Think India Foundation

India gets a solar plant in 100 days

A 5 MW solar PV project has recently been commissioned in 100 days - in the Rawra village near Jodhpur, in India’s northern desert state of Rajasthan.

The project has been established by Mahindra Solar One, a leading solar power developer in the country and a joint venture between the US $14.4 billion Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) group, based in Mumbai, and Kiran Energy Solar Power Pvt. Ltd, also from Mumbai. Pursuing the foundation of over 100 MW of large grid-connected projects over the next 2 to 3 years, the company says it aims to be at the forefront of the solar revolution in India by playing a significant role in solar power generation.

The Rajasthan plant is part of the Indian Government’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) and Mahindra Solar One has already won 50 MW of solar projects in JNNSM Phase 1B. Read more

Source : renewableenergyfocus.com

Uttarakhand to move SC on Tehri dam

New Delhi/ Dehradun : Uttarakhand has decided to move the Supreme Court for the transfer of its share in the multi-purpose 2,400-Mw Tehri hydel project which is being held by Uttar Pradesh.

For this purpose, the hill state has hired top lawyers, including Gopal Subramanium, to file the petition on its behalf to get back 25 per cent of the equity. This is equal to approximately 350 Mw of power from the mega project on Bhagirathi river. The third phase of 1,000 Mw is currently under construction. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

Call to segregate waste at home

Chennai : The Germans and most other families in the developed world have four bins to segregate garbage at home — one is for glass, the second for metal, the third for paper and the fourth for organic waste.

In contrast, we continue to dump all garbage together, ignoring the repeated pleas from the civic administration and environmentalists to segregate waste between biodegradable and non-degradable by keeping just two separate bins at home. Read more

Source : deccanchronicle.com

In Delhi, Leaders Call for Sustainable Action Today, Not Promises for Tomorrow

As I traveled through Mumbai and Delhi over the past few days, I’ve been awed by the rapid growth taking place in Indian cities. Statistics about urbanization abound, but experiencing the dynamic, jammed-packed streets firsthand is much more revealing.

India’s leaders are committed to helping cities keep pace with this growth, but many do not stop there. They are also working to ensure that cities grow as sustainably as possible. Read more

Source : switchboard.nrdc.org

Centre raps JK for ‘sluggish’ power reforms

Jammu : Centre has reprimanded the Jammu and Kashmir government over the “slow implementation” of Restructured-Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP) in 30 identified towns of the state—the programme aims at to contain the Transmission and Distribution (T&D) losses by upgrading the power infrastructure.

Sources said Union Power Ministry had sanctioned nearly Rs 1700 crore to the government under R-APDRP in October last year, of which Rs 119 crore were released instantly as the first instalment to take up up-gradation of  the grid stations, transmission lines and feeders to cap the T&D losses. Read more

Source : greaterkashmir.com

Power cut looms as generation fall in MP

Indore: Threat of power cuts looms large as the state’s capacity has fallen by 650 mw after six units in Madhya Pradesh have shut down for maintenance. The western region power distribution company is somehow managing to maintain supply by overdrawing power from the national grid. However, if the crisis persists, power cut will be unavoidable, according to officers in the western region company.

“We are overdrawing from the national grid. Though it costs more to us, there is not other option to cope with the dip in supplies”, chief engineer (commercial), western region power distribution company, Sanjay Mohase told DNA. Read more

Source : daily.bhaskar.com

Orissa state banks on power import to cut off crisis

BHUBANESWAR: With demand for power gradually increasing with the rise in mercury levels, government mandarins are trying to get power from other states and step up hydro power generation to prevent a crisis.

The peak hour demand in the state at present is around 3000 mega watt and is expected to head north during the summer months, official sources said on Saturday. The average power demand is around 2400 MW. "We are somehow managing by regulating hydro power generation," a senior officer said. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Double renewable energy by 2030, EU tells developing nations

NEW DELHI: The EU wants countries meeting at a conference in June under the UN's Rio+20 mechanism to double their share of renewable energy by 2030 under an international obligation. It also wants countries like India to agree to double its energy efficiency levels under an international understanding.

