Leitner Shriram commissions turbine factory

Leitner Shriram has commissioned its wind turbine manufacturing unit in Gummidipoondi, Tamil Nadu. The factory will initially produce 120 units of 1.5MW wind turbines per year with plans to expand it to 250 units. Leitner Shriram is owned 51% by Italy’s Leitwind Technologies and 49% by Shriram EPC.

Orissa approves solar and biomass projects

According to Business Standard, Orissa’s State Level Technical Committee has approved two biomass and five solar projects in the state. The biomass projects include 15MW by Starlight Energy in Nuapada and 5MW by Mahavir Hitech Chemicals Sundargarh district. The solar projects include 5MW each by RSB Energy, Enzen Global Solutions, Lanco Solar, Sunark Solar and SREI Infrastructure.

Canasia eyes solar project in Gujarat

Canadian power firm Canasia is planning to set up a 2x25MW solar power project in Gujarat. The firm has already submitted the proposal to the state government with a request for 500MW downstream. The company also plans to foray into geothermal at a later stage.

CLP announces sixth wind farm in India

Hong Kong-based power major CLP is setting up a 99MW wind farm in Tamil Nadu, making it the firm’s sixth power project in India. The Theni project is expected to be online in Q1 2010. CLP said that the wind power policy of Tamil Nadu along with the renewables purchase obligation targets is very encouraging for independent power producers to invest in the state.

Acme’s fuel cell plan may get delayed

Acme Group’s plans to use fuel cells as backup power are likely to get delayed as its partner Idatech will not be able to meet the product acceptance testing deadline. Acme had signed an agreement with Idatech and Canada’s Ballard Power last year for 10,000 fuel cell systems. It had intended to use these fuel cells at its wireless telecom base stations for backup power. However, the project is likely to get delayed as Idatech is not expected to meet the October testing deadline of its natural gas system.

Hydrogenics to supply electrolyzers to India

Canada’s Hydrogenics has secured a supply contract from Bhushan Power & Steel for 2MW HySTAT electrolyzers. The firm will make the deliveries in Q1 2010. HySTAT electrolysers supply hydrogen for industrial applications using hydrogen as an energy carrier. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.

Suzlon promoters offload 4.5% stake

Three promoters of Suzlon Energy have sold nearly 70m shares, bringing the promoter group’s total holding in the firm to 53.08%. The transaction is estimated to be in the range of USD 100m-150m. The promoters intend to “provide the funds to the company either in form of debt or equity”. The stock offload deal follows 2% stake sale by Suzlon promoters in May 2009.

Maharashtra to set up 50 wind masts

The Maharashtra Energy Development Agency is planning to install 50 wind monitoring tubular masts to identify more wind sites in the state. As of date, Maharashtra is estimated to have nearly 2GW of installed wind power across 18 sites. MEDA, keep to tap the 4.5GW potential of wind power in the region, plans to soon hire a vendor to erect the masts at 50m height to identify new sites for the projects.

Green jobs fair coming to Delhi!

Searching for a green job but do not know where to look? The Climate Project India, an Al Gore initiative, is organising a three day job fair in Delhi focused on the environmentally sustainable route. The fair will also include film screenings, plays and interactive sessions with eminent people from the "green" field!
Mark our calendar: 24-26 September, Green Jobs Fair, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

India to gulp 700m gallons of ethanol by 2018

A research report by RNCOS claims that India’s ethanol consumption is expected to cross 700m gallon mark by 2018. The report “Emerging Biofuel Market in India” provides information on the country’s biofuel industry including potential and demand projections. RNCOS expects India's petrol-run passenger cars to increase to nearly 1.5m units by the end of FY13, representing a large market for flex-fuel cars.

India’s first MW solar project comes online

The Press Trust of India reports that the West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation has commissioned its 2MW PV project in Asansol. DPSC, a local utility, will purchase the power at INR 5/kWh in addition to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s generation incentive of INR 10/kWh. This is India’s first grid-connected solar project. The country currently has nearly 2.1MW of solar power, almost all of which is distributed off-grid projects.

NTPC aims for 1GW of green power by 2017

The National Thermal Power Corporation has set a target of having 1,000MW of renewable energy by 2017. The proposed renewable energy portfolio will include 650MW of wind power and 300 MW of small hydro with the remaining power to come from geothermal, solar and biomass. The vision is a part of the firm’s corporate plan that includes strategies and fuel/technology choices to adapt to changing business environment and ensure a low-carbon growth.

Orissa mulls green cess

A report in Business Standard suggests that the Orissa Renewable Energy Development Agency is mooting a “green cess” to promote the use of renewable energy in the state. OREDA is expected to send a formal proposal to the state government later this year suggesting a nominal charge of INR 0.05/kWh on its electricity consumers. States such as Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra have similar policies wherein they collect funds from consumers using conventional power and use it to promote green power and energy efficiency in their region.

BPCL signs PPA for solar project

Bharat Petroleum Corporation has signed a power purchase agreement with the Punjab State Electricity Board for its earlier announced 1MW solar project in Lalru, Mohali. The PV project will be developed on build, operate and own basis. Punjab has so far allotted solar projects totalling 18MW in the state including BPCL’s proposed 1MW plant. BPCL is also investing in wind and biodiesel sectors.