INDIAN DREAMS Vs REALITY: SOLAR IS SIMPLE, KEEP IT SIMPLE TO RETAIN ITS EDGE...: Solar energy is destined to play a very major role in the quest of energy security for all nations on this globe.For the man to harness th...

The Hindu : News / National : Sun-kissed settlements

With 54 cities across the country to be developed as ‘solar cities’, there is likelihood of investments in the renewable energy sector picking up

Fifty-four cities across India have received in-principle approval to be developed as ‘solar cities’ by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

The draft Master Plans have been prepared for 28 cities, of which eight have been approved by the Ministry for implementation; the development of projects is in progress in Agra and Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh), Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli (Maharashtra), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Kohima (Nagaland), Aizawl (Mizoram) and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

An amount of Rs. 19.23 crore has been sanctioned for preparation of Master Plans, solar city cells and promotional activities for 41 cities, out of which Rs. 4.22 crore has been released. Further, an amount of Rs.11.98 crore has been sanctioned for execution of renewable energy projects in five cities, out of which Rs. 3.87 crore has been released.

According to New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah, the criteria set by the Ministry for the identification of cities include a city population between 50,000 to 50 lakh (with relaxation given to special category States, including the north-eastern States), initiatives and regulatory measures already taken along with a high level of commitment in promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy. Dr. Abdullah said renewable energy has the potential to be cost effective with advancement in technologies and economies of scale. Power generation from renewable is at present generally more expensive than that from conventional sources. While cost of power generation from wind, biomass and small hydro are comparable with cost of power from conventional sources, solar power may take some more time to achieve grid parity. The total installed capacity of renewable energy-based power in the country is 26,267 MW. A capacity addition of 30,000 MW is proposed from renewable energy during the 12th Plan period. The Ministry is supporting research in various renewable energy technologies for improvement in efficiency, reduction in cost and to develop new applications. Meanwhile, global venture capital (VC) investments in the solar sector have touched a five-year low — down by nearly 50 per cent in 2012 to $992 million involving 103 deals compared to $1.9 billion raised from 108 deals in 2011.

INDIAN POLITY AND THE HAPLESS CITIZENRY

After the latest expose of siphoning off huge amounts of tax payer's money during the waiver of loans to the farmers one is convinced about the fact that the Indian polity is only meant for making money for themselves, their cronies, near and dear ones and political supporters in the name of economic empowerment of masses. They seem to sing in unison that we are there to loot the country and we have been empowered by your stupidity of voting us to power. This seems to be the governing  motto of all politicians of this country be it from the centre, state, municipality or a village panchayat and perhaps the only method of ensuring votes in an election. These guys are extraordinarily intelligent people but with ulterior motives and perhaps with doubtful integrity.  They may or may not put money into their own pockets but for the sake of securing win-ability in an election they will create opportunities for their cronies to amass major proportions of funds designated for any beneficial measure for the poor, industry or the health of country's economy.
During the last two years, India excelled others only in scams, scams relating to the shameless loot in mineral resources allocation, The 2 G spectrum allocation, the grabbing of government and community lands, misappropriation of colossus funds allocated for Commonwealth games, free power disbursements to poor and needy farmers, loan waivers to farmers, recruitments to various posts, NREGA payments etc. etc... In fact one is left with no option but to believe that the combine of legislature and executive will do nothing unless and until major share accrues to them or their touts and cronies.
The situation is all the more ironical when the powerful and mighty of the land even refuse to take cognizance of the malaise and the accompanying rot that has set in the Indian system courtesy these guys.We have heard of the presence of certain tax heavens and black money heavens but the Indian polity can rightfully take pride in being the first one to promote its country as a corruption heaven with a unwritten guarantee that no steps will be taken to mitigate corruption and unearth the fruits of corruption provided you give them support for gaining power and retaining it. The country is sick and tired of hearing that for every aspect of governance, checking corruption, penalising the offenders, recovery of corruption and black money, punishing rapists and murderers, new laws are needed and these are not forthcoming for reasons known to them collectively. In any case it is extremely difficult to believe that the honest, upright and sincere guys of yester years who were responsible for giving the laws and procedures for running this country were not upto the mark. 

Preventing Nuclear Accidents in India: Because or Despite the ‘Preparedness’?

Despite a behemoth of bureaucracy called the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the nuclear facilities in India are a disaster in waiting. Eminent experts Dr. EAS Sarma and Prof. T. Shivaji Rao tell us why:

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) are both headed by the Prime Minister. NDMA is a statutory authority set up under the Disaster Management Act of 2005. DAE and NDMA are expected to put in place an internally consistent, credible and operable plan of emergency preparedness for each nuclear power project in the country, in coordination with the local authorities.

