Thursday, July 31, 2014

Demand to Ensure Clean Potable Water

KOZHIKODE: More and more local self-government bodies have started approaching the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) to take steps for ensuring clean potable water to the public.

The UNICEF-funded programme started three years ago.

It has already conducted water quality test in 50 panchayats in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Kannur, Kasaragod, Malappuram and Wayanad districts.




Some of the panchayats have taken steps to provide quality potable water on the basis ofwater quality test report.

The test checks various parameters including amount of sulphate, nitrate, fluoride, turbidity, pH value, hardness, iron content, dissolved solids, copper content, colour and bacterial content in both ground and surface water.

According to the Water Quality Division of the CWRDM, one of the common problems is the existence of coliform bacteria in high numbers, which is an indication of foecal contamination.

Based on the Bureau of Indian Specification for drinking water issued in 2012, the permissible level of pH value in the water should be 6.5 to 8.5.

The existence of coliform should be zero while the permissible level of Iron is 0.3 milligram per litre.

Dr P S Harikumar, scientist and head of Water Quality Division of CWRDM said, "Water contamination is high in thickly populated areas than rural areas due to less distance between toilets and wells. We have been carrying out remedial measures after conducting tests on samples after being requested from the respective grama panchayats. We will be conducting tests in the remaining gram panchayats as well,'' he said. Mavoor gram panchayat president C Suresh said the panchayat had carried out repairs of 25 wells under its drinking water scheme.

"The testing of drinking water quality has helped us to eliminate the contamination level,'' he said.

    A New Sponge can Convert Solar Energy into Steam

    The new material is able to convert 85 per cent of incoming solar energy into steam - a significant improvement over recent approaches to solar-powered steam generation. What's more, the setup loses very little heat in the process, and can produce steam at relatively low solar intensity. The sponge is made of a layer of graphite flakes and an underlying carbon foam - is a porous, insulating material structure that floats on water. When sunlight hits the structure's surface, it creates a hotspot in the graphite, drawing water up through the material's pores, where it evaporates as steam. The brighter the light, the more steam is generated.A New Sponge can Convert Solar Energy into Steam

    Its champagne time for the wind industry

    Restoration of accelerated depreciation set to create more wind capacity Wind industry experts say this move will have an impact of creating 1,000 MW of wind power capacity in a year; in the current financial year (2014-15), about half of it could be expected to come.1,000 MW of capacity would mean investments 
    of about Rs 7,000 crore.Its champagne time for the wind industry
     “We expect direct employment of 20,000 and indirect employment of 10,000 people during the manufacturing and project execution phase and 2,000 people on long term basis for operations and maintenance for 1,000 MW,” says Madhusudhan Khemka, Chairman of the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers’ Association.

    Energy-Efficiency Investments to Reduce Costs

    A program that will reduce electricity costs for pulp and paper producers and make the industry more economically viable was announced. Bill Bennett, minister of energy and mines and minister responsible for core review and Jessica McDonald, president and chief executive of BC Hydro, announced a new Power Smart program which will help producers remain globally competitive, support thousands of jobs throughout the province and reduce overall electricity demand.

    Eating Less Beef Better Way to Cut Carbon Emissions

    LONDON: Eating less beef would be a better way for people to cut carbon emissions than giving up their cars, latest research has shown. 

    The Weizmann Institute of Science research looked at the five main sources of protein in the American diet: dairy, beef, poultry, pork and eggs. Their idea was to calculate the environmental inputs - the costs - per nutritional unit: a calorie or gram of protein. 

    When the numbers were in, including those for the environmental costs of different kinds of feed (pasture, roughage such as hay, and concentrates such as corn), the team developed equations that yielded values for the environmental cost - per calorie and then per unit of protein, for each food. 


    The calculations showed that the biggest culprit, by far, is beef. That was no surprise say scientists.

    The surprise was in the size of the gap: In total, eating beef is more costly to the environment by an order of magnitude - about 10 times on average - than other animal-derived foods, including pork and poultry. 

    Carbon dioxide is the most-prevalent gas when it comes to climate change. It is released by vehicles, industry, and forest removal and comprises the greatest portion of greenhouse gas totals. But methane and nitrous oxide are also greenhouse gasses and account for approximately 28% of global warming activity.

