CEE April-June 2012

of four Swiss universities, he built the "Solartaxi" and became the first person 350 300 250 200 150 100 73 Top 10states In terms of WtE potenUal IMWl 287 176 148 151 151 112 123 131 ,..... ~ 78 ...... to circumnavigate the globe in a solar– powered vehicle. Traveling through 38 countries, Palmer reached an audience of millions with his solar showcase for efficient, sustainable transportation. Palmer's work continues to deliver a simple, powerful environmental message across the world; that modern solutions to global warming are available, affordable, and ready. 50 1l II I Inspiration and action [co-winner) Angelique Kidjo, Benin A voice loved by thousands of fans Sautee MNRE around the world, singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo is also a powerful voice for humanitarian and environmental change. Described by Time Magazi ne as "Africa's premier diva", Benin-born Kidjo uses her celebrity status to speak out in support of a number of important causes, particularly girls' education and sustainable development. Kidjo established The Batonga Foundation in 2009, which provides scholarships, school supplies, and mentoring programmes and raises community awareness of the value of education for girls in Africa. Kidjo was raised in both the voodoo tradition and Catholic faith, and speaks of how her childhood taught her respect for nature. As part of her advocacy work on the environment and sustainable development, Kidjo recorded a video for UNEP's "Seal the Deal" campaign, encouraging world leaders to produce a binding agreement on cutting carbon emissions and tackling dimate change. In 2010, Kidjo was appointed as a Patron for the UN Music & Environment Initiative. Led by the UNEP in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and other partners, the initiative aims to leverage the power of music to address some of the most pressing environmental problems facing the planet. Courtesy: TERRAGREEN, June 2012, Pp50-51. Waste to Wealth & Waste Recycling VALUE FROM WASTE Need to improve commercial viability of WtE plants Namrta Bangia Rapid urbanization and industrialization have led to an increase in the volume of municipal solid and liquid wastes. With limited land available for disposing of solid wastes and the use of unscientific disposal methods, generating energy from waste provides one solution to the problems of power shortage, overflowing landfill sites and deteriorating ecosystems. Though the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has been promoting the concept of energy recovery form urban wastes, there has been slow progress on this front. This is, in part, due to the poor performance of some earlier generation plants, which had to be closed down. Municipal waste-to-energy potential There is high potential for the recovery of energy form waste in the country. As per the MNRE, around 2,500 MW of power can be generated from municipal solid waste (MSW) while industrial wastes can yield an additional 3,800 MW. The MNRE estimates that by 2012, about 3,362 MW of power could be generated through waste and by 2017, over 5,000 MW of power could be generated. Experts also suggest that the current quantity of waste (160,000 tonnes per day [tpd] has the potential to generate over 46 MUs of electricity, equivalent to an installed capacity of 200 MW. However, this potential remains largely untapped. At present, municipal waste-to-energy (WtE) contributes only 1 per cent (5 MW as of August 2011) of the total installed capacity in the country. State-wise, the top five states in terms of potential for energy recovery from urban waste (both solid and liquid) are Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, as per the MNRE'S 2005 estimates. In fact, the top five states account for 54 per cent of the total energy recovery potential and the top 10 states together account for 85 per cent of the total energy recovery potential of the country. The states with the highest potential of energy recovery from solid wastes are Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kamataka. These top five states account for about 54 per cent 50