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Solar plane takes off for 24-hour test flight
July 7, 2010: An experimental solar-powered plane whose makers hope to one day circle
the globe using only energy collected from the sun took off for its first 24-hour test flight Wednesday.The plane with its 262.5-foot
(80-meter) wingspan left Payerne airfield in Switzerland shortly before 7 a.m. (0500 GMT; 1 a.m. EDT) after an
equipment problem that delayed a previous attempt was solved, the Solar Impulse team said.
Pilot Andre Borschberg will take the prototype to an altitude of 27,900 feet (8,500 meters) by Wednesday evening, when a decision will be made
whether to fly the plane through the night using solar power stored in its batteries.
"The goal of the project is to have a solar-powered plane flying day and
night without fuel," said team co-founder Bertrand Piccard, adding that this test flight - the third major step after its first 'flea hop' and
an extended flight earlier this year - will demonstrate whether the ultimate goal is feasible: to fly the plane around the world.
Solar lamp wins award for helping developing countries
June 2, 2010: A D Light Design solar lamp Indoor air pollution by Kerosene fumes kills
1.5m people per year The developers of a solar lamp that aims to replace kerosene-burning
lights in developing countries have won a prestigious environmental award.
D Light Design says its lanterns, which sell for around $10 (£7), contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions.
One of the runners-up for the Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy was
the Rural Energy Foundation (REF) for promoting solar energy in Africa.
More than 70% of sub-Saharan Africa has no access to electricity. D Light takes home the £40,000 ($61,000) Gold Award, for "its passion
and dedication to the cause of ridding the developing world of the health and pollution problems associated with the use of kerosene
lighting", the judges said.
The company, set up by Indian entrepreneurs, says indoor air pollution
by Kerosene fumes kills 1.5m people per year.One of the entrepreneurs said: "This will do to kerosene what mobile
phones did to letters."
"The judges were particularly impressed with their highly effective
marketing strategy which has put solar lighting within reach of over a
million people in 32 countries with significant potential for further
expansion," the Ashden Awards said in a statement. According to the awards body, in three years REF has helped 300,000
people in nine Africa countries gain access to solar energy. Source: BBC News
Hydrogen fuel cell technology
Jaipur, March 19, 2010 Recently, Professor Y K Vijay and his team from Physics department, Rajasthan
University, Jaipur, have discovered new technique of hydrogen fuel cell
technology in car. Professor Y K Vijay, hydrogen fuel cell research contributes to the growing role
that advanced technologies play in addressing the nation's energy challenges.
His research focuses on hydrogen production, delivery and storage; fuel cells;
technology validation; safety, codes and standards; analysis; education; and
manufacturing of car. Automobiles are the leading cause to country’s air
pollution problem. Cars also release toxic emissions that damage our
environment. Pollution is hurting our environment by adding to the greenhouse
effect, damaging air quality and decreasing the ozone level. By this technology,
he has proved that we can reduce pollution level more then CNG.
Professor Y K Vijay and his team next step are to take patent from Ministry of
New and Renewable Energy as this research is going under this ministry since
1984. When this project will be cleared, it will not only be a blessing for
industrial sector, but also will help to clean environment. Automobile companies
are free to experiment on hydrogen fuel cell technology under guidance of Professor Vijay.
India to have 6,000 MW solar power by 2017: Ramesh
MUMBAI, January 19, 2010 (PTI): Promising action that will help curb India's dependence on coal, Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh, said India will have at least 6,000 MW of installed solar power capacity by 2017, bulk of
which will be put up by the private sector. Ramesh said the Jawarharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, launched in the national capital last week, has planned 20,000 MW of solar
energy by 2022 and intends to drive down costs through a rapid scale-up of capacity.
"In the next two years, we are not going to see huge amounts of capacity but by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan (2017), I expect to see at least 5,000-6,000 MW of capacity," Ramesh told reporters
on the sidelines of a conference here yesterday.
This is higher than the target of 4,000 MW of solar power by 2017 envisaged in the solar mission
document. "We want to replicate the mobile telephony revolution in solar energy till the cost of solar energy continues to fall very drastically," Ramesh said.
The government will create the necessary environment to attract project developers to invest in research and domestic manufacturing of solar power equipment.
"It's a country-wide mission including the private and public sector. In fact, the bulk of the 20,000 MW will come from the private industry, not from the government," he said.
Dr. Farooq Abdullah Inaugurates India’s First Solar Power Plant
Amritsar, December 17, 2009: Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy today inaugurated India’s first ever
commercial 2 MW Solar Power Plant proposed to be expanded to 5 MW in the District
Amritsar. The plant set up by American Company Azure Power in IPP
Mode in the sleepy village Awan 45 KM away from here, was formally inaugurated by Dr. Farooq Abdullah.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Abdullah said that this was first very important step taken by Punjab Government in fulfilling the Union Government target of producing
20,000 MW Solar Power by the year 2020 under it’s Solar Mission. Speaking about seriousness of rising pollution and worldwide outcry on cutting emissions, as being proposed in Copenhagen Summit, Mr. Abdullah said that this plant shows the
seriousness of Indian Government to produce clean and emission free power, to save the planet from the ill effects of global warming.