World leaders are to gather in Rio de Janeiro in June for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio+20 in policy circles. A proposal for 'sustainable development goals' has been put on the table for the meeting which India has already opposed. But EU's climate commissioner Connie Hedergaard on Thursday backed the proposal saying it should be one of the deliverables from the meeting. She was speaking to media on a visit to Delhi. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India’s Solar Power Revolution Could Have Global Effect

India has a Solar Mission to install 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022.Solar electricity is already cheaper than electricity produced with diesel generators.

 
These optimistic figures from India, the second most populated country in the world, has led the New Scientist magazine to write an in-depth article about it saying that India’s solar power revolution could have a ripple effect across the globe. Read more

Source : theenergycollective.com

Surf as you drive to the outback of Bangalore

BANGALORE: Soon, you will be able to send presentations to your office from your car, as you drive out of town. Green Field Expressways (GFE) is a new concept initiated by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH), which has pitched for five new expressways, with Bangalore as the pivotal point of three.

The first phase of this project, called the coordinated corridor of rural development (CORD) will cover Mangalore-Karwar-Panaji (400km). The second phase will take up Honnavar-Shimoga-Bangalore (325km), Chitradurga-Solapur (400km) and Bangalore-Mangalore (360km). The Bangalore-Coimbatore (402km) line will be taken up in the third phase. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India, Norway to cooperate in renewable energy

India and Norway are looking to enhance cooperation in the field of renewable energy. India is taking active interest in setting up the proposed fund in collaboration with DFID, UK and Norway for promoting off-grid solutions in the field of renewable energy. 

Recently, Norwegian minister for environment and international cooperation, Erik Solheim had a meeting with Indian renewable energy minister, Dr. Farooq Abdullah to discuss areas of cooperation for both the countries. Read more

Source : constructionweekonline.in

Cost efficiency drives Gujaratis towards energy-saving products

AHMEDABAD: Use of CFL and LED bulbs in households may generally be linked to increased awareness amongst citizens about environment-friendly and energy-efficient (EE) products. But a recent study points towards the fact that such usage may be closely linked with its cost-efficient quotient as well. The study also highlighted the fact that more than half the users of EE products are not happy with them due to various factors.

City-based Vikram Sarabhai Centre for Development Interaction (VIKSAT) and Consumer Unity Trust Society (CUTS) International, a Jaipur-based NGO, conducted the study of demand side management of energy efficient products and renewable energy in states of West Bengal and Gujarat in 2011 and has recently come up with the results and analysis. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

MWH donates USD 50,000 for solar lighting program in rural India

On January 31st, 2012, MWH Global (Broomfield, Colorado, U.S.) announced that it donated USD 50,000 to The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) to help bring solar lighting to rural areas in India. TERI is a non-profit research organization that focuses on finding solutions for critical energy, environmental and sustainable development issues.

TERI brings solar lighting to rural areas in India

The funding, which was made through the MWH Caring Foundation Inc., will directly support TERI’s Lighting a Billion Lives program that aims to bring light into the lives of rural communities through solar lighting. Read more

Source : solarserver.com

'836 mn Indians burn biomass for energy'

Washington As many as 836 million Indians still rely on traditional biomass for energy, a report has said, even as the US claimed that India along with China would account for half of global energy consumption by 2035.

"The largest populations that rely on traditional biomass for energy are in the developing regions of Asia, with 836 million in India alone," said a new research published by the Worldwatch Institute for its Vital Signs Online publication. Read more

Source : expressindia.com

Bangalore students make school eco-friendly

Bangalore : Students of Kendriya Vidyalaya at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have set an example for others by making the school campus environment-friendly by preparing a rainwater harvesting system, groundwater recharge structures, waste management practices and a solar-powered lighting system, reportedly costing `7 lakh.

The project, conceived and implemented by TechnologyInformatics Design Endeavour (TIDE) with funding from ADOBE India, helped install eight components inside the school campus. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

In 2 months, all-weather swimming pool in Panchkula

PANCHKULA: The residents of this township have something to cheer about as the much talked about all-weather swimming pool, an ambitious project of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda), coming up in Mansa Devi complex, is almost complete and final touches are being given to it.

