Feature Article

Bamboo is a cultural feature of south-east Asia. No country in this region is without indigenous bamboo flora. This natural resource plays a major role in the livelihood of rural people and in rural industry. In West Bengal 75 species were reported which include 49 species growing only in the Botanical Gardens.

Long term ecological monitoring of biodiversity is practicable with an inventory of its floral and faunal diversity. With this view, the documentation of biodiversity of the two fenced areas of Dhanolti reserve forest of Mussoorie forest division has been prepared.

A survey of hunting and consumption of wild animals among the Sherpas community in and around Singhalila National Park was conducted. Rate and pattern of hunting of animal species, their importance to respondents, hunting techniques, and reasons for hunting were studied.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to evaluate the genetic diversity among populations of Jatropha curcas (L.) from different agro-climatic regions of India. Out of 305 amplified bands obtained with 30 primers, 291 were found polymorphic.

A growing number of renewables based off-grid solution providers in Bihar area working with villagers who have inadequate grid access and with commercial and industrial consumers facing poor grid reliability. Some of these consumers, who resorted to the use of expensive diesel generator (DG) sets, now report that renewable-based-off-grid solutions have reduced operational costs and environmental emissions.

Bihar has an estimated renewable energy potential of 12 GW to 18 GW. To harness this potential , the state government announced the Bihar Policy for Promotion of New and Renewable Energy Sources, 2011 in June 2011, which will remain in effect till June 2016.

In a bid to improve energy access and quality, Bihar, which is currently the fastest growing Indian state, has shifted its focus to renewable energy as an effective solution, especially for areas that do not have grid access or where the grid is unreliable.

Grid-connected concentrating solar power (CSP) plants face the operational limitation of not being functional at night. In addition, unpredictable weather conditions and intermittent sunlight availability impact such projects' generation output and, therefore, their cost effectiveness. In this context, the installation of grid-scale storage solutions at CSP plants becomes important to ensure that electricity supply is not impacted by variations in sunlight availability and the plant is able to supply power throughout the day based on grid demand as well as meet base load requirements.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has played a significant role in helping the private sector achieve a low-carbon growth path through key investments in the renewable energy and sustainability segments. In the past four years, IFC has made over $700 million climate friendly investments in South Asia, which is expected to increase significantly in the next few years. Excerpts from an interview with Soumya Banerjee, senior investment officer, IFC, South Asia.

Catering to the increasing energy needs of the telecom industry while keeping energy costs low is a huge challenge. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) recommendations on green telecom are aimed at promoting and encouraging telecom companies to use renewable energy sources for operating their infrastructure. Renewable Watch talks to key tower companies in India to discuss the green initiatives taken by them as well as the challenges involved.