The Renewable Energy team at the Center for Science & Environment (CSE) presents the fourth edition of the Newsletter. During the last three months, the unit has published several stories in Down to Earth (DTE) magazine, a science and environment fortnightly of CSE, covering topics such as: biomass plants shutting down around the country [2], the thriving unsubsidised off-grid solar market in Bihar [3], the drastic  increase in solar power purchase obligations from Tamil Nadu’s recent solar policy [4] besides many others. In case you have missed some of the articles in the DTE magazine, this could be a great way to catch up on our findings. For the latest events and updates covered by the unit please visit the CSE website [5].

Another platform, the Renewable Energy Portal [6], has been crucial to disseminate information about the field visits undertaken by our researchers, through individual blogs and photo essays. The idea of the platform is to engage researchers, policy-makers, implementors, stakeholders besides our own team of researchers to pitch in opinions, photographs, and research related to the sector. In this regard we invite you to share with us your opinions, your work in renewable energy, or your experience with respect to the nature of the renewable energy portal.  We are looking forward to your responses.

CSE Store:

CSE has released two publications on first of its kind assessment on the following two areas:

1. 1. FACING THE SUN: [7]Policy for sustainable grid-connected solar energy
       ISBN: 978-81-86906-63-7

Now that the national solar mission has kick started the solar energy industry, the report analyse and monitor the implementation with the perspective of sustainability. The report focuses on grid-connected solar energy in India and discusses issues on financing, land allocations for projects and status of commissioning of these large scale plants               

1. 2. GOING REMOTE: [8]  Re-inventing the off-grid solar revolution for clean energy for all
       ISBN: 978-81-86906-64-4
    

Focusing on the off-grid solar scenario, the report analyses the remote village electrification programme and the national solar mission through heavy reportage from the ground, third party monitoring reports, and data received from the ministries under the Right to Information.

 For further information on purchasing the publications, please contact:

T R Ramachandran (rchandran@cseindia.org [9])
Deputy General Manager,  Environment Information Dissemination Unit (EIDU)
Centre for Science and Environment
41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area
New Delhi - 110 062

Tel: (011) 29955124, 29955125, 29956394 - Ext.235
Fax: (011) 29955879
Website: http://csestore.cse.org.in/ [10]

Out of option [3]
August 31, 2012
A surging demand for power being met by substandard solar panels through an unregulated market in Bihar

Going off-grid to power solution [11]
September 15, 2012
Power deficit needs to be addressed through grid-interactive decentralized solutions

Looming biomess [2]
September 30, 2012
This story was about how large MW size biomass power plants are shutting down across the country because of skyrocketing cost of raw material and unrevised tariff

Solar mission’s new priority: off-grid and grid-connected rooftop solar power [12]
November 8, 2012
The MNRE plans to prioritise the off-grid and rooftop solar programmes in the second phase of the national solar mission which were both dwindling in the previous phase with a target of 3,000 MW of solar to be achieved during the second phase of the mission

Discoms bailed out [13]
October 1, 2012
The Union Cabinet Committee approves plan to free state power distribution companies of debt through a bailout package that includes financial interventions by the state government for 50 percent of the debt and a moratorium for the rest

Powered by husk [14]
November 15, 2012
Off-grid biomass plants light up villages in Bihar; experts demand clarity on tariff regulation. At present, there are no standards for gasifiers, which affect their efficiency

Tamil Nadu Solar Policy: will it be enforced [4]
November 15, 2012
State aims to have same amount of solar as is now installed in all of India by 2014. However, without enforcement of the solar power purchase obligations, the state may lag behind just like in the other states

The parallels between EU financial crisis and carbon market collapse [15]
October 9, 2012
A discussion on the similarities between EU carbon markets price collapse and the EU financial crisis, and how it is linked to the Indian REC market collapse.

Reminiscing my visits of Swedish power plants [16]
November, 22 2012
A brief description of two clean energy plants – hydro and CHP in Sweden. The CHP plant operates on a thermal efficiency of 92 percent by using the waste heat for district heating.

Indian rooftop solar rearing to go [17]
November 23, 2012
The report warns that the existing projects coming on roof top are actually on land, but use the tariff scheme under the roof top scheme

Solar mini-grid and rooftop in Dayalbagh, Agra [18]
November 26, 2012
Without any regulation from the state nor the centre with regard to the exporting of electricity into the power grid, the Dayalbagh institute showcases technology that helps in distributing the surplus electricity produced by the solar power plant to be fed into the neighbouring residential colony

Thank you for taking your time for reading our newsletter
 

Renewable Energy unit
Centre for Science & Environment
New Delhi
 

For comments/suggestions please write to joel@cseindia.org [19]
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