Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Government fears solar developers may delay projects to 'gain' from fall in tariffs

With the steep fall in solar tariffs in the last two years, the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) has written to all states to ensure that solar developers do not get “undue benefits” from the development by insisting that solar projects meet the deadlines initially set for them without any extensions.

Tariffs have fallen from Rs 7-8 per unit in mid 2015 to Rs 2.50-3.50 per unit at present. The... Read more..

Andhra Pradesh : Pact signed for LED street lights in 7,024 villages

In a significant development on the energy efficiency front, the Government of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP) entered into an agreement on Monday with the Government of India (GoI) for replacing 10 lakh conventional street lights with LED lights in 7,024 village panchayats in the initial phase.

Panchayat Raj Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu, A.P State Energy Efficiency Development Corporation (APSEEDCO) CEO and MD A.... Read more..

ADB: Climate Change Threatens Asia’s Development Gains

Asia’s hard-won development gains are at risk of being reversed by the effects of climate change, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB). However, the news is not all bad for the region, with new energy investments expected to cement its leadership in the “clean industrial revolution.”

The warning on climate change follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the world’s second-biggest... Read more..

Solar power plant of 5 Megawatt capacity to come up in Andhra Pradesh

A giant solar energy plant cum storage battery system with a capacity of five megawatts (MW) is coming up at Makkuva in Vizianagaram district to provide electricity for farm motor pumps falling under AP Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL).

The energy generated from the solar plant will be supplied to agriculture pump sets in the day and surplus power will be stored in the batteries. Lithium... Read more..

Green Court Shifts Focus On Phase-II Of Ganga Rejuvenation

After passing a slew of measures to rejuvenate the Ganga between Haridwar and Unnao, the National Green Tribunal has now shifted focus to clean the next stretch of the river passing through Allahabad and Varanasi.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar has convened a meeting of all stakeholders involved in cleaning of the river from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh to the state's border with Bihar... Read more..

2017 sustainable development goals index: India ranked 117 of 157 countries

India is ranked 116 out of 157 nations on a global index that assesses the performance of countries towards achieving the ambitious sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The SDG Index and Dashboards Report produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung shows that world leaders need to strengthen their joint efforts to realise the 17 global goals.... Read more..

Waste-to-energy plants to come up in 63 Urban Local bodies

Works on setting up eco-friendly waste-to-energy plants in 10 major cities of AP has picked up pace. These plants will cover 63 urban local bodies and process about 4,400 metric tonnes of solid waste a day.

Land has already been earmarked for the plants in Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Kadapa, Anantapur and Nellore municipal corporations, while the other plants are awaiting allocation. Set to be commissioned by... Read more..

Punjab aims to make farmers power producers

Punjab government is planning to exhort farmers to install solar power run tubewell and supplement their income by sale of power. Punjab power minister Rana Gurjeet Singh has urged power utilities Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL), to initiate a feasibility study to convert every farmer from power consumer to power producer.

According to... Read more..

Solar projects: India hopes to meet WTO deadline on sourcing norms

 
India is hopeful of adhering to the World Trade Organisation’s year-end deadline for removing the compulsory domestic-sourcing clause in its national solar energy generation programme, as all ongoing projects are likely to be complete by then, a government official has said.

“The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is in regular touch with all power producers under the programme, and is confident... Read more..

JSW Energy looks at new opportunities in renewables

Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Energy is exploring new opportunities in renewable energy space and transmission and distribution segment, the company said in its annual report 2016-17. 

Given the stress in power sector, the company anticipates consolidation in the domestic space which would offer it a good prospect for investing in future, it said. 

... Read more..

Karnataka to buy 1,000 MW of power

The threat of yet another drought is looming large over the state after being reduced to its knees following regular drought for the last three-years. Poor progress of monsoon has resulted in reduced inflow into reservoirs that generate hydel power. Shortage of water has also left major thermal power station shut their operations for over a month.

Bailing out the state from an imminent power crisis, the... Read more..

DMIDC starts commercial operations of 1MW solar plant in Rajasthan

Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Corporation (DMIDC) today said its 1 MW smart micro grid solar power plant in Rajasthan has started commercial operations.

The project demonstrates integration of solar power with backup diesel generators and the plant has started supplying power to its first industrial consumer Mikuni India, DMIDC said in a statement here.

... Read more..