INDIA GREEN NEWS: India, US Sign Agreement on Energy Security and Climate Change; Net ...

India Green News is a selection of news highlights about environmental and energy issues in India.

Week of September 19-25, 2015

CLIMATE CHANGE

India, US Sign Agreement on Energy Security and Climate Change

Washington: India and the US have signed a significant MoU on energy security, climate change and clean energy which Secretary of State John Kerry said reflects the commitment of the two countries to make the Paris summit later this year a success.

“We have concluded a very significant Memorandum of Understanding on energy security, climate change, and clean energy,” Mr Kerry said at a joint news conference with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj, US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

India’s commitment to reach 175 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2022 is the world’s most ambitious target in the area of renewables, Mr Kerry said referring to the goal set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi….

(NDTV – September 23, 2015)

Climate change: India to unveil plan on October 1

NEW DELHI: India’s nationally determined contributions to mitigate climate change are likely to be unveiled on October 1 and will promote renewable energy, enhanced energy efficiency, less carbon intensive urban centres, green transport and abatement of pollution.

India’s strategy ahead of the climate summit in Paris in December will be firmly anchored in the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” and will clearly project India’s financial, technology transfer and capacity building requirements….

(The Times of India – September 24, 2015)

ENERGY

India is well-suited to lead energy transformation: US official

WASHINGTON: As the world moves towards renewable energy, India is “well-suited” to lead energy transformation to a clean and renewable energy future, a top US energy official has said.

“The world is at a historic period of transformation in energy because of the rapid changes across the spectrum,” Amos Hochstein, US Special Envoy for International Energy Affairs said in his address at the sixth annual India-US Energy Partnership Summit organised by TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute).

“I believe India is well-suited to lead this energy transformation and this process,” Hochstein said, “has to be not just about lowering greenhouse gas emissions, but rather about access….

(The Economic Times – September 22, 2015)

Renewable energy expo starts today

Over 550 global firms from 35 countries are expected to participate in the 9^th Edition of Renewable Energy India (REI) Expo beginning this Wednesday.

From wind-powered Taiwanese invertors to Japanese hydrogen-fuelled cars, the exhibition, scheduled from September 23 to 25 at the India Expo Centre in Greater Noida, will showcase latest innovations in the field. The expo is touted to be world’s second largest event in the renewable energy sector.

The event is likely to be an icebreaker for global investments in the country. For Delhi and the National Capital Region, harnessing solar energy is expected to get a major boost. Delhi has set a target of producing 1000 MW of solar power in five years….

(The Hindu – September 23, 2015)

India’s Maharashtra approves state solar net metering policy

The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) has officially approved its net metering policy for rooftop PV in the state.

The introduction of net metering, announced in a gazette notice, will allow commercial and domestic solar consumers to get credit for the solar power they generate.

The scheme will apply to PV systems with <1MW capacity under 20-year agreements. A MERC statement said eligible consumers must use or intend to use a PV system installed on a rooftop or any other mounting structure in their premises, to meet all or part of their own electricity requirement….

(PV Tech – September 23, 2015)

Energy Minister Piyush Goyal urges US to invest in clean energy market in India

WASHINGTON: India has appealed to American companies to come up with innovative solutions to address the massive energy needs of the world’s third largest economy, which is set to become the largest clean energy market in the next 10 years.

Union Energy Minister Piyush Goyal was addressing a meeting of high level gathering of US companies in the renewable energy development and financing sector, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the American Council on a Renewable Energy (ACORE)….

(The Economic Times – September 23, 2015)

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & GOVERNANCE

No Sand Mining in North India Till September 1 Each Year: Green Tribunal

New Delhi: No environmental clearance will be given for sand mining in the rivers of north India till September 1 each year, and during the rainy season, directed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to the Union Environment ministry.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson, Justice Swatanter Kumar passed the direction while disposing of a plea alleging mining activity being carried out in the rainy season, contrary to the terms and conditions of the environmental clearance.

The counsel appearing for the ministry told the bench that the restriction for carrying on mining activity applied only during the raining season, which is normally mid-May to mid-August….

(NDTV – September 25, 2015)

Centre Discusses UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

New Delhi: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address at the UN Sustainable Development Summit, the Union Cabinet today discussed the UN’s 2030 agenda for sustainable development and India’s position on it.

