Category Archives: News

President Obama: If Congress won’t act on climate change, I will; Promises to cut energy wastage by half over the next 20 years

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

President Obama made one of his most aggressive declarations to using market-based means to fight climate change since early on in his first term. President Barack Obama urged Congress to adopt market-based solutions to fight climate change in his State … Continue reading →

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Why nuclear is a risk, even in the USA! Legislators say Edison ignored risks at San Onofre nuclear plant

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Representative Ed Markey (D-MA) have sent a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requesting an immediate investigation into new information they claim reveals the operators of the San Onofre nuclear power station were aware … Continue reading →

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Tamil Nadu Solar Bids out, lowest below Rs. 6 per KWh

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Ritesh Pothan

Source: EQ Mag

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Bank of India to Finance Solar-Power Systems to Curb Blackouts

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Bank of India plans to offer loans to homes and businesses for solar-power systems as the country seeks to avoid a repeat of the July blackout that affected half the nation’s 1.2 billion people. The state-owned bank signed a memorandum … Continue reading →

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List Of Solar PV Projects Under JNNSM Phase I Batch II that have achieved Financial Closure As Per Schedule

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Sl. No. Name of the Company Capacity (MW) Location State 1 GAIL (INDIA) Limited 5 Village Raghawa, Tehsil Ramgarh Distt. Jaisalmer Rajasthan 2 POKARAN SOLAIRE ENERGY PRIVATE LIMITED 5 Village Bawdi Barsingha, Tehsil Phalodi, Distt. Jodhpur Rajasthan 3 SUNBORNE ENERGY … Continue reading →

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How solar power can help the billion people without electricity

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Sharan Pinto installs a solar panel on the rooftop of a house in Nada, a village near the southwest Indian port of Mangalore, India. Photograph: Rafiq Maqbool/AP After the Durban talks last month, climate realists must face the reality that … Continue reading →

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Solar PV installations cross 1 GW / 1000 MW Mark

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Solar photovoltaic installations in India have crossed the 1,000 MW or 1 gigawatt (GW) mark, data made available by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, show. As at the end of June, India had grid interactive solar PV installed … Continue reading →

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Ontario continues coal phase-out with biomass

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Breaking with tradition, we post this update which shows that its possible if there is enough political backing – Natgrp  Post-conversion, the Atikokan Generating Station will produce about 200 MW from wood pellets. The Ontario government announced it is moving … Continue reading →

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MP govt approves new solar energy policy, four solar energy parks each generating 200 MW of power will be set up in the state under public-private partnership

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

  Madhya Pradesh Government today approved its new solar energy policy, under which, four solar energy parks each generating 200 MW of power will be set up in the state under public-private partnership. The Solar Energy Policy-2012 was approved by … Continue reading →

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Conventional power unable to match demand for power in Delhi. Seems like a good time for solar kit vendors to start intensive marketing.

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

New Delhi simmered with a high of 41 degrees today. The demand for power set a record: 5642 MW, according to BSES, the power distribution company owned by Anil Ambani’s Reliance Infra. Last August, the peak demand had touched 5028 … Continue reading →

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Quality of EPC vital to Solar as it is looking to debar Moser Baer, says Tata group company

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Performance of solar plants installed by them has not been up to industry standards’ Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd, a joint venture of Tata Power Company and the Delhi Government, has called for “debarring of Moser Baer Photo Voltaic Ltd … Continue reading →

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Azure Power (Gujarat), Millennium Synergy and ESP Urja, Solar power developers in legal tangle over shareholding pattern changes with Gujarat Govt

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Three solar power companies are in a legal tangle with the Gujarat Government over the issue of ownership of the companies that are putting up the projects. All the three – Azure Power (Gujarat), Millennium Synergy and ESP Urja – … Continue reading →

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Meghalaya to tap its huge green energy potential in a big way

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Taking cue from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, power-deficit Meghalaya is going all out to tap green energy to bridge the widening demand-supply gap in the state. A preliminary investigation conducted by the Meghalaya Non-Conventional and Rural Energy Development Agency indicated … Continue reading →

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Gujarat Government revives its Tidal Energy Policy

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

The state energy department has revived it policy to have power using tidal wave. A government resolution (GR) has been issued claiming it is “possible to produce tidal wave power at two spots – in the Gulf of Kutch near … Continue reading →

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Solar power shines on photo voltaic panel price crash

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Riding on the crash in photo voltaic (PV) panel prices, the solar power sector in India had a dream run last year with capacity ballooning to 940MW in 2011-12 from a paltry 20MW in 2010-11. That’s just statistics. What’s significant and not … Continue reading →

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TANGEDCO to verify captive wind power units’ compliance with norms – Has Wind caused the downfall of the TN DISCOM