The pool, which is a first of its kind in the state, has come up at an estimated cost of Rs 4 crore. "Everything has been completed, but for a few things like fixing tiles in the pool, besides installation of the machinery. The pool would be ready for inauguration in two months time," said K L Pokhar, a senior HUDA official. "The best part of the first all-weather swimming pool of the state is its location in the foothills of the Shivaliks, surrounded by a 100 acre recreational park." Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Indian firm working to make diesel out of plastic waste

Mumbai: Time seems not too far when diesel would be extracted from plastic waste in India.

A Mumbai-based firm has drawn up plans to set up a plant to convert plastic waste into light diesel, calorific value combustible gas and carbon pellets. Read more

Source: daily.bhaskar.com

The Foldable Car: Coming to a Parking Spot Near You

More than half the world’s population lives in cities, a percent that is estimated to increase to 70% by 2050. Much of the urban growth will be in the emerging economies like China and India where a new middle-class wants Western conveniences … like cars. But there are huge costs to owning and driving cars in cities: (i) cars are gas-guzzlers that pollute the environment; (ii) they are big and bulky, adding to congestion; (iii) individual ownership again leads to more congestion and air pollution. This tension between the need and unsustainability of the automobile calls for a new approach to urban mobility.

Most environmentalists agree that the best solution is for everyone to walk and cycle more and take more public transport. But let’s be honest: most people don’t like walking home from the train station after a long day’s work. They want a form of transportation that takes them right to their front door, i.e. that covers what is known as “the last mile”. Bike and car sharing schemes offer the best solution: transportation vehicles that have numerous drop-off points around the city and can be rented to take you very close to your home. This multiple use of transportation types for one journey is known as inter-modal transport. But in the case of cars, we still have two additional problems: pollution from gasoline combustion and congestion due to bulk. Cities need a micro sharable inter-modal transport that relies on renewable energy. Read more

Source : bigthink.com

Recent approaches to sustainability focus on energy

Most recent approaches to sustainability focus on energy. This is because development demands the use of energy, and there is a correlation between efficiency and development. However, sustainability involves many other aspects as well, particularly in the Indian context. Indian cities are slowly beginning to awaken to those needs in parts. 

Indian urban population is about 28% and slated to reach 40% by 2030. But cities take up only 3% of the country's total area. Any approach to sustainability will need to create more urban space. "India needs to double the area of urban space from 3% to 6%," says V Suresh, former chairman of Hudco, and principal executive officer of construction company Hirco. India could be on target here with a large number of new - and relatively more sustainable - developments planned. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

From cancer research to energy storage, Berkeley Lab scientist takes on big challenges

The clean-energy commute of the future could come from research conducted at facilities like Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry, where Rizia Bardhan is helping to develop new hydrogen storage materials.

On a typical day, Rizia Bardhan walks through the doors of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Molecular Foundry and immerses herself in the tricky business of tweaking optical spectroscopy equipment to study phase transitions in metal hydrides.

It’s fair to say that what she does is difficult to grasp. Why she does it is easy: “I want to help solve big problems. That’s why I’m here,” she says. Read more

Source : physorg.com

Gujarat govt finds getting rid of excess power difficult

GANDHINAGAR: Already a power surplus state, Gujarat government's much tom-tommed campaign to further augment the state's power generation capacity through solar energy, too, is facing a roadblock. Well-placed Sachivalaya sources said, with another 578.40 MW of solar power all set to be added by end of this month to the overall power capacity of Gujarat of 13,314 MW, the state government doesn't know where to use it.

In fact, the state's march towards solar power will not end this month end with 578.40 MW. "By the middle of this year, we will have, in all, nearly 1,000 MW of solar power plants, highest anywhere in the country. They will be ready for operation within the next two to six months," a senior official said. Gujarat, a power surplus state by 2,000 MW, is already finding it difficult to sell the traditionally generated power it produces to the national grid and other states, and now solar power is being added to the list. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Scientists urged to find solutions to problems faced by Karnataka

MANGALORE : Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda and top space scientist and Chairman of the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad U.R. Rao on Saturday urged the scientific community to find solutions to the “burning” problems of the State and the country.