“The Cabinet was also informed of the 2030 agenda of sustainable development of the UN, India’s stand on it and the debate that happened on the issue in the world,” Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters.

The Prime Minister will address the high-level Sustainable Development Summit hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on September 25, when the new and ambitious post-2015 development agenda will be adopted….

(NDTV – September 22, 2015)

Note: The linked articles and excerpts in this post are provided for informational purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the India Initiative or of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

INDIA GREEN NEWS: India, US Sign Agreement on Energy Security and Climate Change; Net ...

Energy security: An excuse for fracking in Europe?

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A creative protest action by Greenpeace is drawing attention to the ominous developments of fracking in the United Kingdom. Fossil fuel companies and the government are pushing for industrial-scale domestic shale gas and oil exploitation while hiding behind the shield of “energy security”. The international civil organisation is protesting against an upcoming law that would allow horizontal drilling for natural gas under British homes without the property owners’ permission.

The activists mimicked fracking company workers when they approached the prime minister’s home and set up a fence line around it. The information board on the fence warns you that they are just drilling under your home, and if you have complaints, you should call this number which is in fact the phone number of David Cameron’s office.  A compensatory check for 50 pound sterlings was also left by the entrance. According to the bill, this sum is the upper limit of drilling compensations for the landowners.

Greenpeace UK on the protest

Caging the bear through fracking?

What is fracking?

In just several months, the ship of Cameron’s coalition government turned with swelling sails to fracking waters. What is behind this rush? Did the ongoing crisis in Ukraine cause so much concern about energy security that decision makers throughout Europe became so eager to follow the overseas example? If the pipelines from the East are running through a civil-war stricken failed state, maybe it’s reasonable to decrease energy-dependance from that direction.

They are eager in the United Kingdom for sure. Politicians and representatives from the fossil fuel companies released a whole barrage of statements about how fracking is desirable and the future of energy in England. It doesn’t seem to matter how much sceptical energy experts are trying to lessen the elevated mood, 10 Downing Street is crazy for shale gas.

Pic: Teacher Dude (Flickr CC)

Curiously, the United Kingdom is among the countries least dependent on imported natural gas in Europe. Still, up to 15 percent of its energy needs come from outside sources. Imported energy costs are bad for finances, and it gets only worse on the continent. By 2030, Europe will import 80 percent of its oil and gas. Twenty-one members of the EU out of 28 import natural gas from Russia. Some countries can import as much as 80 percent of their energy needs in the form of fossil fuels from the same source.

What can you do if you are British and don’t want to feed the landgrabbing bear more than now? Well, you can build more nuclear power plants (just make it sure that it’s not Rosatom which does it) — hardly an eco-friendly solution. You can burn more coal, but you will fill your carbon emission quotas in no time, and it’s pretty to hard to imagine a new army of coal miners in the same country where the government cracked down on miner unions so hard just thirty years ago. Or you can replace imported natural gas… with natural gas from domestic sources.

Fossil fuels just won’t go away by themselves

The template is on the other side of the Atlantic. The US had became a fossil fuel exporter in just a decade. The key was industrial level fracking. Now don’t make any mistake about it: environmentalists hoped not so long ago that a shortage of fossil fuel sources would force the green energy revolution sooner or later. Sadly, this doesn’t seem to be the case. The global energy industry calculates that they can rely upon fossil fuels for decades if not centuries. If we don’t count shale gas and oil, we still have unimagineable amount of  methane in the Siberian permafrost, just a few meters underground. Frozen methane is deposited on the continental shelves and coal-bed methane is another possibility, just to name a couple of examples. Humanity can heat the planet with carbon emission until the next ice age. The prospect is there with all the climate change implications. We haven’t even mentioned the oil- and natural gas-derivates among an army of products right in our households yet. It’s just not the green way.

Taking the American way — fracking — is not so straightforward for Europe, even if we don’t count the resistance of green parties, civil society, and so on. Even the most sanguine expectations don’t bargain for more than a 10 percent share of shale gas and oil in the energy supply of Europe by 2030, hardly an amount to substitute Eastern fossil fuels. To reach that otherwise unrealistic goal, literally hundreds of wells have to be drilled throughout Europe every year. Cost estimates warn us as well that the US fracking industry wasn’t born overnight; it took decades of researching, experiments and investments to support the shale gas boom of today. Shale gas from Europe will be never as cheap as natural gas from Russia, and the energy market will most likely follow its own logic and replace the even more expensive gas from different sources like Quatar or the Maghreb first instead.