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Tangedco calculates that on the 6,000-odd million units of electricity generated by captive wind producers, it sustains a loss of close to Rs 500 crore. The Tamilnadu Generation and Distribution Company (Tangedco) has asked its Chief Engineers to verify whether … Continue reading →

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We’re not responsible for your losses, TN wind industry tells Tangedco

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Wind power producers in Tamil Nadu have strongly denied that the state-owned power utility, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company, is losing around Rs 1,200 crore because of the wind power sector in the State. In its response to Tangedco’s … Continue reading →

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Solid Solar’s “Pay as you use” model lights up un-electrified villages

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Solid solar (by Gautam Polymers) India’s largest solar lights manufacturer for last 15 yrs is working in over 2000 villages to deliver light and power to un-electrified villages in pay when you use business model. In a project with TERI … Continue reading →

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Solar Biomass Hybrid Cold Storage-cum Power Generation System

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Sponsor: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Duration: 3 years Key Stakeholder/Beneficiaries: Farmers, fruit and vegetable supply chains, fruit and vegetable exporters Objectives To develop a solar-cum-biomass based cooling system for village level cold storages in addition to providing electricity to the village. … Continue reading →

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Solar Power bids below Rs. 9 per unit risky says Crisil Research

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

KOLKATA: CRISIL Research, believes that the pace of reduction in capital costs in solar power is expected to moderate in 2012. This will exert pressure on the margins of players, who have bid below Rs 9 per unit under batch 2 of Jawaharlal … Continue reading →

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India Banks Face Solar Setback As Projects Delayed, Fined

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Banks may restrict loans to Indian solar projects after the government fined 13 projects for delays, including one owned by Indian Oil Corp. (IOCL) An inquiry found 13 of 20 projects in northwestern Rajasthan state missed their deadline, according to … Continue reading →

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KREDL’s Mannur Solar Park in Bijapur, Karnataka

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. has embarked upon a Public-Private-Partnersip project for a 1000 hectare solar park at Mannur village in Bijapur. The Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. (KREDL) is in the process of seeking the requisite State Government approval … Continue reading →

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Pacific Northwest National Laboratory – New small solid oxide fuel cell reaches record efficiency

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Public release date: 31-May-2012 Contact: Franny White franny.white@pnnl.gov 509-375-6904 DOE System designed for household and neighborhood power generation RICHLAND, Wash. — Individual homes and entire neighborhoods could be powered with a new, small-scale solid oxide fuel cell system that achieves … Continue reading →

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Greenpeace report on the role of micro grids in promoting the renewable energy revolution needed in Bihar

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Something’s brewing in Bihar. After decades of being India’s most notoriously ‘backward’ state, the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has tempered corruption, built roads and spurred development. Given the impressive achievements of his previous term, it’s no surprise he rode to … Continue reading →

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Status of commissioned Solar Power Projects under Rooftop PV & Small Solar Power Generation Programme (RPSSGP) (as on April 02, 2012)

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Click here for the update on the Status of commissioned Solar Power Projects under Rooftop PV & Small Solar Power Generation Programme (RPSSGP) (as on April 02, 2012) or Click to access rooftop-pv-small-solar-power-generation-rpssgp-april-2012-update.pdf  

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Former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Anil Kakodkar, says he has been asked to head India’s Solar Programme

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Anil Kakodkar, on Thursday, May 24th 2012,  refuted media reports that he “refused” Rajya Sabha nomination. He said he could not accept the Prime Minister’s offer because he has his hands full with various government … Continue reading →

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Biomass-based power producers seek regulators’ help to resolve issues

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Natgrp: Oddly enough over the last few years the biomass industry has faced a number of issues sourcing agricultural waste from local farmers due to the nearsightedness of not tying up the supply chain using professional methods which has led to the current … Continue reading →

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Rajasthan’s solar programme indefinitely postponed

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Source: The Hindu Business The 200 MW solar programme of the state of Rajasthan has been indefinitely postponed. On Thursday, the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation put up a circular on its website, which read: “Last date of receiving of bids … Continue reading →

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MERC clarifies that 80IA will continue for projects in India, significantly benefiting renewable energy projects already plagued by low returns

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

BENEFITS UNDER SECTION 80 IA OF INCOME TAX ACT Stakeholder Comments/Suggestions Bharat Forge submitted that the benefits under Section 80IA of the Income tax Act would not be available for projects commissioned after March 31, 2012 and hence, requested the … Continue reading →

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Tamil Nadu government offers interest-free loan to promote wind power units

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Ritesh Pothan

Seeking to attract more private players in wind power generation, the Tamil Nadu state government has said that it would provide interest-free loans for five years to new entrants. “The government is keen on more private companies producing electricity from … Continue reading →

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