Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Kerala turns to green energy

Anticipating a major electricity crisis in view of the Centre's new power policy, the state government is gearing up to generate an additional 1,008 MW of power in the next three years. The power thus generated will be mainly through renewable energy sources like solar and wind.

Of this, 600 MW is expected to be produced from solar power alone, power minister Kadakampally Surendran told a press meet at the... Read more..

India’s NTPC tendering for hybrid wind and solar project at thermal plant

India’s largest utility, NTPC, has issued a tender for a 3.5MW wind and solar hybrid project to be located at its Kudgi Super Thermal Power Project in the state of Karnataka.

The coal-based power plant, which is under commissioning at various stages, is based at Kudgi village in Bijapur District and should have a 4GW capacity once complete.

... Read more..

Major Companies Phase Out HFCs as Montreal Protocol Meeting Kicks Off

Man-made greenhouse gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) — and how to phase down their use in commercial refrigeration and other equipment — will be the topic of the Montreal Protocol meeting in Kigali, Rwanda this week.

The EPA says HFCs can be up to 10,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The countries at the Kigali meeting are widely expected to adopt an amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase... Read more..

World Energy Council: Solar, Wind Could Make Up 39% Of Global Power By 2060

The global rise of solar and wind energy will continue at an unprecedented rate in the coming decades and create both new opportunities and challenges for energy systems, according to findings from a new World Energy Council report.

Developed in collaboration with Accenture Strategy and the Paul Scherrer Institute, the “World Energy Scenarios 2016 – The Grand Transition” report includes three scenarios... Read more..

India's next crude oil import saving plan, served from kitchen

Soon, the used cooking oil from restaurants such as McDonald’s, Subway, KFC and Haldiram’s could run your diesel vehicles.

If the Narendra Modi-led government has its way, the oil used to fry food items will be converted into biodiesel. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to come up with regulations on used cooking oil.... Read more..

GDA survey for solutions to to waste disposal problems

After facing repeated criticism from both the residents and the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has finally woken up to the problem of garbage disposal in Indirapuram.

It has come to light that there is a landfill site near the Kanawani sewage treatment plant (STP), which is to be upgraded soon. Also, GDA has done a survey of the garbage generated in Indirapuram.... Read more..

Can switch to cleaner energy sources if world helps: PM Modi

Days after India ratifying the Paris Climate Agreement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the country can switch over to cleaner energy sources from coal if the world provides the technology and resources. However, he said until the country got the required resources and technology, he would think of an “alternative” to meet its rising energy demand.

As per the Paris agreement, India has committed to... Read more..

India, EU sign MoU to clean rivers

India and the European Union (EU) on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Water Partnership to clean Indian rivers with European assistance. 

"I have seen in Europe how beautifully water is flowing there. I hope our country would learn from it," Water resources minister Uma Bharti said at an MoU signing ceremony at World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS... Read more..

Piyush Goyal assures financial aid to Haryana's proposed smart grid project

The Union Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, Piyush Goyal on Saturday assured to give financial assistance to Haryana’s demand for the proposed smart grid project in phase-1 of Sector 1 to 57 Gurgaon.

The Central financial assistance was sought by Haryana Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar while addressing a two-day conference of Ministers for Power, New and Renewable... Read more..

In three years, renewable sector will be worth Rs2 trillion in India: Rahul Munjal

India’s renewable energy industry will be worth Rs2 trillion within the next three years and in five years India’s energy industry will be different from what we see today, said Rahul Munjal, chairman and managing director of Hero Future Energies Pvt. Ltd.

“Renewable has changed the way energy is produced and consumed in the last five years dramatically all over the world. So we need to get out of the... Read more..

Civic body may outsource Godavari clean-up task

The Nashik Municipal Corporation is planning to outsource the job of cleaning up the Godavari along with other rivers and nullahs in the city through a private contractor.

The NMC already has its own robotic excavator. Hence, the civic body is planning to outsource manpower to operate robotic machines to clean the water bodies for the next three years. A proposal in this connection worth Rs 2.05 crore is to... Read more..

Khanna in Punjab sees fall in air pollution levels

Even as Khanna has achieved the dubious distinction of being among the world's 20 most polluted cities in the world, the recent data of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) suggests some fall in the air pollution levels in this industrial city, though they continue to be higher than normal. The data suggests that the annual average for Khanna (recorded at two observatories) was 116.5 ppm (parts per million) in 2012, and after that it witnessed a jump and was recorded at 178.5 in 2013. The data suggests... Read more..