They were participating in the inauguration of a two-day seminar on “Science and Technology: Challenges and Opportunities” organised by the Karnataka Science and Technology Academy, headed by Prof. Rao, at Mangalore University. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Next generation will not see animals, plants: Builder

Mysore : ‘Hassle-free system will reduce cost of building houses’

“We have destroyed what is priceless. It would be no surprise if the next generation inherits a earth sans birds, animals or plants. It is the legacy what we leave to our children. Children should become ambassadors for any movement and adopt what is right, only then can Earth be preserved,” said founder of Spectral Service Consultants Prem C Jain after releasing a technical volume of Buildtech at NIE indoor stadium here on Saturday. Read more

Source : deccanherald.com

Slumbering govt leaves development lopsided

Bangalore : Public expenditure review reveals shortcomings in State’s planning

The inability of the successive governments to prioritise expenditure has led to lopsided development in many of the key sectors like education, health, irrigation and energy in the last 10 years in the State.

A review of public expenditure by the Expenditure Reforms Commission (ERC) has revealed that these sectors are witnessing a situation where there are either too many staff or insufficient infrastructure and vice versa. Read more

Source : deccanherald.com

Bharat craves for innovation

Attempts for rural technology incubations have been small and somewhat sporadic so far 

As the Indian economy grew rapidly over the past 20 years, it generated wealth for its citizens. However, the rapid economic rise has been accompanied by high differential growth in prosperity of the people — as incomes of certain sections have grown much faster compared with others. Read more

Source : mydigitalfc.com

Kamuni Cheruvu lake is a free for all dumping zone

“We used to consume water directly from this lake about 10 years ago. In fact, whenever people ran out of water, they used to fill a bucket from the lake and use it. Now the lake is so polluted that the water can’t be used for anything,” said Sideshwar Goud, member, Save Our Urban Lake (SOUL) who was born in the area and continues to live here. The NGO has been crying hoarse about the deteriorating condition of Kamuni Cheruvu, a lake near the Shamshabad Airport.

Kamuni Cheruvu is a 25 acre lake, that until 10 years ago, was the pride of the residents who used this lake extensively. The lake is now polluted, and what’s worse is that it has been encroached even by the Andhra Pradesh Cental Power Distri­bution Company Limited (APCPDCL) sub-station. Read more

Source : postnoon.com

Nitish govt taking Bihar on the path of development : Governor

PATNA: Bihar governor Devanand Konwar pledged the Nitish Kumar government would take the state on the development trajectory with thrust on strengthening the infrastructural facilities, electricity, agriculture and ensuring development with justice. 

Unfurling national tricolour on the occasion of 63rd Republic day at national function at the historic Gandhi Maidan here, Konwar dwelt on various remarkable measures taken by the state government in the fields of agriculture, irrigation, energy, education, health and environment. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Modi: Bihar to enhance renewable energy

The Bihar government is committed to work towards development of renewable energy (RE) and ready to provide various incentives to investors in this regard.

Deputy CM Sushil K Modi while releasing the report, ‘Empowering Bihar — Policy Pathway for Energy Access’, made this statement here at a function held under the banner of Greenpeace India. Read more

Source : eco-business.com

Green power sector: The India advantage

The country's status as a developing nation may actually prove to be a blessing in disguise for the green power sector 

A yawning rural-urban divide, exploding population, inadequate facilities, low standard of living-these are only but a few of the many challenges that lie ahead before India as it forges up on a steep, development gradient. On the other hand, the world at large is confronted by the urgent need to make industry, business and lifestyles greener and more environmentally responsible. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

‘New urban development models must focus on eco sustainability, inclusive growth'

CHENNAI : The UN Habitat is pushing for a new urban development agenda focussed on economic and environmental sustainability and inclusive growth, according to Mr Andre Dzikus, Chief, Water and Sanitation Section, UN Habitat.

