Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Toyota-Suzuki revs up plan to roll out hybrid, electric vehicles in India

The Toyota-Suzuki alliance is readying a host of electric and hybrid vehicles for the Indian market as the government places a strong emphasis on cleaner and greener mobility solutions to address the rising pollution challenge and fuel import bill.

As part of the plan, four electrified models are likely to be ready by 2020-21 and shared between the two Japanese automakers. According to several people in the... Read more..

Bangkok climate conference sounds alarm ahead of UN summit

Time is running out to save the Paris Agreement, UN climate experts warned Tuesday at a key Bangkok meeting, as rich nations were accused of shirking their responsibility for environmental damage. 

The six-day UN conference opened with an urgent plea from delegates to finalise a "rule book" governing the Paris Agreement, the most... Read more..

Railways will save Rs 13,000 crore per annum in fuel bill post electrification: Manoj Sinha

Railways will save Rs 13,000 crore per annum in fuel bill and reduce carbon emissions by around 3.4 million tonnes a year after the electrification of railway lines is completed, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha said Tuesday. 

Speaking at a conference on 'E-Mobility in Indian Railways' organised by the Ministry of Railways through Institution of Railways Electrical Engineers (IREE) in association... Read more..

Trial run for green buses to begin from next month in Delhi

 Electric buses in the capital are likely to begin operations from next month. As part of a trial run, three electric buses will begin plying on city roads.

Delhi government has an ambitious plan of inducting 1,000 electric-run buses into the city’s public transport fleet. As part of the plan, transport minister Kailash Gahlot held meetings with different e-bus manufacturers and three of them will operate... Read more..

Scientists create semi-artificial photosynthesis system that creates fuel from water

Scientists have developed a semi-artificial photosynthesis system that uses sunlight to produce hydrogen fuel from water. Photosynthesis is the process plants use to convert sunlight into energy. Oxygen is produced as by-product of photosynthesis when the water absorbed by plants is 'split'. 

It is one of the most important reactions on the planet because it is the source of nearly all of the world's oxygen... Read more..

With eye on tariffs, ministry tweaks eligibility for solar tender

High-Level EU Delegation Arrives In India Next Week

India’s most polluted: 30% have no clean up plan

A good number of India’s most polluted cities are not too keen to clean up their act, according to a list maintained by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Of the 102 cities singled out by the Centre for their alarming pollution levels, only 73 have submitted a plan of remedial action to the CPCB. Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Nagpur and Jaipur are among the prominent cities that are yet to submit their plans.

... Read more..

NTPC commissions its first electric vehicle charging station in Vishakhapatnam

State-owned power generator NTPC Ltd today announced it has commissioned its first charging station for electric vehicles in Vishakhapatnam in line with the government’s plan to switch to electric mobility.

The charging facility was commissioned in Simhadri in Vishakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh and has been designed in house by the engineering team of NTPC’s power project at the location.... Read more..

Solar rooftop panels for government buildings, schools, colleges in next phase

The MC is going to install rooftop solar panels at all government buildings and educational institutions in the second phase of the Smart City mission. Besides, a heritage walk will be constructed around historical buildings across the city. 

A meeting of civic officials was conducted in this regard on Sunday wherein the projects to be included in the final list of total Smart... Read more..

Kerala's floating solar plant survives nature’s fury

 In a home-grown engineering success story amidst the flood ravage, one of the largest floating solar power plants in the country at Banasura Sagar dam in Wayanad has managed to survive the extreme conditions in the reservoir during last month’s heavy rains. 

KSEB officials said that though they feared that the 500 kWp (kilowatt peak)... Read more..

Malaysia requests consultations with India over solar safeguard duty - WTO

Malaysia has requested consultations with India over its 25% safeguard duty on imports of solar cells and modules from developed countries, China and Malaysia, in a World Trade Organisation (WTO) filing dated 30 August.

In the filing, Malaysia said it seeks to hold consultations as soon as possible with the participation of representatives from India’s investigating authorities.

... Read more..