    6500 Solar Streetlights; 1950 Solar Water Pumps Installed in Punjab

    6500 Solar Streetlights; 1950 Solar Water Pumps Installed in PunjabPunjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) has successfully implemented Bio gas Development & Solar Water Heating Programme under which 1.6 lakh bio gas plants and 29 lakh liter per day solar water heating systems have been installed in the state, informed chief parliamentary secretary Des raj Singh Dhugga. He also informed that besides, 6,500 solar street lights, 1,950 solar water pumps have also been installed in the state. Dhugga said that solar power projects of 250MW were under execution and scheduled to complete during 2014-15. He said that state government had also successfully partnered the completion of 7.5MW solar plant on a single roof which is the largest such plant in India. 

    Big Investments for Indian Hydro, Wind Power

    Indian energy producer Reliance Power Ltd. plugged into an 1,800 megawatt surge on Monday with a deal that is set to make it the largest private sector hydroelectricity provider in the country.
    Reliance, part of Anil Ambani's Reliance Group conglomerate, said it signed an exclusive memorandum of understanding to acquire the entire hydropower portfolio of Jaiprakash Power Ventures Ltd., a subsidiary of Jaiprakash Associates Ltd., also known as the Jaypee Group. It did not disclose the price of the acquisition, but said the portfolio was in full operation and together had an asset base of more than 100 billion rupees ($1.66 billion).
    Indian media put the price at about $2 billion.
    WindFarmAltEnergy-LG.jpgTwo of the three assets in the portfolio were the subject of a $1.6 billion bid led by Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. PJSC, or Taqa, which collapsed last week.
    Taqa and its co-investors, Canadian institutional investor Indo-Infra Inc. and Indian mutual fund IDFC Alternatives, signed a deal in March to acquire two plants with a combined capacity of 1,391 MW. But last Thursday, JPVL informed the market that Taqa had pulled out of the deal, citing changes in business strategies and priorities. The Indian company said Taqa would be liable for a breakup fee for the decision.
    The seller will use the money to reduce debt, Reliance Power said.
    The announcement lit up Reliance Power's share price, which rose 3.2% to finish the day at Rs94.00.
    The deal came as General Electric Co. announced that its GE Energy Financial Services unit had invested an undisclosed amount in three wind projects under construction in India. The investments are in farms being built by regional energy player Atria Power in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. GE said the windfarms will have a combined capacity of 126 megawatts and will support the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy's program to generate grid-interactive windpower through feed-in tariffs. Atria was advised on the deal by Bangalore-based Kin Advisors LLP.
    Reliance Power said the Jaypee acquisition would be made through 100% subsidiary CleanGen Ltd. It said each of the power plants in the portfolio had an asset life of over 50 years and used run-of-the-river technology to convert natural water-flow to electricity, "eliminating the need for a large reservoir."
    The three plants -- the 300 megawatts Baspa Stage II, the 1,091 megawatts Karcham Wangtoo and the 400 megawatts Vishnuprayag installations -- together provide power to much of North India, including the most populous state Uttar Pradesh, as well as Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
    The portfolio is already the largest privately held hydropower business in India. But Reliance Power said it also has a further 5,000 megawatts of hydroelectric capacity under development, and the combination will further diversify its largely coal-based operations.
    Reliance Power and rival electricity producer Adani Power Ltd., both of which are listed on the Indian exchanges, moved swiftly to enter the fray when the Taqa consortium pulled out. Indian financial publication VC Circle said Reliance Power won the deal both on valuation and certain other terms of the transaction.
    British private equity firm 3i Group plc retains a small stake in Adani after selling part of its holding earlier this year.
    Reliance Power is advised by SBI Capital Markets Ltd.
    Separately, private equity firm Apax Partners LLP announced the acquisition Monday of an 8% stake in Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Co. Ltd., the financial services arm of India's Murugappa Group. Apax said it is investing Rs5 billion ($84 million) in a preferential issue of compulsorily convertible shares, which will convert into equity after a year and carry a 1% dividend coupon. The capital infusion will enable Chola to continue to grow its business rapidly in a recovering macroeconomic environment in India and to augment its Tier 1 capital adequacy ratio, Apax said.
    Chola is a financial services provider offering products including vehicle finance, home loans, home equity loans and SME loans. Chola operates from over 575 branches across India with more than Rs250 billion in assets under management.
    Kotak Mahindra Capital Co. was Apax's financial adviser. Khaitan & Co. and Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel to Apax. Axis Capital Ltd. advised Chola.

