Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Nabard to back green project

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard), in its capacity as Direct Access Accredited Entity of Green Climate Fund (GCF), said it will support a proposal by Tata Cleantech Capital Ltd (TCCL) to generate more than 250 MW of solar energy. Nabard, in a statement, said the partnership is an attempt to unlock private sector initiatives for the creation of rooftop solar power capacity (for clients in the commercial, industrial and residential housing segments) across India with a loan of $... Read more..

E-rickshaws 'low hanging fruit' that hasten EVs adoption in India: Deloitte

Electric three-wheelers could be the "low hanging fruit" that can accelerate faster adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in India due to their "unparalleled relevance" in first and last mile connectivity in some urban areas, according to a Deloitte report. The report -- Recharging India's electric vehicle ambition by electrifying public transport -- also said while the government will play an indispensable role in... Read more..

Rajasthan’s 750MW solar auction draws lowest bids of 2.48 rupees

A 750MW solar PV auction for capacity in the Indian state of Rajasthan has drawn in winning bids of between INR2.48-2.49/kWh (US$0.035). Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) conducted the auction, the results of which were as follows:

In a first, Delhi Cabinet approves rolling out 1,000 electric buses

In a major move to fight air pollution, the Delhi Cabinet on Saturday approved 1,000 Low Floor Electric Buses for the national capital, claiming to be the first Indian city to have such a large number of e-buses. Calling it a "historic day for Delhi", state Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said the decision will help in ensuring a cleaner, greener future for the people of Delhi. ... Read more..

Climate change affected fisheries globally: Study

Climate change has taken a toll on several of the world's fisheries, and overfishing has magnified the problem, researchers have warned. The study, published in the journal Science, suggests that ocean warming has led to an estimated 4.1 per cent drop in sustainable catches, on average, for many species of fish and shellfish from 1930 to 2010. In five regions of the world, including the East China Sea and North Sea, the estimated decline was 15 to 35 per cent, according to the study. "We recommend that... Read more..

India plans ‘huge step up’ with large solar-plus-storage tender

An Indian state-directed agency has launched three huge tenders across the country with various combinations of solar, energy storage, wind and hybrid concepts, in what the India Energy Storage Alliance has described as 'the long-awaited step'.

First, Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) announced a pan-India tender for 1.2GW of solar PV projects to be connected to the Interstate Transmission System (... Read more..

Promise of world's cheapest wind power faces delays in India

India has drawn global attention since it started awarding wind power projects at record-low tariffs, spurring optimism that renewable energy could supplant the nation’s abundant coal resources in electricity generation. But about half of the more than one gigawatt of capacity awarded in the country’s first auctions in 2017 are incomplete, almost five months after their commissioning deadline, according to JN Swain, managing director at state-owned Solar Energy Corp. of India, the agency tasked with implementing the country’s renewable energy targets.

The South Asian nation... Read more..

Cabinet approves investment proposal for transmission component of Arun-3 Hydro Electric Project (Nepal portion) by Sutlej Jal Vikas Nigam(SJVN) Limited

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved investment for Transmission Component of Arun-3 Hydro Electric Project(Nepal portion) for an estimated cost of Rs. 1236.13 crore at June 2017 Price level. The current approval is for Investment approval of 400 kV D/C Diding (In Nepal) - Bathnaha (International Border) via Dhalkebar (In Nepal) Transmission Line... Read more..

Cabinet clears Rs 10,000 cr FAME II scheme for promoting electric vehicles

The Union Cabinet has cleared a Rs 10,000-crore programme under the FAME-II scheme for promotion of electric and hybrid vehicles, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Thursday. The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme with an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore over a period of three years will be implemented with effect from April 1, 2019. The main objective of the scheme is to encourage faster adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles by way of offering upfront incentive on... Read more..

India to achieve 100% household electrification by March 31: R K Singh

 India will achieve 100 per cent household electrification by March 31 as envisaged in the Saubhagya scheme and the next goal is to achieve round the clock power supply to all households, Power Minister R K Singh said on Tuesday. Under the Saubhagya scheme, 2,52,51,880 unelectrified households were to be electrified by March 31. Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are in the process of energising the remaining 22,691 families left out. The government had provided Rs 16,320 crore for the scheme. 

... Read more..

Cabinet likely to clear Rs 10,000 crore FAME II scheme

The Union Cabinet is likely to clear on Thursday a Rs 10,000-crore programme under the FAME-II scheme for promotion of electric and hybrid vehicles, according to official sources.

The much-delayed FAME-II will be for a period of three years instead of five years as envisaged earlier, and for passenger electric cars, the subsidy will be available only for taxi aggregators.

... Read more..

Energy efficiency ratings for residential buildings launched

Residential buildings can now save up 40 per cent of their energy consumption and be rated for the same by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. Till now, the rating was only for commercial establishments.The energy efficiency label for Residential Buildings was launched on the sidelines of the Conference of Ministers for Power, New & Renewable Energy of States & Union Territories by Minister of State (... Read more..