Such a plan should take into account the capabilities of the local administration. The public should be fully involved in being aware of the plan and the modalities of its implementation. If a Fukushima-like accident takes place, NPCIL and the State administration should be able to evacuate people as per the plan within hours.

NDMA recognises that, if such an accident is triggered either by a natural event, or by a terrorist attack or sabotage, or by a human or mechanical lapse, it will be a serious disaster that will be beyond the coping capability of the State authorities.

At Kudankulam, the mock drill intended to establish the feasibility of emergency evacuation of people in case of an accident, which is a prerequisite for grant of permission to operate the reactors to prove nuclear safety, was conducted for a short period of half a day for a very minor accident, that too at one village 7km from the plant site, although the regulations required that a full fledged mock drill should be conducted for a maximum credible accident covering an area with a radius of 30km around the project site. Such an exercise must last for at least three days as per the international standards because even the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents continued emissions for about ten days during the explosions. Thus Kudankulam mock drill failed to comply with this and therefore cannot be assumed to have proven the feasibility of the emergency plan for the safety of the people. The court order on Kudankulam pointed to the need for such a full-fledged mock drill up to 30km. Japan evacuated people upto 40km.distance from Fukushima accident site.

The clean-up and the compensation costs for Fukushima have so far come to Rs. 4 lakhs which is several times more than the cost of the reactors. To the best of our understanding, neither the Centre nor the State is financially prepared to meet such a large contingent liability in the event of a major disaster.

There are internal inconsistencies in the plans of NDMA and NPCIL. Neither seems to be aware of the latter’s plan as no mention has been made of this. Similarly, the averments filed on behalf of Tamil Nadu government before the courts has no clarity w.r.t. the financial and the logistic requirements of a full-fledged mock drill. The fact that neither NPCIL nor NDMA has cared to update their respective emergency preparedness plans post-Fukushima give the impression that neither of them has accorded due importance to safety.

Florida Innovates with Its Eucalyptus and Citrus for Biomass Production

By Bruce Dorminey, Correspondent
January 11, 2013

 

By taking full advantage of both its natural subtropical climate and its own citrus resources, Florida's fledgling biomass energy sector looks to be finally coming into its own.

Two recent initiatives tackle biomass conversion from very different angles, however.  The one that is arguably further along in its financing will convert biomass from Eucalyptus trees into electricity for input onto Florida’s power grid, while a second project aims to produce commercial ethanol from citrus waste.

U.S. EcoGen (Ecogen), a Florida- and Maryland-based bioenergy company, has signed an agreement with Florida Power and Light (FPL) to provide 180 MW of electricity created from the conversion of Eucalyptus biomass via synchronous steam turbine generators. 

FPL says such woody biomass should provide enough power for as many as 50,000 of its residential customers beginning in 2019.

Pending approval by the Florida Public Service Commission, U.S. EcoGen (Ecogen) plans on building three power plants at a cost of $900 million, which will be located in the Florida counties of Martin, Okeechobee and Clay.  A fourth $300 million Ecogen plant, which the commission has already approved, is set for Polk County, Florida and will deliver as much as 64 MW to Progress Energy Florida, Inc.

FPL projects its own agreement with the three Ecogen plants should, over three decades, save its customers as much as $167 million. 

“This will be the first time FPL has purchased biomass feedstock specifically grown for electricity power production,” said FPL spokesperson Sarah Gatewood.  “The majority of our energy comes from natural gas and nuclear power.” 

INDIAN DREAMS Vs REALITY: HELPLESSNESS IN INFRASTRUCTURE GROWTH : A SURE SHO...

INDIAN DREAMS Vs REALITY: HELPLESSNESS IN INFRASTRUCTURE GROWTH : A SURE SHO...: Infrastructure sector is no doubt the next gen growth engine of Indian economy  and it is recognised by planners, polity, government and a...

INDIA POLITY PREPARING FOR GENERAL ELECTION 2014

With the next general election due after another year, the country has to be a witness to all vote catching rhetoric of the Indian polity, a rhetoric to fool the hapless Indian public with all hollow and insincere promises . The Indian polity has very clear mottos:

• Promises are meant to be made and not to be kept.
• Poverty, illiteracy, starvation and life without shelter and clothing are the naked realities of Indian nation. Our grandfathers and fathers promised to get rid of these, so do we and even our great grand children will also promise the same. You have no choice but to bear with this.
• Our fathers gave India corruption, unemployment, chaos, law and order degeneration through their wisdom and to us a few more planks to raise the vote catching rhetoric.
• Our forefathers gave Indian society the problems of social backwardness and injustice. See our cleverness. We have successfully managed to ensure for ourselves a vote bank of 200 million voters by giving benefit of reservation to a couple of thousands per year.
• Once upon a time rulers were supposed to provide solutions to the problems being faced by the country and its citizenry. Today as rulers we are faithful informers to the nation. A few examples:

1. The malaise of corruption has become a demon and it should be defeated
2. Law and order problems have grown exponentially and a solution should be found out.