    Suzlon plans to double India installations ahead of unit listing

    New Delhi: Suzlon Energy Ltd., the Indian wind- turbine maker that defaulted on bonds, expects to more than double installations in its home market this fiscal year before a planned listing of its German unit. Chairman Tulsi Tanti said his top priority was to see the Suzlon group emerge more competitive from debt restructuring as it seeks by March to re-list its offshore turbine unit, Senvion SE, on the London Stock Exchange. Restoring Suzlon’s dominance in India, consolidating group businesses and replacing high-cost rupee debt with lower-cost overseas debt were part of this year’s plan, Tanti said in a phone interview. The group will become extremely competitive in the market place through consolidation of group businesses, Tanti said. It’s not the current Senvion honestly that we’ll take to the capital markets. Prime Minister 

    Narendra Modi’s government this month restored a wind-farm tax benefit after a two-year hiatus to lift Asia’s second-biggest wind market out of a slump. Bloomberg New Energy Finance raised its 2014 India projection by 13% to 2,600 megawatts of installations on the decision, according to Shantanu Jaiswal, a Delhi-based wind analyst for the research company. India may install 3,000 megawatts in the fiscal year ending March, of which Suzlon expects to grab about 1,000 megawatts, Tanti said. The Pune-based manufacturer supplied 403 megawatts last year for a record-low 20% share, according to data from the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association. By the second half, Suzlon expects to see orders from customers seeking to claim accelerated depreciation tax benefits by building wind farms, Kirti Vagadia, group head of finance, said in an interview last week.

    Monday, July 7, 2014

    Telangana to develop 1,000 MW solar park

    The Telangana Government has zeroed in on the backward district of Mahbubnagar to set up an integrated 1,000 MW solar power generation park. The project will be taken up by Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation in partnership with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). SECI has given in-principle approval for the park, K Pradeep Chandra, Special Chief Secretary, Industries, Government of Telangana, said.

    Industrial policy
    Speaking on the sidelines of CII PaperTech conference, he said that typically 1 MW requires an investment of about Rs. 6 crore and five acres of land. About 5,000 acres will be set part for the park. The developers of projects will bring in their investments. The Government’s role will be limited to facilitation and creation of necessary support infrastructure.

    Chandra said that the Government will soon come out with a new industrial policy for the next five years, outlining the areas that need incentives. The industrial policy of the unified State is valid from 2010-2015.
    The Government is also in the process of encouraging companies engaged in the renewable energy sector, green technologies and waste management to set up their projects in the State as a cluster, he added.
    Earlier this year, SECI had announced its decision to set up a mega solar park in the State and five more such parks in other parts of the country.

    Referring to the State Government’s moves to set up a National Institute of Packaging, the official wanted players in the paper sector to partner in this initiative with the Government.

    Scientists create new battery that's cheap, clean, rechargeable and organic

    Scientists at USC have developed a water-based organic battery that is long lasting, built from cheap, eco-friendly components. The new battery -- which uses no metals or toxic materials -- is intended for use in power plants, where it can make the energy grid more resilient and efficient by creating a large-scale means to store energy for use as needed. 

    "The batteries last for about 5,000 recharge cycles, giving them an estimated 15-year lifespan," said Sri Narayan, professor of chemistry at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and corresponding author of a paper describing the new batteries that was published online by the Journal of the Electrochemical Society on June 20. "Lithium ion batteries degrade after around 1,000 cycles, and cost 10 times more to manufacture." 

