters

Surat textile mill to manufacture plant-based silk

A textile mill in Surat has partnered with an Austria-based company to produce plant-based silk.

Akash Kirit Marfatia, Managing Partner of GBM fabrics said that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an Austrian yarn lenzing company that has invented lyocell filament yarn which can replace traditional silk yarn.

"Traditional silk yarn is obtained from the cocoon of silkworms and is harmful to the environment as it has a lot of emissions. But this yarn is produced by separating cellulose from wood through closed-loop production that leaves no residue behind... Read more..

Date : Aug 17

Source: SIFY News

India is on track to achieve the set renewable energy target of 450 GW by 2030

Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy interacted with members of the US India Business Council (USIBC) in a virtual event. The agenda of the meeting was “Advancing cleaner, more sustainable and affordable energy to mitigate climate change and power India’s economic growth”.

More than 50 industry leaders cutting across various sectors of the economy including information technology, infrastructure developers, renewable energy producers, banking, aviation participated in the event. The business leaders congratulated the Union Minister on the recent achievement of 100... Read more..

Date : Aug 16

Source: PIB

NTPC invites global EOI to set up pilot project on Hydrogen Blending with Natural Gas in City Gas Distribution

NTPC Limited, India’s largest integrated power generating company under Ministry of Power has floated a global Expression of Interest (EoI) to set up a Pilot Project on Hydrogen Blending with Natural Gas in City Gas Distribution (CGD) Network in India.

The EoI follows the recent tenders floated by NTPC REL for green hydrogen fuelling station at Leh and NTPC VidyutVyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN) for procurement of Fuel Cell Buses. A dedicated 1.25 MW Solar plant is also being set up at Leh by NTPC REL to power the hydrogen fuelling station.

This pilot on hydrogen blending with... Read more..

Date : Aug 16

Source: PIB

PM announces Hydrogen Mission, self-reliance in energy by 2047

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday formally announced the launch of a National Hydrogen Mission to accelerate plans to generate the carbon-free fuel from renewables as he set a target of 2047 for India to achieve self-reliance in energy.

Delivering his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, he said India can achieve self-reliance in energy through a mix of a gas-based economy, doping sugarcane extracted ethanol in petrol and electric mobility.

India, he said, spends over Rs 12 lakh crore on energy imports every year.

While India is... Read more..

Date : Aug 16

Source: Economic Times

Andhra Pradesh targets setting up 33 GW hydro power storage plants

The Andhra Pradesh energy department is planning to set up pumped hydro storage power projects in various districts with a total capacity of 33.24 gigawatt.

The government has identified 1.45 lakh acres in Kadapa, Kurnool, Anantapur districts for these proposed renewable energy parks. The AP energy department celebrated the 75th Independence Day on Sunday.

Energy secretary Srikant Nagulapalli said these pumped hydro storage power will improve the power supply position in the state.

“These will enable the consumers to get quality power. It will also help promote... Read more..

Date : Aug 16

Source: Economic Times

Nitin Gadkari asks states to shift from 'harmful' diesel buses to alternative fuel

Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday urged the Gujarat government and other state governments to discourage running diesel buses as these are harmful for the environment and people’s health. Urging the states to go for vehicles that can run on electricity and other green fuels, Gadkari said India should opt for indigenous fuels.

“We should decide that this country will run on clean and indigenous fuel, not on petrol and diesel (iss desh mein petrol-diesel nehin chalega, desh ka fuel chalega),” he said at the Investors’ Summit where the vehicle scrapping policy was... Read more..

Date : Aug 16

Source: Economic Times

India achieves 100 GW Milestone of Installed Renewable Energy Capacity

The total installed renewable energy capacity in India, excluding large hydro, has crossed the mile-stone of 100 GW.Today India stands at 4th position in the world in terms of installed RE capacity, 5th in solar and 4th in wind in terms of installed capacity.

India has set ambitious targets for itself in the area of Renewable Energy, which the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is committed to achieve.

While 100 GW has been installed, 50 GW is under installation and 27 GW is under tendering. India has also enhanced its ambition to install 450 GW of renewable energy... Read more..

Date : Aug 13

Source: PIB

Rooftop solar subsidy to end from Sept 1

The Centre has decided to withdraw the subsidy given to the rooftop solar projects with capacity up to 10 kilowatt from August 31.

As per the existing norms, the Centre provides 40% subsidy to projects having 3kw and 20% from above 3kw to 10 kw.

Subodh Agarwal, chairman and managing director of Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation said, “Every kilowatt capacity produces four units of power and the investments made are recovered in four years due to cheaper solar energy.”

Additionally, he said, the life of the projects are 25 years which offers huge savings for people... Read more..

Date : Aug 13

Source: Economic Times

NITI Aayog Releases Handbook to Guide EV Charging Infrastructure in India

NITI Aayog today released a handbook to guide state governments and local bodies to frame policies and norms towards setting up charging networks for electric vehicles (EV). The objective is to enhance charging infrastructure and facilitate a rapid transition to electric mobility in the country.

The Handbook for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Implementation has been jointly developed by NITI Aayog, Ministry of Power (MoP), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), and World Resources Institute (WRI) India.

The Handbook provides a... Read more..

Date : Aug 13

Source: PIB

India has to be Atmanirbhar in renewable energy, start chip manufacturing: Nirmala Sitharaman

Uday Kotak, Outgoing President, CII, Sanjiv Bajaj, President-Designate, CII and Rishad Premji, Chairman, Wipro, in conversation with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the CII annual conference. The FM said the industry has to be very proactive and partner with people for renewable energy capacities within India. She also said industry should partner with big ticket investors to bring chip manufacturing capacity into India.

Uday Kotak: All of us have been impressed by the government’s ability to work both at the big picture as well as focus on the details. That is something for... Read more..

Date : Aug 13

Source: Economic Times

Power Ministry advises Central Government offices to switch over to Prepaid Smart Meters on priority

Ministry of Power has issued an advisory to all Central Ministries of the Government to direct organisations under their administrative control to ensure switch over to Prepaid Smart Meters on priority. As part of the same process, the ministries have also been asked to issue all enabling orders in this regard. This follows a clarification issued by the Ministry of Finance enabling all Central Ministries and Central Departments to make advance payments for pre-paid metered electricity without insisting on any Bank Guarantees, while at the same time ensuring proper accounting arrangements... Read more..

Date : Aug 13

Source: PIB

Centre notifies ban on single-use plastic items from July 1, 2022, increases thickness of polythene bags to 120 microns

NEW DELHI: Seeking to make India single-use plastic-free by ..

Date : Aug 13

Source: Times of India

Relief for owners of cars on hire that run on green fuel

Officials of the state transport department can’t deny licences to owners of cabs and bikes running on electricity and ethanol under the ‘Rent a Cab’ and ‘Rent a Motorcycle’ schemes even if they don’t have permits, according to a notification issued by the transport ministry.

The ministry has exempted permit condition for these vehicles as these run on green fuel. It issued the notification after receiving complaints that state transport departments were not giving licences to such operators for their electric and ethanol vehicles. “Earlier we had exempted all electric, ethanol and... Read more..

Date : Aug 13

Source: Economic Times