• Divide and Rule. British people might have discovered the policy of 'Divide and Rule' but we the Indian politician have successfully exploited this for being in power by taking shelter behind the following  provisions of Indian Constitution "The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any special provision for women and children. 
   Nothing in this article or in clause (2) of article 29 shall prevent the State from making any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.]" For sixty five years we have made use of these provisions with a thousand year programme when right to equality will be in vogue without any exceptions.
• And lastly, work within the rules of politics i.e. Do only those things which improve your electability and reduces the electability of your adversaries. Never do or preach anything that reduces your ability to earn by fair or foul means.

INDIAN DREAMS Vs REALITY: POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN INDIA

INDIAN DREAMS Vs REALITY: POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN INDIA: Alleviation of poverty has been the biggest concern and vote catching slogan in one form or the other right from the day India became ind...

INDIA CRYING FOR QUICK JUSTICE

Courts in India will take 320 years to clear backlog cases . This estimate comes from Justice Rao, an esteemed judge of Andhra High Court. This only means that a majority of criminals and accused will leave this world after enjoying their lives without any getting any punishment for their misdeeds. While every sane Indian is convinced about the need to big additions in the judiciary manpower for quick and timely disposal of all cases be it criminal, economic offences, civil disputes or heinous crimes like gang rapes, the rulers and the polity want the status quo to continue.

The Indian Judiciary consists of the Supreme Court with 26 judges (proposed to be increased to 30), 21 High Courts with a sanctioned strength of 725 justices (proposed to be increased by another 100 to 150 judges) and 14,477 subordinate courts / judges.  For a variety of reasons the working strength at all the three levels is short by 15 to 30 per cent.  Compared to India’s population this is admittedly an inadequate number.  According to the Law Commission (120th Report, 1987) the number of judges per million population in India was 10.5 which may have gone up to between 13  or 14 per million by now.    In the All India Judges’ Association Case [(2002) 4 SCC 247], the Supreme Court directed the Central and State governments to consider increasing the number of judges five-fold in a phased manner over a five year period in order to achieve the judge to population ratio as 50 per million.  The proposal was not acted upon, inter alia, due to financial constraints. 

It is not a coincidence that well Over 300 posts of judges in high courts are lying vacant. With a large no of legislators involved in various types of offences (who will never desire to have quick disposal of their cases), there is no urgency even to fill up these vacancies. Increasing the judiciary cadres five folds is something that will remain a far off dream because of vested interests of about 40% of the legislators involved in various cases. Even the  so called saints in the Indian polity will only raise some hue and cry  without making any serious attempt to do something that will improve the law and order situation in the country and can be a big step towards corruption mitigation. After all they are not fools who will initiate a measure that can jeopardize their government and rule because nobody wants to lose the votes that support them for their existence.

INDIAN DREAMS Vs REALITY: DIESEL PRICE HIKE: REDUCING SUBSIDY BURDEN ??

INDIAN DREAMS Vs REALITY: DIESEL PRICE HIKE: REDUCING SUBSIDY BURDEN ??: During the last about ten days the Indian government had a single point agenda of increasing diesel prices in the name of reducing the sub...

Saudi Arabia wants to transition to 100% renewables

By Tyler Falk | October 19, 2012

One of the largest oil producing countries in the world says it wants to be powered only by renewable and low carbon energy, eventually.

The Guardian reports that Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud, a member of the Saudi Arabia royal family, told the Global Economic Symposium in Brazil that he hoped the country would make this transition entirely to clean energy in his lifetime (he’s 67). Though with his country mostly reliant on fossiel fuels, he acknowledges that he might be a little ambitious. He does say that Saudi Arabia is investing in renewables, nuclear power, and other alternatives. Though, according to The Guardian’s report, the country would still use oil for needs other than power.

“Oil is more precious for us underground than as a fuel source,” he said. “If we can get to the point where we can replace fossil fuels and use oil to produce other products that are useful, that would be very good for the world. I wish that may be in my lifetime, but I don’t think it will be.”

Joss Garman, political director of Greenpeace, said: “It speaks volumes that a Saudi prince can see the benefits of switching to clean energy sources when [UK chancellor] George Osborne seemingly cannot, but Saudi Arabia will only truly be a green economy when it leaves its fossil fuels in the ground.”

