Low Carbon News in India in April 2014
Airlines find a smart way to cut carbon footprint
When Go Air’s two-engine A320 and Air France’s four-engine, double-deck A380 leave their parking bays for the runway, there is a common practice pilots of these disparate aircraft follow. Till the aircraft enter the runway, they are run on only half their number of engines. Passengers barely perceive the difference, but for airlines it does matter: lower fuel consumption and thus a lighter fuel bill, and also reduced emissions.
“Potential fuel savings in terms of carbon emission reduction can be approximately 26,000 kg per aircraft per year,” said Giorgio Deroni, CEO, Go Air. The low-cost carrier operates a fleet of 18 A320 aircraft, which adds up to a total emission reduction of 4.68 lakh kg per year. By a conservative estimate, each Go aircraft would achieve an emission reduction roughly equivalent to 52 Mumbai-Delhi flights.
In India, the procedure was green signaled by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in July last year. Currently, Go Air is the only airline in India that does both single engine taxi in and out for most of its flights.
Low Carbon Transport Event during World Urban Forum
9 April 2014, Medellín, Columbia
The ‘Promoting Low Carbon Transport in India’ project is assisting cities to develop low carbon transport systems that are sustainable and inclusive, by building the capacity of consultants and stakeholders at the city level. Project partners have organized a city changer event during this year’s World Urban Forum (WUF7), where they will present outcomes from the work in cities, and the revised comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) toolkit of the Ministry of Urban Development, which was formulated by UNEP Risø Centre and project partners in India. Presentations on the urban mobility scenarios for India and a case study from Rajkot will also be made, followed by a panel discussion that will address a pertinent issue on how to achieve development goals and social inclusivity in tandem with climate change goals.
http://www.unep.org/transport/lowcarbon/news_and_events.asp
Depleting greens leave big carbon footprint in Bhopal
Bhopal is leaving a huge carbon footprint on the environment due to its energy consumption pattern and continuous depletion of green cover. There is a rapid increase in energy consumption by the urban population. And with the recent depletion in city’s green cover in the name of development, the city is not far from becoming an arid zone.
in the current scenario where the city is struggling with the constant proliferation of residential colonies, buildings, roads, and other infrastructure resulting in replacement of open land and vegetation, it will be a distant dream for Bhopal to become a low carbon society (LCS) in the near future. Mass-cutting of trees in the name of development will eventually affect the micro climate of the city
More than 2,500 trees were felled since 2009 to make way for BRTS project with no compensation plantation done. Similarly, huge number of trees vanished from the area near Vanita nursery and Anand Vihar School in the past few months with no genuine explanation from government agencies. Cutting down of more than 300 trees since 2009 near New Market which is considered to be a pollution hub of the city is another example of green cover reduction.
Energy saving home design gets science prize for sixth graders
There have been ideas about villages or cities becoming self-sufficient in terms of their energy requirement. Imagine a house or a building, made on the same concept, which makes use of every possible way of harnessing alternative energy. This is the concept that helped three city students win a national science contest.
Sixth standard students of Bhavan’s B P Vidya Mandir under the guidance of their arts teacher won the junior category of Fevicol Science Project Challenge 2013 held recently. Around 2000 schools from across the country participated in the competition that aims to nurture the next generation of scientists and thinkers by making them solve day-to-day problems. The challenge before them was to make a smart house. They decided to include energy and water conservation in their design.
Having discussed and discarded many ideas, the team finally came up with an oval-shaped building with galleries on all floors having walls fitted with solar panels. These movable panels also doubled up as turbines that would help harness wind energy on particularly windy days. The idea of water conservation led to inclusion of a rain water harvesting system in the house. Several other features like biogas, vermicompost and a kitchen garden completed this self-sufficient home. Through all these measures, creating as well as conserving various forms of energy was taken into account.
15 MW solar energy park commissioned in Tamil Nadu
Rooftop solar installation company Swelect Energy Systems has commissioned a 15 MW solar energy park near Vellakoil in Karur district of Tamil Nadu.
The 15 MW park is a modular energy park, wherein the company owns 12 MW and 3 MW capacity is owned by two other companies, Yajur Energy Solutions and Amex Alloys. Set up on 75 acres of land with an investment of Rs 102 crore, the power evacuation is through a 33 KV dedicated feeder
National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC) 50 MW solar power plant at Rajgarh is fully operational
NTPC today said its 50 MW solar plant at Raigarh in Chhattisgarh is now fully operational. With commencement of commercial operations of 20 MW solar unit today, the capacity of Rajgarh solar photo-voltaic (PV) plant has become 50 MW. With this, the state-owned company’s total capacity of non-conventional energy projects has reached 95 MW.
GE invests $24 million in Welspun’s MP solar plant
General Electric (GE) is entering India’s clean energy sector with a $24-million investment in India’s largest solar power plant, the 150 mw project of Welspun Renewable Energies in Madhya Pradesh.
India’s vast potential for solar power had also prompted Goldman Sachs to invest about $320 million in Sumant Sinha-promoted ReNew Power last year in two phases, making it the largest investment so far in Indian renewable energy generation industry.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) invested $30 million in NSL Renewable Power in May 2013.
India’s clean energy sector attracted investments of $7.8 billion in 2013, 80% of which was through domestic investors, though the amount of foreign funding is rising.
GE is entering India under its clean energy investment initiative totalling $10 billion. The 150 MW solar power project worth 1,185 crore is owned and operated by Welspun Renewable Energies (WREPL).
DEFRA Sustainable pathways to low carbon energy research programme
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs invites tenders for its sustainable pathways to low carbon energy research programme. This project will fill evidence gaps about the impacts of the level of infrastructure needed to meet 2050 carbon emission objectives on the natural environment, in particular with respect to the cumulative and indirect effects.
http://www.energy.cam.ac.uk/funding/externalfunding/previouscalls/DEFRAsustainablepathways
Solar energy players fortune may change with renewable energy certificates
The ministry of new and renewable energy is lobbying for changing the fortunes of solar energy players under the renewable energy certificates or the REC mechanism. These certificates might be costlier than the actual purchase, but the ministry is confident that the regulator will be able to enforce the sale of these certificates. Meanwhile, the joint secretary of the ministry said that the ministry asked the regulators to be more strict to seek compliance. “We have started getting good response, and hope that the situation will improve,” he said. The ministry believe that once the fiscal condition of the distribution companies improve, the purchases of REC certificates would improve. He said that they have invited the suggestions from all the stakeholders to evolve the new policy, and are finalising the changes
General Electric, Westinghouse keen to develop 12K MW of nuclear power in India
American majors General Electric and Westinghouse are looking to develop 12,000 megawatts of nuclear power in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell said today.
The US is a key partner for energy and power development in India, Powell – who resigned from the post of US Ambassador to India earlier this month – said at the American Chamber of Commerce ( AMCHAM) annual general meeting here.
US companies are active players in all sectors of renewable and thermal power generation. Westinghouse and General Electric are prepared to develop 12,000 megawatts of nuclear power in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, potentially doubling India’s ability to generate clean, safe, reliable nuclear power and generating billions of dollars of economic activity in both countries.
Delhi discoms eye REC purchase worth Rs 283 crore in FY2014-15
Three of the largest power distribution companies have submitted to the state electricity regulatory commission their estimates to procure renewable energy certificates (RECs) to meet their respective renewable purchase obligations (RPOs) for FY2014-15. All three distribution companies have stated that a significantly large portion of their RPO would have to be fulfilled through purchase of RECs.