The study conducted by Bureau of Energy Efficiency has identified that the overall energy savings stands at 23.728 Mtoe which is equivalent to 136.374 BU of electrical savings and INR 89,122 Cr. for the year 2018 – 19. The total energy saved is 2.69% of the total primary energy supply (879.23 Mtoe) during 2018-19. more
India is considering mandatory hydro-power purchases for States
The Indian government is planning to amend the Electricity Act by introducing mandatory hydro-power procurement targets for State distribution companies, which would have to meet part of their power requirements with hydro-power. The Government is also considering the introduction of tradable certificates to sell/purchase to those states which are not able to procure power from hydro-plants.
IREDA replaces SECI for 12 GW CPSU solar PV scheme (India)
The implementation of the second phase of the 12 GW Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) scheme has been transferred from the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). With this plan there would be an addition of 4 GW per year of new solar capacity between 2019-2020 (April 2019-March 2020) and 2022-2023.
By 2022, India has set a goal of achieving 175 GW from renewable energy, including 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from biomass and 5 GW from small hydro-power. According to the statistics, installed renewable power capacity in India crossed the 84 GW threshold in December 2019 (84.4 GW), with solar capacity 32,530 MW, biomass capacity 9,940 MW, wind power capacity reaching 37,280 MW and small hydro-power capacity 4,650 MW.
Japan’s GHG emissions decreased by 3.9% in 2018-2019
Due to increase in reliance on renewable energy, Japan has been lowering its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the fifth year in a row, the restart of nuclear reactors and a lower energy demand due to warmer winters have helped in achieving this feat.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Environment, Japan’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions decreased by 3.9% in the financial year 2018-2019 (April 2018-March 2019) to 1,240 Mt CO2e, their lowest level since 1990-1991. It represents a 12% decline compared to the financial year 2013.
Two large coal-fired power stations in the U.K closes down
Coal fired power stations of 2000 and 1580 MW capacities shut down operations in UK. Provisional statistics released by the U.K. government last week showed that electricity provided by coal-fired generators dropped by nearly 60% in 2019 compared to the previous year.
Floating Tidal Power Farm to be set up in waters north of Scotland
A floating superstructure of 72 meter in length would support two 1 MW turbines which will be able to generate enough electricity to meet the annual needs of 1,700 U.K. homes. Scotland and the UK generally are seen as world leaders in tidal energy research, but the US and Canada are both investing heavily in the field.
26 GW dip in power demand during PM Modi’s call to switch off lights and light candles during locked down period
The national power grid was prepared to handle the dip as a result of which thermal power plants were gradually scaled down prior to the expected time of dip in power demand. When at the scheduled time, the power demand started dipping, the power generation from hydel power plants were scaled to half of their power generating capacities. And after a short time when the power demand started surging, the power generation from hydel were rapidly increased to maintain grid balance, while that of thermal power plants were gradually increased.
IRENA:75% of new electricity capacity in 2019 came from renewables
IRENA data shows that solar, wind and renewables provided for more than one-third of the world’s power, with 55% of the new power coming from solar- most of which is installed in China, India and other parts of Asia.
BEE schemes reduced national electricity consumption by 7% till date
Energy-efficiency schemes led by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) led to significant electricity and cost savings, as reported by a Govt. of India parliamentary committee. Over the years since BEE was established in 2002, 109.54 billion units of electricity were saved corresponding to 18.82 million tonnes of oil equivalent and 125.18 CO2 emissions.
Guidelines for prevention of COVID-19 spread through building services
REHVA, a European HVAC association, has outlined recommendations for preventing indoor spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through HVAC and plumbing systems. These include window-driven natural ventilation (except in toilets) and turning off central re-circulation.
Coronavirus restrictions bring air pollution down globally
As the COVID pandemic forces more and more countries into quarantine, a conspicuous trend has been emerging with respect to the air pollution levels. Significant reductions in air pollutants like PM 2.5, PM 10, Nitrogen oxide (NOx) and Carbon dioxide (CO2) have been observed globally ever since the start of the outbreak in China, which reported these observations as early as mid-March. In India, the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) has reported an average 50% drop in air pollution levels for several cities within a short span of 3 weeks i.e. mid-March (when the lockdown was implemented) to the first week of April. These declines have been attributed to the severely diminished human activities, particularly in densely populated cities like New Delhi and Mumbai.
COVID-19 signaling a change in design practices?
With the threat of the pandemic, a lot of focus was placed on safe practices to curb the spread of the virus as much as possible. One of the causes for the spread of the virus has been the air conditioning systems in buildings. This has led to the realization of the importance of good ventilation and access to sunlight in buildings.