    U.S-China trade war pushes thin film market to 11-month high

    Data compiled by analyst firm PVinsights has revealed that spot prices for thin film modules have reached their highest level since the end of July last year as uncertainty over the U.S.-China trade dispute rumbles on.
    Thin film modules were spot-priced at 61.2 cents/kW today – a 5.2% increase in the past month and the highest price since July 31 2013. Having plunged to a record low of 58.2 cents/kW on June 4, thin film modules have been steadily rising in price ever since the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) proposed closing a loophole that currently allows Chinese-made modules to circumvent current anti dumping (AD) duties.
    Over the same period, spot prices for polysilicon panels – the more commonly used technology and an sector dominated by Chinese suppliers – have fallen by 2.8% to 63.2 cents/kW. Thin film manufacturers such as First Solar from the U.S. and SolarFrontier from Japan are likely to welcome the news, although the increased uncertainty in the market being caused by the ongoing dispute has not curried favor with most solar companies.
    "It is very possible that the trade wars have made really low-cost Chinese modules increasingly unusable in many markets," mused Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s solar analyst, Jenny Chase. "That is causing developers to look at thin film."
    The DOC is expected to finally determine the level of duties set against polysilicon modules from China and Taiwan by August 18. Preliminary duties have been levied at 19% and 35% respectively, with the International Trade Commission also poised to issue a ruling on the DOC’s actions within 45 days of that date.

    Transforming your sofa into biofuels

    In Edmonton, Canada, the waste is the same as at municipal waste plants around the world — shoes, sofas and other items that can’t be recycled and are destined for landfills or incinerators — but the fate that awaits Alberta’s garbage is different: as of this month, it’s being turned into biofuels.
    “We use heat and pressure to break down the materials that usually end up in the landfill”, explains Vincent Chornet, chief executive of Enerkem, the company behind the technology.
    “We then turn it into methanol and ethanol. In total, the process from waste to final product takes about four minutes.” Enerkem’s technology produces renewable electricity, chemicals for plastic and of course, ethanol for cars.
    “Waste is now an opportunity.” Montreal-based Enerkem’s contract with the city of Edmonton includes treatment of 100,000 tonnes of garbage annually for 25 years. That, reports Enerkem, will yield 138m litres of ethanol per year, enough to fuel 400,000 cars driving on a 5 per cent ethanol blend.
    Sweden is a leading practitioner of the fast-growing sector of garbage to energy. According to reports, environmentally-friendly energy from garbage heats 810,000 Swedish households.
    Not only that: the lowly rubbish also produces enough electricity for 240,000 Swedish family homes. That’s the equivalent of more than 1m litres of oil per year.
    The average Swede produces 237.6kg of non-recyclable garbage each year, according to the association, of which 49 per cent is burned and used as energy.
    But that’s not enough. Sweden’s rubbish to energy market is so hot that the country’s 30 rubbish-based power plants have to import waste from other countries, including Britain!

    Hypersolar reports record time for hydrogen production

    SANTA BARBARA, CA– HyperSolar, Inc. (OTCQB: HYSR), the developer of a breakthrough technology to produce renewable hydrogen using sunlight and water, announced today that its patent pending polymer coating, when applied to a bromine electrode in a wireless solar powered particle, resulted in 170 continuous hours of hydrogen production, one of the longest duration applications of wireless hydrogen production on record.
    The test conducted by members of the company’s research team at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) confirms the possibility of commercializing a process for the direct conversion of sunlight into valuable chemicals and fuels. Solar to chemical conversion (artificial photosynthesis) has the advantage in that the energy storage challenges associated with photovoltaics are eliminated. The company’s goal is to efficiently convert solar energy into hydrogen.
    “Our UCSB research team is continuing its work to reach the ultimate milestone of achieving 1.5 open volts required to successfully split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Meanwhile, we are very encouraged to learn that our patent pending polymer coating will allow the process to occur,” said Tim Young, CEO of HyperSolar.
    HyperSolar’s technology is based on the concept of developing a low-cost, submersible hydrogen production particle that can split water molecules using sunlight without any other external systems or resources — acting as artificial photosynthesis.  The company announced earlier this year that it had achieved 1.2 open circuit voltage progressing towards its goal of 1.5 open volts.

    Moser Baer launches campaign to promote energy efficient products

    Moser Baer India Limited has launched a unique campaign to promote energy efficient products to tackle the power deficient scenario. The campaign, 'Energy bacchao, aache din lao – a RWA Abhiyaan' is aimed to reduce the energy consumption as the country is going through a phase where there are not many incremental power plants getting commissioned during next ten years. Hence, the initiative focuses on educating the consumers on the need to conserve electricity in homes and public places. The campaign, which is a first of its kind, is being organized in all the major cities of the country e.g. Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahemdabad, Surat, Gurgaon, Noida, Kolkata, Patna, Bhubaneswar, Jamshedpur, Baroda, Dehradun by any LED manufacturer in India. 

