Low Carbon News in India in February 2014
UNDP grants Rs 40 lakh for green energy action plan
The Ashden India Collective, a team comprising Ashden awardees from India has received a grant of Rs 40 lakh from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to prepare an action plan for commercial use of renewable energy in five states of the country. The Ashden Award, awarded by the Ashden trust, is a prestigious award given for the promotion and use of sustainable energy. The Ashden team has also received a grant of about Rs 16 lakh from GIZ – a German international agency which has developed a rating system for cooking stoves used on a mass scale.
The five states for which the action plan will be prepared are Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam and Jharkhand, with the Ashden team being headquartered in Kolkata. “The action plan will help in increasing productive activity of renewable energy for commercial purposes, such as using solar-powered boats and ricksaws, and this will also help promote eco-tourism
Assistance for Renewable Energy power projects
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is providing Central Financial Assistance (CFA) for setting up of renewable energy based power generation projects in the country.A statement issued by the union government states that with a view to develop new technologies and to bring down prices, MNRE has a comprehensive scheme to support Research and Development (R&D) in all areas of renewable energy (RE). It provides financial support for the R&D projects taken up by National Research Institutions, Academic Institutions & Universities, Autonomous bodies and Industry. Apart from supporting basic research, the Ministry also supports design, development, field demonstration and performance evaluation of RE systems/devices.
BMTC unveils India’s first electric bus
The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) on Thursday unveiled the country’s first electric bus in a “cleaner” attempt to ease its mass transport requirements.
The 12-metre-long air-conditioned ‘e-bus’ can accommodate 32 people, including the driver and a wheelchair occupant, and can travel 250 km on a single charge of four to six hours. The BMTC will use the electric bus on a trial basis for three months and, based on the success of the operations, it will be expanding the services.
Manufactured by BYD, a Chinese coach company, the emission-free bus costs Rs 2.7 crore against Rs 1.3 crore to Rs 1.7 crore for a Volvo A/C bus. “A low running cost of Rs 7 per km — as compared to Rs 18 per km for a Volvo A/C bus — and easy maintenance are expected to drastically reduce the cost per passenger to BMTC,”
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/indias-first-electric-bus-hits-the-road/
Solar power systems in government buildings
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is promoting installation of solar systems in all buildings, depending on the feasibility, willingness of users and availability of funds.
Under off the grid and decentralized solar applications scheme of Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), the ministry provides central financial assistance of 30% of the cost of solar systems for installing solar PV and thermal systems at educational institutions, hospitals, police stations, panchayats, jails, government guest houses, community buildings, Anganwadis, orphanage and other buildings for social and community use, etc.
32,000 energy-efficient streetlights in Mumbai by year end
The city will soon have more than 32,000 streetlights powered by sodium vapour lamps. The announcement was made at the BEST committee meeting on Thursday. The BEST will have to seek the consent of BMC on the matter.
Environment Ministry’s New Green Building
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday inaugurated Environment Ministry’s new office – a green building which has adopted several measures to save energy. He said the building with its large solar panels, is “self sufficient in terms of power and we can even sell some power to the grid. It is the best building in the country and has been developed by the CPWD.”
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-in-school/ministrys-new-green-building/article5726855.ece
Chhattisgarh State to develop new buildings on energy conservation format
Chhattisgarh State Housing Board has decided to develop new buildings based on a technology of less power consumption in order to save energy. Chhattisgarh will be the first state where buildings will be designed on the basis of Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) technology under the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) project, CSHB Chairman Sonmani Borah said today.
The technology will help to reduce power consumption in the premises thereby contributing significantly to saving energy. Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India, will support the state government in this connection, he said, adding that soon a memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed with this agency.
UPPCL signs agreement for solar power purchase
The UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has entered into an agreement with solar power developers for purchasing 110mw of power. The agreement was entered in the presence of UP chief secretary, who said that under the state solar policy the state government will be setting up 500mw of power solar power plants in the state.
The New Energy Development Authority (NEDA) had invited bids for setting up of power plants compositely to the tune of 200mw. The authority had also put in place a competitive bidding process for power tariff from these power plants. Against this, the authority received bids for 130mw.
Special purpose vehicle for energy security
A Memorandum of Understanding between Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoP&NG) was signed recently, according to a statement issued by the government. The aim is to enhance energy security along with clean energy development through investments in solar, wind and other renewable energy projects.
Two Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) are proposed to be set up for promoting the deployment of technologies to supplement conventional fossil fuel based power generation that will give boost to the development of large scale grid connected renewable energy projects and implementing off-grid applications. The SPVs will be able to leverage the strength of oil and gas companies for promoting renewable energy projects. The SPVs would function independently like commercial organisations, while utilising various promotional schemes of MNRE and State Governments for the purpose.
Gujarat State to have 10 MW solar power plant on Narmada Canal in Vadodara
Giving a shot in the arm to Gujarat’s initiative in tapping solar energy, state-owned Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) is all set to start building a 10 Mega Watt (MW) solar power generation plant over Narmada canal in Vadodara.
Sources said the new project will cover a distance of 5.5km from Vishwamitri Siphon to Railway Siphon. The agency finalized for executing the project is Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) of Hyderabad that has already built a 50 MW plant in Maharashtra and a 20 MW plant in Andhra Pradesh.
The solar plant will come up in the engineering procurement construction (EPC) mode instead of public private partnership (PPP) mode. MEIL will also be maintaining it for 25 years,” an official said. Sources said the plant will be completed in six months and will produce 16.2 million units in the first year.
Oil companies floating two SPVs for green projects
State-run oil companies will join hands with Solar Energy Corporation of India and Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency under the ministry of new and renewable energy for two special purpose vehicles to set up large-scale solar and wind power projects in India and abroad.
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation along with Oil India Ltd, GAIL and Engineers India Ltd will join the two solar energy entities to form a joint venture for big grid-connected projects.
A second entity will be led by IndianOil Corporation for setting up off-grid projects using advanced technologies. This SPV will also include Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation.
In India, high fliers go low carbon
Airline travelers in India who fly the country’s largest airline now have an opportunity to support low-carbon rural development programs across the country.
The landmark partnership was unveiled this weekend between the Fair Climate Network (FCN), a consortium of Indian groups that is committed to improving health and livelihoods in rural communities, promoting climate resilience and reducing climate pollution, and IndiGo, the country’s largest and fastest growing airline.
The company will use the funds collected through the voluntary program to purchase some of the offsets generated by more than 300,000 Indian families from 36 climate mitigation projects. The projects, being developed and implemented by FCN, help families in rural India gain access to clean, reliable energy and improve farm income while cutting carbon emissions.
http://www.trust.org/item/20140211181925-064b7/
Delhi Metro awarded for using energy efficiently
Delhi Metro’s energy efficiency could help it rake in more moolah. On Sunday, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced that it had become the first rail system in the world to be awarded Gold Standard Foundation- a globally accepted certification standard for carbon mitigation projects.
Now, instead of the 70 cents that Delhi Metro got for every carbon credit, it will be getting between 4-5 Euros.
“The energy efficiency measures have been undertaken primarily in the heating, venting and airconditioning systems, lighting system and other energy efficient measures of station buildings,” said a DMRC official.