Welcoming Dr. Abdullah, Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Badal assured him that this experiment of Awan would be soon replicated in total border belt of Punjab with
three Solar Power Plants of 10 MW each in each border district. He informed that Punjab has already achieved 282 MW in Renewable Power Sector and was aiming to
increase it to 700 MW by the year 2011. He said that State has an ambitious
programme to produce 300 MW power from 20 million tonnes rice husk, through 28 biomass plants being set up in Punjab.
Solar Mission by Andhra Prasdesh to generate 20 giga watts of solar power
HYDERABAD, November 10, 2009: Andhra Pradesh is likely attract investments of $16
billion once the proposed Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, with a target
to generate 20 giga watts of solar power by 2020, falls into place.Interestingly, to promote solar power generation in the State, the State
Government said it was planning to introduce a similar policy on the lines of
the national policy. The proposed Solar Mission is likely to be announced on
November 14 and is expected to give a fillip to the emerging solar energy production in the State and across the country.
Making the inaugural address at the three-day Solarcon India 2009, organised by
SEMI and ISA here on Monday, Chief Minister K Rosaiah said, ``The State would
attract investments worth Rs 3,000 crore in the first phase of Solar City, a
firstof- its-kind cluster for solar farms coming up in 10,000 acre at Kadiri in
Anatapur district.’’ Four companies _ Sunborne, AES Solar, Lanco Solar and Titan
Energy _ have signed a memorandum of understanding with the State Government on
Monday to set up facilities in Phase-I at Solar City.It has also signed an MoU with Germany-based Fraunhofer Institute of Germany, a
global research and development institute in solar energy sector, to collaborate
on new technologies, testing and certification, training programmes on solar
energy.
Tap solar power to harness hydrogen energy: Expert
CHENNAI, September 1, 2009: The residents of Tamil Nadu who constantly fret over the harsh summer that lasts nearly throughout the year better think again. Energy experts say it is actually a blessing in disguise. Especially T Nejat Veziroglu, president of the international association for hydrogen energy. He feels the state's immense solar energy potential is ideal for harnessing hydrogen energy. Nejat Veziroglu was in Chennai on Monday to address students of RMK engineering college on the hydrogen energy system the ultimate solution, according to him, to energy and environmental problems.
"Hydrogen is considered an ideal energy carrier in the foreseeable future. It can be produced from water using a variety of energy sources, such as solar, nuclear and fossils, and it can be converted
into useful energy forms efficiently and without detrimental environmental effects," he said. According to him, hydrogen can be used in any application in which fossil fuels are used. "It can be used as a fuel in furnaces, internal combustion engines, turbines and jet engines, even more efficiently than fossil fuels, that is, coal,
petroleum and natural gas. Automobiles, trains, ships, submarines, planes and rockets can run on hydrogen." The good news for a power-starved country like India is that hydrogen can be converted directly to electricity. To generate 1 kWh of electrical energy using a fuel cell, just 0.05 kg of hydrogen need be supplied. "India has the knowhow to create hydrogen energy as many universities, including IITs, Benares Hindu University and RMK
engineering college, are conducting research on this. The country's energy infrastructure must be based on hydrogen instead of petroleum," said
Veziroglu. Source: The Times of India
India gearing up to meet the solar mission
August 29, 2009: India is a net importer of coal and natural gas — two key fuel sources for energy generation — and its reliance on imports is expected to go up through its continued economic expansion. Every dollar exported from India to import coal, oil or natural gas is a dollar that could have harvested India’s abundant supply of solar energy adding to its GDP.
India has abundant sunshine. India has not sat idle. It has taken its first step with its National Solar Mission — a clear signal to the marketplace that it is serious about ramping solar energy. The Mission would provide over 20,000 MW of solar power by 2020 while increasing electricity rates by less than 0.5% — a tiny price to pay for leadership on 21st century energy technology and water security.
Over 1,000,000 job-years of work will be necessary to sell, engineer, design, manufacture, and install this solar power across India. Those workers need to be trained and deployed to achieve these objectives. What better way to do this than with the proposed, small 100-MW programme, growing to 20,000 cumulative MW by 2020 and 200,000 MW by 2050.
Coal-eating bugs may solve energy crisis
London , July 1, 2009: Craig Venter, the controversial American scientist who helped decode the human genome, has announced the discovery of ancient bacteria that can turn coal into methane, suggesting they may help to solve the world’s energy crisis. The bugs, discovered a mile underground by one of Venter’s microbial prospecting teams, are said to have unique enzymes that can break down coal. Venter said he was already working with BP on how to exploit the find.
Venter even suggested the discovery could open up the world’s coalfields to an entirely new form of mining, where coal is infected with the bacteria, allowing methane to be harvested “without even digging up the coal”. Venter, speaking at the recent La Jolla research and innovation summit, in La Jolla, California, told an audience of researchers and technology investors how he had harvested 20 million new genes by analysing the DNA of micro-organisms collected underwater or deep underground.