It’s big talk, of course, and would likely take many years and a lot of investment to achieve. But Saudi Arabia is on the right track. As SmartPlanet’s Kirsten Korosec reported earlier this early, the country is making a major, multi-billion dollar investment in solar which would add 41 gigawatts of solar capacity, or 20 percent of Saudi Arabia’s power, by 2032. And as Mark Halper notes, Saudi Arabia has partnered with China to develop nuclear power. To reach their ambitious goals, it’s definitely a good start.

Saudi Arabia reveals plans to be powered entirely by renewable energy [The Guardian]

If even 1% of what Pritish Nandy writes is true, this Government must be thrown

out. Please forward.

A SHIP ABOUT TO SINK                                                      --- Pritish Nandy         I like Manmohan Singh. He has immaculate credentials. It’s thesecredentials that have seen the UPA through its most stormy years. IfSingh wasn’t Prime Minister, the Government would have collapsed along time back. No, not because of its inherent coalitioncontradictions but because it’s simply not possible for so many crookswith conflicting agendas to loot the country together, almost as if inperfect unison. The Indian Political Philharmonic Orchestra must bethe world’s most amazing cacophony of rogues, rascals and robbers.Luckily for the UPA, there was always Singh to fall back on. Mostmiddle class Indians refuse to be cynical. We know exactly what’shappening around us, we criticise it constantly, but when it comes tothe crunch we all rally around the nation and the flag. We are notbat-brained paranoids. Neither are we wide-eyed innocents ready to buyinto every ridiculous explanation thrown our way to explain the lootthat’s taking place in broad daylight. But the latest season of scamshas flummoxed all. This is not just Alibaba and his chaalis chors.Everyone among the chaalis chors is another Alibaba with his own fortythieves. That’s the way the pyramid of crime operates today. Butbecause Singh, soft spoken and self effacing, is the face of thisGovernment, India has kept faith. But now, enough is enough. Neither Singh nor Pranab Mukherjee, noranyone else is capable any more of saving this Government. It’s neckdeep in its own sticky sleaze. What’s worse, you haven’t seen anythingyet. All these scams are but the tip of the iceberg. Talk to anyoneand you will get an instant dhobi list of scams in queue tobreak. No, I am not saying this. Congress leaders are, in private.Look at Singh, wan and waylost. Or Mukherjee going apopleptic in fauxanger because he has to defend what he knows is indefensible. Theylook less convincing than Rakhi Sawant playing Joan of Arc.   The problem is: We have voted into power the stupidest bunch of thieves.They are such losers that they can’t steal a hamburger without leavingketchup stains all over. Yet they are constantly trying to pull offthe biggest scams in history. From Rs 64 crore in Bofors, they haveupped the ante to Rs 170,0000 crore in 2G and no, I am not includinghundreds of aircraft Air India bought while sinking into bankruptcyand preposterous sums spent on arms deals that havemade India the world’s second largest arms buyer when we can’t providefood and healthcare to 60% Indians. Our leaders are making deals onthe sly with greedy builders, land sharks, illegal mining companies,corporate fixers, shady arms dealers and, O yes, US diplomats who wantto manipulate our political choices. And, what’smore amazing, they do it like bungling idiots. Even Inspector Clouseaucan outwit them. But that doesn’t mean they are not malevolent. These are people whoare destroying India from within. They are not just robbing you, me,and the exchequer. They are destroying institutions, subverting laws,vandalising our heritage and history, and trying to build a dazzling,amoral edifice of crime and corruption unprecedented in the nation’shistory. It’s a scary scenario that could turn the land of the Mahatmainto one gigantic Gotham City with a flyover to hell.But my question is more basic: Can we trust these idiots to run thisgreat nation? If you travel and meet people across India, you will realise that forevery scam that breaks—and currently there’s one breaking everyweek—there are ten more waiting in line. The media has never had it sogood! And it’s the same gang whose names keep coming up. Kalmadi,Satish Sharma, Sant Chatwal, Ashok Chavan. The NCP lot.The DMK. And everyone, in private, is protesting his own innocence,pointing fingers at someone else. It’s a sure sign of a collapsingregime. It’s what happened when Rajiv with a staggering majority inparliament lost his mandate to govern. Rats alone don’t leap off asinking ship. So do everyone else. So even though Singh, like Pontius Pilate, may wash his hands offevery scam that hits the headlines, the fact is: The longer thisGovernment stays, the more compromised the Congress will be, and theless capable of coming back to power. You can’t allow the sovereigntyof a nation to be compromised just to win a confidence vote. You can’tbribe MPs to get your way in parliament. You can’t allow a shadyhotelier, with CBI cases against him, to play roving diplomat and,worse, give him a Padma Bhushan for it. You can’t appoint a taintedbureaucrat as the nation’s CVC. You can’t file a FIRagainst a corrupt CM and then allow him to melt away. You can’t letthe prime witness to the nation’s biggest scam, who offered to turnapprover, be murdered in broad daylight and pretend it’s a suicide.If this is the best this Government can do, it’s time to step down. Pritish Nandy

