India on track to meet 2022 renewable energy target: Govt

India has a whopping 77.17 gigawatt of renewalble power generation capacity either under implementation or in the process of being allocated for implementation, according to data from the ministry of new and renewable energy, Government of India. This is equal to about 83% of India’s total renewable energy capacity of 93 GW in place as […]

Indian coal plants unlikely to meet pollution norms: CSE

A new study report by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) finds that almost 70 per cent of India’s coal-fired power plants will not meet revised emission standards that come into effect in two years. The norms were set in December 2015 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). “Even after seven […]

India hopeful of signing nuclear plant deal with Westinghouse soon

India’s junior minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr Jitendra Singh, today said the government was still hopeful of signing a deal to set up a massive, 7.2 GW nuclear power plant in partnership with US-based Westinghouse Electric. Singh, who was responding to a question in the parliament today, said Westinghouse’s bankruptcy delayed proceedings, but […]

India misses FY19 Solar Power target by 58%

India has missed its solar power target by a whopping 58% in the year gone by, according to the latest numbers from the ministry of renewable energy or MNRE. India was supposed to add about 16,000 megawatt (16 gigawatt) of fresh solar power generation capacity in the year ended March 2019. However, it added only […]

India withdraws import duty on solar modules within months of imposition

India has withdrawn its decision to impose a duty of 7.5% (effectively around 10%) on imports of solar modules, and this could give a shot in the arm for the solar power industry, according to India Ratings. The move could also help achieve the government’s target of achieving total, grid-connected solar power capacity of 100 […]

Mahindra to invest Rs 500 cr into electric vehicle development

Automaker Mahindra & Mahindra said it will invest Rs 500 cr at its Chakan plant in Maharashtra for product development and capacity enhancement in its electric vehicle operations. The investment is in addition to the Rs 6,500 cr expansion program that is already going on at the plant that also makes non-EV models, India’s biggest […]

India enters the nuclear power club with new 7.7 GW program

India today announced among the biggest civil nuclear programs anywhere in the world, saying it will set up 7,700 MW of indigenously developed nuclear power plans. It is the first time that the country is creating so much capacity using local technology. Nearly all Indian nuclear plants are based on imported technology. Typically, India relies […]

India to add 34.5 GW of hydroelectric capacity in 10 years

India will set a target of adding 34.5 GW of hydro-power generation capacity in the next ten years, according to power ministry sources. “The target for the 13th plan has been set at 13.31 GW and that for the 14th plan will be 21.15 GW,” said a power ministry official. This will take India’s total […]

After missing twice, India comfortably meets power sector targets for 12th five-year plan

After missing its targets by wide margins in the previous two five-year plans, India is all set to comfortably meet or exceed all its power sector targets for the 12th five-year plan that ends this month. Five-year plans, borrowed from the Soviet Union, are a legacy of Nehruvian policy of setting development targets every five […]

At 4.5¢ per unit, solar achieves grid parity in India with coal power

About a week ago, India witnessed an event that environmentalists in India, and perhaps many across the world, have been waiting for — the achievement of grid parity between solar and coal in India. India depends on coal for meeting about 75% of its power needs. The country accounts for about 7% of the world’s […]

India may miss national solar mission target for 2016-17

After having met its solar power installation target for last financial year with relative ease, India could end up missing its target for the year ending March 2017. India had around 6 GW of installed solar power generation capacity at the end of March 2016, and by this year, it was supposed to rise to […]

Tata Motors joins RE100 renewable energy group

Tata Motors Limited, India’s largest automobile manufacturer, has become the second Indian company to join RE100 – a global initiative of the world’s most influential companies committed to 100% renewable power. The company, which manufactures a range of commercial and passenger vehicles as well as defence and homeland security vehicles, has set itself the goal […]

CSE bats for putting clear limits on carbon emissions by countries

Centre for Science and Environment, one of India’s biggest environmental research and lobbying organization, has said that the current proposal to set a target of limiting temperature increase to 1.5 degrees could be a ‘hollow shell’ if no limits are placed on individual country emissions. Countries from across the world are negotiating in the Paris […]

Obama calls Modi on climate change targets

US President Barack Obama called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk about the ongoing climate change talks, the Indian government said. “The conversation focused on the ongoing Conference of Parties (CoP21) in Paris. Both leaders underscored their strong commitment to address issues related to Climate Change being discussed in the Paris conference through constructive […]

Two-thirds of Indians could see temperature rise by over 2 degrees due to climate change

The impact of climate change on India would be more drastic than on many countries, according to a new paper released today by IIM Ahmedabad, IIT Gandhinagar and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). The country would need over $1 trillion from now until 2030 to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate […]

India’s East Coast vulnerable to accelerating sea-level rise

India’s eastern sea coast, which comprises states like Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu is more vulnerable to the after-effects of the sea level rise that has been observed in recent years, according to a document with the ministry of earth sciences, India. According to the ministry, the sea level is rising faster […]

Central India seeing long-term climate change – Government

Central India, an area that covers Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and parts of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, is seeing a long-term pattern of climate change involving rainfall intensity, the government of India said. “Heavy rain events (>10 cm/day) over central India are increasing at about 1%/year while weak and moderate events are decreasing at about the […]