He said: “We have found a huge number of microbes a mile or so deep in the earth. In fact, there is more diversity under the surface of the earth than in the ocean.
Coal is the world’s most important fossil fuel with 6.5 billion tons used each year. This is slated to rise by 60% by 2030. This has serious environmental implications as coal is highly polluting, generating more CO2 per ton than any other major fossil fuel. Methane, by contrast, is much less polluting.
Source: Sunday Times,
India's ambitious solar power plans
June 23, 2009: India's Rs 4,800-crore (Rs 48 billion) solar power industry, which exports around 60 to 70 per cent of its wares to Europe, North America and China, seems to have taken a cue from the IT sector and is aiming for a greater foothold in the Indian market. India, where most regions enjoy nearly 300 sunny days a year, is an ideal market for solar power companies. However, the high cost of
light-to-electricity conversion - at Rs 12 to Rs 20 per kWh (kilowatt-hour) - has acted as a deterrent so far, according to
Frost & Sullivan Deputy Director (Energy and Power Systems) Amol Kotwal.
Currently, India has around 60 companies assembling and supplying solar photovoltaic systems, nine companies manufacturing solar cells and 19 companies manufacturing photovoltaic modules or panels,
according to an Indian Semiconductor Association study. However, spurred by factors like an increased demand for clean power, an energy-starved industry and the falling cost of solar-power generation, companies in this space are coming up with a noteworthy number of domestic projects. It has also helped that the government is lending support to such projects through state electricity boards with subsidies.
Source: Rediff.com
Tata BP Solar ties up with ESB for heating system
DUBAI, May 3, 2009:: Tata BP Solar India (TBS) has tied up with Dubai-based Eurostar Solar Energy (ESE) to meet the rising demand for solar thermal water heating systems in the region. TBS is a joint venture between Tata Power Company, a pioneer in the power sector and BP Solar one of the largest Solar Companies in the world. ESE, the newly launched group company of EUROSTAR Group, is an active proponent for renewable energy in the region offering expertise in the design, supply, installation,
commissioning and after sales service of solar water heating systems (provided by TBS) and PV systems.
Solar plane to take off next April
JAIPUR, November 17, 2008: 'Solarimplse,' a solar plane, dubbed a revolutionary project in the field of aviation, will have its first test flight April next year in Switzerland, an officer associated with the project said. Besides, the microlight-like plane is scheduled to take off for a round-the-world flight in May 2011, project communication head Phil Mundwiller said.
The pollution-free plane would fly with zero fuel on the strength of solar power both day and night, whose prototype was displayed here as part of the 60th ceremony of India-Switzerland Friendship Treaty. Phil said two aircraft with the investment of $100m are being designed by a team of 60 engineers. Its
commercial production is expected to start by 2011. -PTI
Remote Rajasthan village gets lit by solar power
NEW DELHI, August 12, 2008: Around 500 residents of a Rajasthan village now have lighting from solar power, thanks to an initiative by international renewable energy major Conergy, in partnership with the Masonic rust here. All 98 homes, two temples and a school in Dewri Gowda village in Rajasthan's Alwar district now have solar powered lighting, a total of 940 watts, a Conergy spokesperson said here on Tuesday.
The project is a part of Conergy Renewable Energy Village initiative, supported by India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Funding for the project was raised through a charity golf tournament last November. Conergy India managing director Rajesh Bhat said: "Through our subsidiary
SunTechnics, we have already installed several hundred renewable energy systems for environmentally-friendly solar power
and thus improved the living standards of more than 100,000 people in 250 Indian villages.
"Till now, more than 13 per cent of the 600,000 remote villages in India lack electricity. Like Dewri Gowda, most are located in remote territory, which proves expensive and technologically-challenging for power supplied through a public grid. Off-grid renewable energy products such as solar-powered home and street lighting systems thus serve as affordable and efficient alternatives, while also being
environment- friendly." Venkittu Sundaram, chairman of the Lodge Elysium Masonic Trust and managing director of EPURON India, said: "India's potential for renewable energy projects far exceeds the current installed capacity. Of the current 144,913 megawatts of energy produced in India, only 8.4 per cent comes from renewable sources."
Source: The Times of India
India's first solar powered housing project
Kolkata, July 14, 2008: India's first solar powered housing project are fitted with all the modern
amenities. Installed on its roof are solar panels and solar water heaters, which will offer inmates
electricity as well as provide them with warm water for a relaxing bath at the end of a tiring day. The lily pool in front of each house looks pretty but serves a more serious purpose. The breeze flowing over it cools the house on entering it through a natural draft circulation process called the chimney effect.
India's first solar housing project— Rabi Rashmi Abasan—at Rajarhat on the outskirts of Kolkata has to offer. This housing project has a group of 25 houses. Priced at Rs 45 lakh per house, this housing project has already found its share of takers among the upper end of
the social spectrum. These 25 houses will ensure at least 60% of energy savings without compromising on comfort. Source: DNA |
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