    Delhi Metro to install three more solar power plants

    Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is going to install three more roof-top solar power plants in its premises, as a continuation of its policy to encourage eco-friendly work practices and technologies.
    These three plants, with a joint power generation capacity of 250 KWP (kilowatts peak), will come up at the Anand Vihar ISBT and Pragati Maidan Metro stations along with DMRC's residential complex at Pushp Vihar.
    The individual production capacity of these plants will be 115 kwp at Anand Vihar ISBT, Pragati Maidan 85 KWP and Metro Enclave, Saket with 50 KWP.
    The Power Purchase Agreement for installation of these plants was signed today between DMRC and Noida-based private developer Jakson Engineers Ltd and approved by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) in the presence of DMRC's Managing Director Mangu Singh and other senior officials.
    The plants are expected to start production within next six months.
    Like DMRC's first solar power plant at Dwarka Sector 21, these plants will also come up as per the RESCO model.
    Under this model, DMRC will pay for the units generated by the plants and the capital investment shall be provided by the developer, Anuj Dayal, DMRC executive director (Corporate Communications), said.
    The power generated by these plants will be used for DMRC's operational requirements, which include station lighting and other loads.
    "DMRC will continue to explore the possibility of installing more such plants at its stations, depots, parking lots as well as residential complexes. Efforts are also being made to integrate such solar plants with the station structures of Phase 3," Dayal said.
    Delhi Metro has already taken up a slew of measures oriented towards the conservation of environment and the use of renewable means of energy.
    All the stations to be constructed as part of Delhi Metro's Phase 3 are being designed as 'green buildings'.
    In 2011, DMRC was certified by the United Nations (UN) as the first Metro Rail and Rail based system in the world to get Carbon Credits for reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions as it has helped to reduce pollution levels in the city by 6.3 lakh tons every year, thus, helping in reducing global warming.

    Anti-dumping duty on solar gear imports won't hurt consumers: ISMA

    Solar power gear makers have rejected the argument put forth by developers that imposition of anti-dumping duty on imported solar power equipment will double the cost of solar power in the country, saying the cost escalation will not be even 10 per cent.
    "With imposition of anti-dumping duty, the price of solar power is expected to rise by only 6-8 per cent," said a spokesperson for Indian Solar Manufacturers' Association (ISMA), which represents 25 solar manufacturers. "The overall price of power at the billing point of the consumer will be a mere 2 to 3 paise more based on the current energy mix." The price of unsubsidised solar power is in the range of Rs 7.5-8.5 per unit.
    The statement came after developers opposed a commerce ministry move to levy anti-dumping duty on solar cells imported from the US, Malaysia, China and Taiwan to protect domestic manufacturers.
    Following representations by developers, the ministry of new and renewable energy has asked the commerce ministry to review its proposal.
    Union minister for power, coal and renewable energy Piyush Goyal had recently said that domestic equipment capacity is inadequate to meet the demands of the country's ambitious solar power mission. He, however, added that India needs to promote its own manufacturing capabilities.
    ISMA says the government's target to raise solar power capacity to 20,000 MW by 2022 from the current 1,200 MW will attract investments worth Rs 1.50 lakh crore. Companies such as Tata Power Solar Systems,Moser Baer Solar, Jupiter Solar Power and Indosolar are members of ISMA.
    "There is a strong international and domestic investor interest in solar manufacturing in India. Investors are awaiting a clear message from government to ramp up their manufacturing programme," ISMA said.
    ISMA says imposition of anti-dumping duty on imported gear will not affect the ongoing 975 MW capacity addition as claimed by the developers.
    "USA and European Union have already imposed anti-dumping duties on solar cells and modules from China. Now, a two-year Indian investigation has also recommended the same. The Indian renewable energy policy should be based on well-established principles of self-sufficiency, conservation of foreign exchange and promotion of Indian manufacturing," ISMA said.
    Stressing on the possibility of bringing down the cost of domestic solar panels, ISMA said India has abundant resources of silica to manufacture silicon wafer and its members have the ability to repeat the success story of telecom and information technology if the government provides it adequate protection from dumping of cheaper supplies.

    Simulating with Proteus

    https://youtu.be/GDxYzqvTcnI