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INDIAN DREAMS Vs REALITY: INDIA DOES NOT NEED NUCLEAR POWER FOR ENERGY SECUR...: I was more than surprised when the Indian prime minister said, " India needs enlightenment on nuclear power. " Enlightenment at what cost...

Coal, banking sectors face CVC flak on frauds and transparency

NEW DELHI: The minutes of another annual review meeting held by CVC with CVOs of banking sector on August 1, 2012, reveal that CVC was concerned about the continuous rise in frauds in public sector banks.

"The RBI report for 2011-12 indicates that while frauds in public sector banks were lesser, the amount involved in the frauds was very high. CVC mentioned about the absence of due diligence while sanctioning loans and the manner in which good governance practices like Know Your Customer norms are given a go-bye. This has resulted in huge financial exposures of the banks without having sufficient collateral assets of the companies to back up in case of loan defaults," the minutes state.

At the annual review meeting with CVOs of the Coal sector on August 8, CVC stated that a number of complaints were being received in this "vulnerable" sector on issues such as procurement of heavy equipments, award of transportation contracts, measurement of coal stock, quality of coal and rotation of persons on sensitive posts and that there was need to creating a "corruption-free environment" in the coal sector.

"Immediate action was called for to improve transparency in coal sector. R Sri Kumar, Vigilance Commissioner, expressed his concern over black money and nature of business in the coal sector. He mentioned about problems of coal block allocation...he emphasised the importance of good governance for putting the house in order and the need for bringing in systematic improvements like CCTV and GPS on vehicles for better surveillance and control of coal movement," the minutes reveal.

Will 2013 be better?

Thursday, January 03, 2013, 13:14   

As we ushered in 2013 with the hope that the year will be safer and more peaceful, a thought crossed my mind, and I asked myself whether we had moved a step forward as a nation. 

Will 2012 go down in the annals of history as the most rewarding year for the Indians? Whether we matured as a nation politically or otherwise and became more receptive to issues which raise a question mark on our sensibilities as civilized human beings. 

Were the promises made by our rulers and policy makers delivered? Did the government fulfill its promise of bringing more transparency and accountability in its functioning? 

Regrettably, the answers to most of these questions are a big ‘No’. At this juncture, it is difficult to say what 2013 has in store for us or whether it will be better than the bygone year. But we still remain hopeful that the winds of change will sweep the nation, ignite our minds and help us find lasting solutions to those problems, which have plague

d our society for decades. 

To me, 2012 comes across as the year of awakening of India’s middle class, which kept the spirit of democracy alive through protests and demonstrations round the year. 

While 2011 was a year which saw a plethora of corruption cases and a new mass awakening, thanks to the anti-corruption protests led by social activists like Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev, the year 2012 was a bit different as it saw the common man uniting and voicing its protest against the vicious cycle of its suppression. 

While we saw the rise of many social leaders, who spearheaded the campaign against corruption or black money in 2011, the year 2012 was unique as it was not dependent on known ‘catalysts of change’ to lead a mass movement. 

The Hindu : States / Tamil Nadu : “Give up KKNPP, go for solar and wind energy”

The Hindu : States / Tamil Nadu : “Give up KKNPP, go for solar and wind energy”

The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project is totally unsafe and should not be commissioned, according to former Navy Chief Admiral L. Ramdoss.

With ample resources of renewable energy and over 300 bright sunny days, government agencies should tap the potential to generate wind and solar energy, instead of commissioning the high-risk nuclear energy project at Kudankulam, he said.

The technology for generating solar energy was very competitive and cheaper than nuclear energy. However, the existing grid system was not suited to tap such clean energy resources. While developed countries around the world had abandoned the nuclear energy option on grounds of safety, the Indian government was pushing ahead with the commissioning of the risky nuclear energy project, overlooking safety concerns raised by the people, especially the coastal population.

Admiral Ramdoss was addressing the media at Idinthakarai near Kudankulam on Monday.

“In my view no assurance on safety has been made by the Central government, the Russian government, NPCIL, Department of Atomic Energy or any expert from the Indian officialdom,” he noted.

In the past, experts had certified nuclear energy plants to be safe.