What the frack…?

So what’s the rush in the UK then? The increased tax income through fracking companies must be a very appealing prospect in these times. In my opinion, shale gas is coming (sadly) at any rate, and the company that can gain experience and perfect the technology will be one step ahead of its rivals in Europe. The United Kingdom can be a trial ground and maybe a good starting point for British fracking companies that are targeting the European shale gas market, hence we have this outrageous bill in the homeland of liberal democracies, and the land enclosures… We need a revolution in energy but certainly not this kind.

Related pages:

An online debate about fracking in the UK

The dangers of fracking

Europe’s Shale Gas Potential map on WSJ

Energy security: An excuse for fracking in Europe?

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A Rise in Solar Powered Farms Shines Light on Need for Security Measures

Cambridge, MA (PRWEB) March 01, 2014

Last week, the United States Department of the Interior approved two additional solar projects in the Ivanpah Valley area of the Mojave Desert. These two projects together will occupy over six square miles of public land, straddling the California-Nevada border. Both plants will employ photovoltaic solar arrays as a means to harness the sun’s energy. Additionally, the output of both plants is expected to produce roughly 550 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to power over 150,000 homes.

The announcements come on the heels of the opening of the world’s largest solar thermal power plant, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. The plant is situated about 40 miles southwest of Las Vegas and occupies approximately five and half square miles in the California Mojave Desert. After concerns about the environmental impact on a local species of desert tortoises (and the efficiency of solar thermal power as opposed to photovoltaic) the plant has officially begun providing power to Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison. At its highest output, the Ivanpah plant can ideally produce 392 megawatts.

These two announcements highlight an increasing trend in the production of large-scale solar farms in flat, remote areas. In fact, the two farms recently approved by the Department of the Interior are the 49th and 50th renewable energy projects on public lands to be approved by the Obama administration, as part of the Climate Action Plan. As solar technology improves, and production costs decrease, larger solar plants can be constructed on vast expanses of land, providing clean power to millions of Americans.

As more people come to rely on renewable energy sources, security becomes a larger issue. These often large, flat areas are difficult to monitor, and disruption of service must be avoided. One potential solution could be utilizing a long range, wide area, thermal surveillance system. This would provide continuous monitoring of a large area, and be able to detect movement and intrusion at long distances. The Spynel-U, is a rotating panoramic infrared thermal imaging camera that provides continuous monitoring of ultra-wide areas in real time through inclement weather. The Spynel-U, manufactured by HGH Infrared Systems, can detect a human at up to 2.5 km throughout the day and night. Coupled with an effective software system developed specifically for the Spynel-U, Cyclope, unlimited targets can be tracked and trigger alarms at certain distances. This would be an effective measure for solar plants to employ to prevent expensive equipment from being stolen and damaged.

As renewable energy solutions gain traction in the United States, large scale solar power plants are becoming more and more common and are occupying larger areas of land than in previous years. Utilizing effective long range detection and surveillance devices like the Spynel family can protect equipment and ensure consistent delivery of service to customers.

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Founded in 1982, HGH designs, develops, assembles and sells complete high end optronics systems for security, industrial and civil applications. HGH’s team of highly qualified engineers is comprised of experts in optics, software, mechanics and electronics and operates in the US, out of Boston, MA. HGH strives to provide advanced and innovative infrared equipment to protect their clients all around the world, while keeping the agility and dedication of a small and passionate team. Speed, flexibility, technical excellence and innovation constitute their core values. HGH has established itself as an international reference for infrared technology innovation through the development of multiple advanced thermal sensors, among which its award-winning real-time 360 degree thermal camera, the Spynel-C – 2008 Product of the Year from Photonics Tech Briefs, 2010 Innovation Prize from the EuroNaval Committee, 2011 Kummerman Award from the French Academy of Marine, 2012 GovSec Platinum Award, and 2012 Govies Homeland Security Award.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/03/prweb11623995.htm

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A Rise in Solar Powered Farms Shines Light on Need for Security Measures