Hyderabad, Oct. 12: Firms selling solar energy equipment in the state are all set to witness a boom as the Electricity Regulatory Commission (ERC) has approved the eternal renewable energy source policy. The ERC has issued an order allowing the state-owned power utilities to buy solar energy from the developers at Rs 7 per unit to promote green power.

Green energy synonymous with renewable enegry is used to describe sources of energy which are considered environment friendly, non-polluting, and therefore may provide a remedy to the global warming, mostly caused by conventional fossil fuel burning. Generally, renewable energy combines that resources which restore themselves over short periods of time and do not diminish.

The time and money being spent on wind power is perhaps not surprising when you consider that, based on global average annual wind speeds, worldwide there is the potential to generate 106 million gigawatt-hours of electricity per year from wind - five times the total amount of electricity generated globally today.

Latha Jishnu

Unlike the rest of the world, India has yet to wake up to solar energy's potential.

Smokestacks, cooling towers, reactor domes and gas installations are defining features of our modern landscape. Each is a key component in electricity generation, but perhaps not for much longer. Sprinkled over every continent are the totems of a new era of power: wind turbines and solar energy collectors. So far they are few and far between, but that's about to change.

The developing world community is struggling with scarcity of power. Most of its power is derived from non-renewable conventional energy resources which are decreasing day by day. Therefore, presently renewable energy resource utilization is the best solution to combat this problem. Geothermal energy is one such renewable energy resource which is still unexplored.

Historically, technology development for rural areas has followed tinkering approach or use of rudimentary technology. It is shown that very sophisticated science and technology is needed for producing devices for rural applications. This process can also result in fundamental research.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is hoping to attract investments of more than $4 billion in renewable energy over the next 5-7 years, as it prepares to unveil a new biofuels policy within a month, renewable energy minister Vilas Muttemwar said.

Wall Street

World Bank funding for efficient and renewable energy rose 87 this year to nearly US$2.7 billion, reflecting the importance of moving to a low-carbon economy, the bank's energy chief said on Thursday.

Investment in "green" energy projects is essential for poor countries hit hard by soaring oil prices, said Jamal Saghir, World Bank Director for Energy, Transport and Water.

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