The new principles of urban development should be through a coordinated and long-term approach with national level policies that prevent investor-driven, irrational urban land prices. Such a national urban policy should coordinate different areas of government, take into account public transportation development, connectivity, economic development and energy strategy. Read more

Source : thehindubusinessline.com

Shrinking windmills to fit on rooftops

Engineering student’s start-up is shrinking the bulky motors of windmills and bringing them to urban skyline

Windmills may no longer be restricted to large open fields with unrestricted airflow.

Winds of change: A 5,000W turbine installed on the rooftop of a 15-storey building can power all passage lights for 12 hours every day.

Bhupesh Sharma’s venture is shrinking the bulky motors and bringing windmills to the rooftops and open spaces of residential and office buildings, to provide electricity directly to users. Read more

Source : livemint.com

Future fuel

The automobile sector in India is gradually responding to the increasing needs for alternative fuels to not only keep themselves in motion but preserve the environment. There is a need to look at renewable and recyclable sources of fuel that can help preserve the earth and reduce the greenhouse effect. As the cost of conventional fuels will rise and the availability of the conventional fuels will go down, which will add pressure to the already existing conventional fuels. India ranks among the top ten largest oil-consuming countries and imports about 70% crude oil from the Middle East.

Using alternative fuels in automobiles is a fairly new concept in India but the research has started to explore ways of using these fuels as a long-term solution to the environment problem. The recently concluded 11th Auto Expo saw a variety of automobiles both from India and abroad that implement the concept in an effective way. Read more

Source : educationtimes.com

DSERT to go solar in rural areas

BANGALORE: Rampant power shortage in the state has not affected industry alone. The education programmes initiated by the government have also been hit. The Department of State Educational and Research Training (DSERT) is now planning to replace generators and batteries with solar panels as an alternative source of energy for Phase-IV of the ICT@Schools project.

Speaking to Express, DSERT Director H S Rama Rao said that a formal proposal for the use of solar panels would be sent to the Government of India around the month of May. “Power shortage is indeed an obstacle while implementing computer and technology aided education. In Phase-IV, we plan to use solar panels as an alternative source to sustain the ICT programme,” he said. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Funding solar projects needs government push,experts

Exploring solar energy development in India, Observer Research Foundation organised another round of discussion on "Improving the viability of off-grid solar power in India", in collaboration with BRIDGE TO INDIA recently.This roundtable was an extension of the earlier two discussions on solar which had given a broad outline of the status and prospects of the solar industry and the financial viability of the solar projects in the current policy environment in India. 

Introducing the background and significance of the solar off-grid application, Mr. Mohit Anand from BRIDGE TO INDIA laid down the challenges that have so far impeded the development in this sector. To start with, the biggest challenge, he mentioned, was financing the rural solar projects which rely heavily on subsidy, specific expertise and ineffective institutional processes. Coming to the industrial space, captive power generation offers immense potential for converting into solar based power consumer. Read more

Source : punjabnewsline.com

“Waste-to-energy units are flops''

Chennai Corporation must adopt a decentralised approach to manage the solid waste generated in the city instead of setting up facilities to produce power from waste in Kodungaiyur and Perungudi, environmentalists said here on Friday.

Residents of Kodungaiyur and environmental activists interact after a press briefing in Chennai on Friday. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Addressing presspersons, environmentalist Nityanand Jayaraman said such centralised composting projects in other cities, including Hyderabad and Delhi, have failed. The civic body must cancel the resolution adopted at its council meeting two months ago as the technology has not been successful in other cities. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

West Bengal power utility goes hi-tech

KOLKATA: Poor work culture in state power utilities will be a thing of the past soon. For officials in Kolkata will soon be able to monitor movement of linesman in remote towns. State utility WBSEDCL is spending big time on IT infrastructure to set up a virtual monitoring network that can later be used to manage the system, right from the generating station to the consumer. 

"Delay in supply connection, restoration of supply in case of breakdown as well as billing and collection, that plagued the system, will disappear for a quarter of WBSEDCL consumers soon. As the IT network expands, the circle will widen, bringing more consumers under the ambit,"power minister Manish Gupta said after inaugurating the Rs 57-crore central data centre at Rajarhat that has a disaster recovery unit at Berhampore. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Reforming India's power sector

Power utility management should change from a generation-led augmentation to a distribution/delivery-led alternative. 

