Green News

India Overtakes Japan, UK in Renewable Energy

According to a statement from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India
added 2.33 GW of grid-connected renewable power capacity during the year which
ended in March. The record performance takes the countrys total installed
capacity of renewable energy to 16.8 GW, outstripping the performance of many
industrialized nations including the UK, France, Japan and Canada. Indian
government is currently working on the plans for a new Renewable Energy
Certificate (REC) scheme to drive investments in low carbon energy projects.

Deep Green Technology Demo by ECS

Motherboard manufacturer, ECS has demoed its new Deep Green technology that
reduces energy consumption in motherboards. The motherboards supporting Deep
Green achieve low power consumption by shutting off all parts of current except
the 5V standby. The result is a reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases
for a better ecology. The Deep Green power feature will be available in all the
future motherboards from ECS.

Canons Green Cycle Program

Canon observed the World Environment Day on June 7 by initiating a pilot
project for printer and cartridge e-waste management program known as the Canon
Green Cycle program. The company has tied up with an authorized e-waste
recycler, TIC Group India, which would be collecting and disposing the e-waste
from forty-five OICs. The project will allow users to bring in any brand of used
printers or cartridges. The company has planned to roll out this program in
phases across the country covering sixteen more cities this year and will have
pan-India presence by the end of 2011.

Research for Green Air Travel

For bringing down the carbon emissions from air travel, a collaborative
research has been initiated between universities and the aerospace industry.
This researchfunded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
along with Airbus and GKNwill be using carbon fibers that are curved within flat
plates to produce damage-tolerant, buckle-free structures. This will lead to
substantial cost and weight savings. The project will be led by Paul Weaver,
professor in aerospace engineering in the Advanced Composites Center for
Innovation and Science (ACCIS).

IEA Recommends Phasing Out Fuel Subsidies

The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently published that cutting
subsidies would encourage energy efficiency and low carbon fuels. The amount of
money paid to subsidize fossil fuels around the world was $557 bn in 2008, which
is up from $342 bn in the previous year. The IEA recommends the governments to
set up programs to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, which would create
incentives to use energy more efficiently and use fuels that emit fewer
greenhouse gases. Phasing out subsidies for fossil fuels between 2011 and 2020
would cut global oil demand by 6.5 mn barrels per day in 2020.i