Cement, Energy and Environment

The record fluctuation in oil prices has created an opportunity for easier adaptation and integration of bio-fuels in the country's energy portfolio, the business lobby argued. Courtesy: The Statesman, Jan 03, 2011. Solar CHINA, US TO JOINTLY BUILD WORLD'S LARGEST SOLAR POWER PLANT China and the US have joined hands to develop the world's largest solar power plant in the country's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the state media reported today. First Solar Inc, a US-based RE company signed a MoU with CGNSEDC to jointly develop the world's largest solar power plant. First Solar, the world's largest maker of thin film solar PV modules, said it will build a 2000- MW solar power plant with its partners at Ordos in Inner Mongolia autonomous region in the next 10 years. The first phase of the project is to build a 30-MW production capacity plant. The rest of the project will be completed in three stages. Courtesy: TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) Newswire, 1-15January2011, P15. NATIONAL SOLAR MISSION DRAWS GOOD RESPONSE Response to the National Solar Mission, which aims at generating 20 000 MW of solar power in the country over the next decade, has been good so far. In less than a year after Prime Minister bids for solar PV plants and 44 for solar thermal projects were received by NVVN, a nodal agency for the sale and purchase of grid– connected solar power. The eligible bids offered a range of discounts and the average rate of selected plants would be As. 12.16 per unit for solar PV and As. 11.48 per unit for solar thermal plants. NVVN had invited bids for 620-MW capacity, comprising 470 MW of solar thermal and 150 MW of solar PV plants. Courtesy: TERI( The Energy and Resources Institute) Newswire, 1-15 December, 2010, P12. TALENT SHORTAGE SINGES SOLAR COMPANIES India's solar sector is gearing up for huge capacity additions - plants that will eventually generate about 20 000 MW of solar power, a whopping As 43.370 million in allocations, and the creation of over one lakh jobs. But, a dearth of good manpower may just play spoiler. While a few academic institutions are now offering courses on renewable solar energy and its related technologies, a shortage of electrical engineers who know how to harness it is making the nascent industry flounder. The solar industry is likely to f~ce a crunch in R&D and manufacturing, among other things. In November, just two months before the launch of the mission, the MNRE had indicated that about one lakh trained and skilled personnel would be required by 2020, the last year of the Solar Mission. But, experts are not sure where the personnel will come from. About 30 000 people are currently engaged in the industry. Currently 25 institutes offer courses on energy studies, with renewable energy as one of the subjects. Anna University in Tamil Nadu, Amity University in UP, and lndraprastha University in Delhi head the list. To bridge the gap between demand and supply, the government has sought the help of the human resources development ministry, the All India Council of Technical Education, and the University Grants Commission to decide on the course content. Courtesy: TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) Newswire, 1-15 December, 2010, P12. Environment POLLUTER MUST PAY, BUT DON'T REVIVE LICENCE RAJ: PM Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh sought to make clear his government's policy on the environment vs growth debate. He virtually cautioned against over zealousness of green lobbies, saying regulatory standards ought to avoid bringing back the licence permit raj, which the country sought to get rid of in the wake of economic reforms of the early nineties. Addressing the 11 111 Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, Dr. Singh, however, called for environmentally benign progress. Dr. Singh said a structure of regulatory policies should be put in place to prevent potentially damaging behaviour. Courtesy: TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) Newswire, 1- 15 February 2011, P12. PRANAB TO HEAD ENVIRONMENT GoM To find a solution to wrangling between ministries over slow pace of environment clearances, the Central government has constituted a GoM headed by Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee to look into all aspects of the environment clearance process. The Cabinet Secretariat has said the ambit of the GoM will not be 46