Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Smart city to contribute $977 bn in ICT revenues by 2022

Smart city initiatives will contribute $977 billion in ICT revenues by 2022, says Strategy Analytics.

These initiatives will combine and leverage Internet of Things (IoT) and Information and Communications (ICT).

The study reveals that North America and Europe will dominate urban ICT revenue by 2022, with Asia-Pacific the fastest growing market.

Smart Health, Smart Infrastructure and Smart Government represent the largest ICT opportunities.

City infrastructures grow more slowly than the population they seek to serve, but faster than the city’s land area, said... Read more..

India Adds 500 MW Solar Power Capacity In 6 Months

The rate at which solar power plants in India are coming online seems attractive enough for investors to continue to pour in money into the sector.

According to the latest figures shared by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), more than 500 MW solar power capacity was added in the country between April and September, which marks the first half of the financial year 2015-16.

The capacity addition continues to be dominated by the central government’s schemes, however, that will not be the case for too long. About 54% of the capacity was added under the National... Read more..

'India, China's cooperation important for tackling climate change'

The US should work with India and China to address the challenges posed by climate change, leading Democratic presidential candidates have said.

"This is a moral issue. We have got to be extremely aggressive in working with China, India, Russia," Senator Bernie Sanders said in response to a question during Democratic Party's first presidential debate in Las Vegas.

"It's a global problem and I have been very strong on doing that. The agreements -- the so-called agreements that we have had with China are illusory in terms of the immediate requirements of the Chinese government... Read more..

India approves renewable energy deal with Mozambique

The union cabinet on Wednesday approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between India and Mozambique in August this year to improve bilateral cooperation in the field of new and renewable energy.

The MoU was signed between the ministry of new and renewable energy and the ministry of mineral resources and energy of Mozambique government here on August 5 during the visit of Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi to India.

“The Memorandum of Understanding will help in strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries,” an official statement said.

The... Read more..

Inox Wind bags 3rd project from Tata Power Renewable Energy

Inox Wind, a wind energy solutions provider, has bagged an order for a 50 MW wind power project at Lahori, Madhya Pradesh, from Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited (TPREL).

The order is TPREL’s third project with Inox Wind after two previous orders of 172 MW.

The third order from TPREL has reaffirmed Inox Wind’s position as the preferred wind energy solutions provider to major IPPs in India, said Kailash Tarachandani, chief executive officer of Inox Wind in his statement.

Under this project, Inox Wind will provide TPREL with end to end solutions from development and... Read more..

Stations to refill CNG on Pune-Mumbai eway, highway

Minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan said CNG refilling stations would be opened on the Pune-Mumbai expressway and the Pune-Mumbai old highway to encourage use of CNG vehicles.

The minister was in the city for launching various initiatives of the Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL) and oil marketing companies. Pradhan also talked about increasing the city's domestic PNG connections to 50,000 from the present 21,000.

Pradhan inaugurated the MNGL's piped gas supply to Nanded City township, which will provide 24X7 tap gas to the residents. He... Read more..

'AP's capital city project yet to get environmental clearance

Former Union finance secretary EAS Sarma has alleged that Andhra Pradesh's capital city project is yet to be subjected to a statutory environment impact appraisal, and said it would be imprudent on the part of the Prime Minister to attend the October 22 foundation stone laying ceremony.

In pursuance of Section 6 of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, the Union Home Ministry had constituted a committee under Sivaramakrishnan to study the alternatives for locating the AP capital city, Sarma noted in his letter to Nripendra Misra, Principal Secretary to PM, PMO.

The Ministry... Read more..

Many Other Automakers’ Diesel Models Exceed Emissions Limits

The Indian Government is looking to reduce the regulatory hurdles in achieving their highly ambitious renewable energy capacity addition targets.

The Indian Minister for Power, Coal, and Renewable Energy announced that the Government would soon remove the fee levied on transmission of power generated from renewable energy project between two states, a crucial step towards creating an “enabling and overarching framework” to make renewable energy viable for the common man, the minister added.

Currently, supply of power from one state to the other attracts a regulatory fee... Read more..

1st Solid Waste Management Center opens at Zapami in Phek

The state's first Solid Waste Management Center has been opened at Zapami village under Phek district on the lines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Mission.

The center was inaugurated yesterday by the Director of the Water and Sanitation Support Organisation (WSSO) under the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) of Nagaland K G Sumi. Mr Sumi, on the occassion, said, ''Clean Nagaland would be a a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150 birth anniversary in 2019, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission in New Delhi on October 2, 2014.''... Read more..

Delhi Metro to replace lamps with LED lights

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is going to replace all the lamps at its stations, depots, and residential complexes with LED lights. The transition is expected to reduce the metro’s energy consumption by at least 40 per cent.

The Delhi Metro on Wednesday signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for having LED lighting and developing green building certification norms for metros globally.

“The MoU for LED lighting has been signed with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. Under the pact, energy-efficient LED lights will be installed at all metro stations, depots, and... Read more..

Mumbai firm aims to make India e-waste free

Next time you walk into the Siddhivinayak temple, carry your old charger along with the flowers and coconut. While you offer the rest to the God, the charger can be dropped in the e-waste collection bin that will soon be installed at the temple.

Not just Siddhivinayak, the bins will soon be placed at many other places in the city. Eco Recycling Limited or Ecoreco, an e-waste management company, launched a social drive named 'E-waste Mukt Bharat: Swachh Bharat' on October 2 this year. As a part of the initiative, Ecoreco plans to set up 100,000 e-waste collection bins or Eco-Bins in... Read more..

Vulnerable nations launch ‘V20’ to fight climate change

 Finance ministers from 20 of the countries most vulnerable to climate change have launched the “V20” group to pool resources for their fight against the impact of global warming.

The group, which includes some of the world’s smallest and poorest countries, is a counterpoint to the G20 group of leading industrialised and emerging economies.

It pointedly held its inaugural meeting just ahead of a gathering of G20 finance ministers in the Peruvian capital Lima, where economic policy-makers from around the world are gathered this week for the annual meetings of the International... Read more..