Power utilities should be reformed and enabled to emerge as a viable, credible, vibrant and professional entity.

The December 11, 2011, edition of The Hindu carried an article “The coming Dark Age of India”, which inter alia said: “We need to cut down on transmission and distribution losses and untangle the environmental problems that coal mining has run into. Policymakers have to balance the needs of development with environmental considerations. But for some urgent steps from the government, the country may well return to the Dark Ages, literally.” Read more

Source : thehindubusinessline.com

Sheila Dikshit inaugurates Delhi's first renewal energy assisted pump system

New Delhi (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit today dedicated the first renewal energy assisted pump (REAP) system in Mayur Vihar. 

The REAP system is an easy to install submersible pump connected to a water tank with an especially designed motor power by a solar panel. It is a green power solution capable of meeting water storage and pumping needs of users in both rural and urban India. Read more

Source : newstrackindia.com

Tamil Nadu seeks Rs.3,000 crore grant, energy port

Tamil Nadu sought an one time grant of Rs.3,000 crore and setting up of a gas grid connecting the major cities of the state by developing Colachel Port as an energy port with facility for importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) at a pre-union budget consultation meet here Wednesday.

Among other proposals put forward by state Finance Minister O.Panneerselvam were the freedom to borrow from the open market, when required, and launch of the national river water linking scheme.

Appreciating the union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for calling the states for a pre-budget meeting Panneerselvam asked for an one time grant of Rs.2,500 crore to improve the infrastructure of Chennai. Read more

Source : news.in.msn.com

Suzlon to develop 3 GW of wind power in Andhra Pradesh

Suzlon Energy Ltd has entered a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of Andhra Pradesh for the development of 3 GW of wind capacity in the state between 2012 and 2016.

Under the MoU the Andhra Pradesh Government will help Suzlon obtain necessary permissions, registrations, approvals and clearances for the development of the wind farms. Suzlon, in turn, will act as developer, and facilitate the channelisation of investments into the state through its customers investing in wind energy. Read more

Source : reinforcedplastics.com

Tech connectivity among varsities a must: Kalam

AHMEDABAD: The first convocation of Charotar University of Science and Technology (Charusat) was held in Changa where 160 students were awarded degrees on Wednesday.

Former President A P J Abdul Kalam in his address laid emphasis on research and said that the university will achieve great heights if the culture of research is imbibed in students by their teachers. He urged the students to focus on research and help achieve his vision 2020 targets which envisage a nation where the urban and rural divide has reduced to a thin line, where there is equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water. "Technological connectivity among universities should be pursued on war footing using cost effective virtual classrooms," said Kalam. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Realtors demand incentives to go eco-friendly

KOLKATA: Talk of the need to go green and stakeholders see red.

On Monday, the city's builder community, civic officials and bureaucrats wasted a golden opportunity to grab the bull by the horns and adopt a sustainable growth model. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Rising Middle Class Fuels Global Energy Surge: Catherine Wolfram

Income Growth

In recent research, my co-authors and I observed that energy consumption and the energy needed to manufacture goods increases sharply when households move out of poverty into the middle class. This is true in every country we analyzed. On the other hand, when households move from extreme poverty to just being poor, energy use doesn’t increase by much, because these households typically use their growing incomes to consume more calories or higher quality food. Similarly, when households move from the middle to upper-middle class, their energy use doesn’t change much.

Our research also showed that in countries that improved the living standards of the poor, a 1 percent increase in gross domestic product leads to a 1 percent or higher increase in total energy consumption. Conversely, in countries where the upper-middle class or the wealthy benefit the most from growth, a 1 percent increase in GDP increases energy consumption by only about half as much. Read more

Source : bloomberg.com

Villagers plan 'fill up jail' agitation

Mumbai : Taking cue from Tamil Nadu villagers protesting against the 2,000-Mw Kudankulam nuclear power project, their counterparts in Maharashtra have decided to step up their agitation against the proposed plant at Madban along the Konkan Coast. Project-affected persons from 10 villages in the vicinity of the project site have announced a ‘jail bharo’ agitation on January 24 and 25 to press for the cancellation of 9,900-Mw nuclear project in Ratnagiri district.

