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chandra's picture

Solar energy is everybody's business

Solar mission is too important to let doubtful dealings hijack it.

In public perception the renewable energy sector is a do-good sector that promises environment-friendly and affordable energy. It is for this reason that this sector gets overwhelming support from all sections of society. Civil society organisations, including the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), have worked hard over the years to increase awareness about renewable energy and have pushed the government policy towards ambitious programmes.

Jonas Hamberg's picture

Lanco's allies

Jonas Hamberg stumbles on fictitious companies dealing in public funds. It was all there on the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation (RREC) website—names of companies, addresses and phone numbers. But calling them up did not work. We were to find out the reason later. I am talking about the companies that Lanco Infratech used as fronts to get hold of more solar capacity than it was allowed under JNNSM, acronym for Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. We wanted to know more about these companies.

umashankar's picture

Durban turning futile as EU buries head in sand

With the carbon market in doldrums, emerging economies like India will have to announce bolder schemes for a low carbon future

Coal-based power industry expands rapidly while solar power trots behind

Tuticorin, a coastal district in southern Tamil Nadu, is a large hub for coal-based thermal energy generation with many more such projects in the pipeline. Currently there are 2 power stations commissioned so far. The Tuticorin Thermal Power Station being the largest of them all, as of now, produces power to suffice as much as one-thirds of Tuticorin's demand. The power plant managed by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, produces power through a capacity of 1050 MW. Besides, there is the Ind-Bharath Power Infra Private Ltd which has a 189 MW power generating capacity.

anandp's picture

Biotech regulation

A must-read op-ed on an important issue - the issue needs a lot of careful analysis and debate, particularly given that the underlying science changes rapidly. Regardless of the position one holds about GM crops, and their necessity as part of our food supply (and it is not clear that the case for their necessity is as clear-cut), the op-ed makes a number of important points about policy and regulatory design.

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article2752711.ece?homepage=true

anandp's picture

Durban draws to a close

As the Durban COP enters the homestretch it is worth stepping back a few years – to COP-13 at Bali in 2007. For it is the Bali COP that led to the creation of the Ad-hoc working groups for Long-term Cooperative Action (AWGLCA) and for the Kyoto Protocol (AWGKP), which have been the main arenas for negotiation since then.

Uttarakhand hills with solar power don’t prefer ‘taar wali bijli’

It was half past four in the evening when we reached Garbadhar. It took us about 4 hours and two flat tyres along the Kali river from Dharachulha to get there. The Border Roads Organization remained inactive that day as it was a Sunday. Otherwise, as we were told and as it was while we returned, workers were blasting the sides of these large, rocky mountains to lay good motorable roads and connect these far flung tiny hamlets to the rest of the maddening crowd.

Jonas Hamberg's picture

Solar lighting - No time to wait for grid or government

Less than a kilometer from Asia's largest Solar Termal plant, west of Bikaner, Rajasthan, lives the farmer Sabhu Khan. His hamlet is still unreached by the grid. Instead of the grid connection, he decided to go for an off-grid solar system – He bought it himself, at full market price – for Rs. 9500 and a 12 volt car-battery – locally made and with a 1 year guarantee.

umashankar's picture

Blame bankers not oil for climate impasse

 

It's time the green brigade joins the banker-bashing, Occupy Wall Street movement

Another climate summit and another potential disappointment facing the green brigade. Even before it officially kick-starts, there is a widespread feeling that the Durban Summit is expected to be another brick in the collapsing climate wall. The reason this time, though, is that governments in the West are overwhelmed by the sovereign financial crisis and hence climate change mitigation action is out of the window.

anumita's picture

Sops for devil’s engines

With generous dispensing of cheap diesel to rich car owners, the  government has finally turned the market around.  Media is abuzz with the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell’s report. It says the diesel consumption growth rate at 6.4 per cent has outstripped that of petrol at 4.5 per cent. Petrol price hikes have made the fuel price gap gape wider and add to diesel’s lure.

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