Simultaneously, the villagers plan to counter an awareness campaign being proposed by the Nuclear Power Corporation in favour of nuclear energy in general and the Jaitapur project in particular. Their umbrella organisation, Janhit Seva Samiti, besides the Konkan Bachao Samiti, have worked out a comprehensive plan to reach out to a vast cross-section of people, explaining the “dangers” of nuclear power, especially of the Jaitapur project. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

Proposed Indian Nuclear Power Plant in Zone Subject to Earthquakes

Like many energy poor countries with rapidly rising economies, India’s government sees the development of a nuclear power industry as a potential godsend to meeting soaring demands for electricity.
 
But the country’s proposed nuclear program has run into increasing resistance, following the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that on 11 March 2011 devastated Japan’s Daichi nuclear power plant complex, taking all six Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) reactors offline. Public opinion in India is concerned because the country is subject to both of the natural phenomena, and authorities are declining to release relevant materials. Read more

Source : oilprice.com

Worldly Wise: Explore sustainable transport solutions

2011 was a year when we were able to witness and become aware of major geopolitical changes and economic disturbances

2011 was a year when we were able to witness and become aware of major geopolitical changes and economic disturbances. But, it was also a year when very discreet yet dramatic changes took place, the world's population turned seven billion. In 40 years, our planet will be inhabited by nine billion, with two out of every three people living in cities. This accelerating urbanisation creates unparalleled challenges for governments.

The World Energy Council (WEC), in its ‘Global Transport Scenarios 2050' report, envisions that total fuel demand in all transport modes could grow by up to 88 per cent by 2050, depending on the level of government intervention. Read more

Source : gulfnews.com

Is India ready for a green drive?

Three lakh electric vehicles on the roads by 2020 would mean a reduction of over 16 lakh metric tons of pollution and savings of over Rs 3,700 crore in foreign exchange over the same period.

Go Green’ is the motto for all leading economies of the world, as reflected by the increasing focus on electric vehicles. US President Obama has envisioned a target of one million electric cars on US roads by 2015 and allocated USD 2.4 billion to boost the development of electric vehicles. Almost 17 European Union nations including UK, France, Belgium, Italy and Spain provide specific tax rebates to promote usage of electric cars. China has also joined the green initiative and has plans to produce one million electric vehicles annually by 2015. However in India, we are still testing the waters to understand the sustainability of these vehicles in the long run. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

Hydrogen powered three wheeler HyAlfa makes debut

The world’s first hydrogen powered three wheeler, ‘HyAlfa’ was earlier showcased at the 11th Auto Expo. Part of a development project dubbed ‘DelHy 3w’, a fleet of 15 HyAlfa three wheelers will run on an experimental basis at Pragati Maidan, where a hydrogen refuelling station has also been set up.

The India Trade Organisation Promotion will use the vehicles on an experimental basis. Read more

Source : steelguru.com

Himachal to explore its geothermal potential

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh known for its hydro-power potential is now going to exploit its geothermal potential. State government has decided to prepare an action plan keeping in view the research work of an IIT Mandi scholar to explore the possibilities of exploiting geothermal resource potential of Himachal Pradesh to generate alternate power in the state.

A research scholar of IIT Mandi, Vijay Chauhan, had completed a research work on existing geothermal heat sources in Himachal Pradesh and its usage as a sustainable source of energy in the coming years to revolutionize energy generation in the state. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Karnataka to buy 1,000MW daily to meet demand

Karnataka will purchase about 1,000MW of power daily from other states and private producers to meet the growing demand over the next two years, state higher education minister V.S. Acharya said Friday in Bangalore.

"We are bracing up to tide over the shortage in summer and meet the growing demand for power from all sectors - agriculture, industries and retail consumers during ensuing fiscal (2012-13) and next fiscal (2013-14)," Acharya said after the state cabinet approved the power purchase plan at an average cost of Rs.2,650 crore per annum. Read more

Source : smetimes.in