When villages plug in by Aditya Batra
May 15, 2010, Down to Earth

In Nepal, lost in the chaos of political upheavals, a silent revolution is afoot.
In remote villages of this mountainous and energy-starved country people are demanding their right to electricity.
They say electricity is a national good; everyone must have a right to it.

A consumer movement is born
May 15, 2010, Down to Earth

Villages plug into the grid, manage their own supply
Across Nepal, close to 420 electricity user groups, cooperatives and committees are working to extend the grid into villages. They are taking charge of electricity distribution, maintenance and ‘customer service’. Together they have electrified 176,000 rural households according to nea; another 90,000 are in the pipeline. These numbers are significant because 70 per cent of rural Nepal is not connected to the grid.

Source : ttp://www.hedon.info/BoilingPoint56. This article showcases the successful establishment of cluster level biodiesel resource centres catering to rural energy demands and the creation of livelihood opportunities in over 70 villages in Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. Central to this initiative has been the ongoing experiences with communities who collect and sell seeds of the indigenous tree Pongamia pinnata. A combination of widespread awareness and promotion, technology development and demonstration, training and marketing are essential factors for success. Important to this initiative has been the notion of using the already existing (but neglected) resources rather than cultivation of any biofuel crop which needs large scale resources. Growing energy needs, coupled with fluctuating international oil prices, are forcing India to tap into renewable energy resources to address the energy crisis. The Government of India launched a national programme to promote the large scale cultivation of the plants Jatropha curcas and Pongamia pinnata for biodiesel production. However, the programmes are long term and need time to reach the farmers in remote areas. In addition, the current subsidy provisions for: kerosene to those below the poverty line; diesel to fishermen; and electricity at subsidised or free cost to farmers for irrigation, are faced with inefficient public distribution systems leading to widespread shortage of energy resources in rural areas.
Successful utilisation of indigenous bioenergy resources for economic advancement in rural Maharashtra, India
by Kavita Rai, Jayant Sarnaik, India Environment Portal, 01 February, 2009
In his linen kurta and bandhani turban, 28-year-old Puranmal stood out among the dark suits and ties at the Creative Lantern Awards. Organised by the India chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA), the ceremony toasted a unique environmental initiative that is lighting up the lives of men and women like Puranmal who live far beyond the bright arc of big cities. For Puranmal, a resident of Gherta (five hours from Jaipur), life came to a standstill after sunset. Like 400 million other Indians, the 900 villagers here had no electricity. \"Many of the villagers suffered from eye infections because of the carbon dioxide in the fumes from kerosene lamps,\"
It takes a solar lantern to change destinies
by , The Times of India, 25 January, 2009
With an aim to provide an eco-friendly solution to the unsolved problem of disposing kitchen waste, an innovator from Kerala has designed a compact, kitchen biogas plant and waste disposal plant, to help digest biodegradable food waste and produce biogas for cooking purpose.
Compact \'biokitch\' to help generate biogas from kitchen waste
by Chitra Unnithan, The Business Standard, 26 December, 2008
Rajendra K. Pachauri, who received Nobel Prize as chairperson of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), called for a change in lifestyle and reform in government regulations responsible for worsening climate change condition. Delivering NALCO Foundation Day lecture on \"Challenges of Economic Growth and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources,\" here on Tuesday, Mr. Pachauri said high consumption of fossil fuel as well as dependence on fragile atmosphere was leading the globe to a terrible situation.
Environmentalist stresses lifestyle change to check the menace of climate change
by , Hindu, 07 January, 2009
“Though global warming might sound like old news, awareness of its impact on the climate and the need for solutions to mitigate it, have not reached our villages and towns,” says Rajender K. Pachauri, chairman of the Nobel peace prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “It’s only the cities that are somewhat sensitized.”
Energy-efficieny technologies to the fore
by Jacob P. Koshy, MINT, 24 December, 2008
aced with the task of developing environmentfriendly technology for industry due to guidelines issued by the Supreme Court, entrepreneurs in Agra are realising the cost-effective potential of such technologies and innovations. Govardhan Udyog is one such unit which plans to use a non-conventional raw material, cowdung, to produce particle board and pharmaceutical products.
Agra unit to turn waste to wood
by Vishal Sharma, The Business Standard, 29 December, 2008
Malaysia has given approvals to more than 90 biodiesel projects linked to palm oil feedstock. Not many are up and running though. But as crude oil prices are witnessing 22-month lows due to the global economic slowdown, the operational viability of most of the sanctioned palm oil-based biodiesel projects in these two countries will come under scrutiny. Moreover, banks everywhere have become very choosy in funding the projects.Since early 2005, the run up in palm oil prices had a link to the rising demand for crude oil. This, in turn, drove up the prices of all other vegetable oils. As long as palm oil looked like a one-way bet in tandem with crude oil, the Malaysians were not heard complaining about the coupling.
Crude shock: Viability of biodiesel units may come under scrutiny
by Kunal Bose, Business Standard, 01 December, 2008
Renewable energy, such as wind, solar and hydropower, will overtake gas to become the second largest source of electricity behind coal by 2015, the International En- ergy Agency (IEA) said recently. That was under a pessimistic forecast for a global climate response, not taking into account a possible hardening of action to penalise green- house gases and support low- carbon renewables — which would see even faster growth.
Green energy to light up the world in near future
by , Business Standard, 16 November, 2008
\"At present, green energy projects are facing severe fund crunch and I reckon the ongoing crisis may deepen in near future for pipeline projects,” said Erikssen, whose company has validated 40 per cent of CDM projects in India. “Projects planned under CDM have also been impacted by the crisis,\" he added.Around 1,200 projects are being implemented under the CDM at an estimated investment of Euro 3.6-4 billion. Of this, 360 projects are in India.\"Delay in projects mean cost-escalation and they should meet the timelines,\" he told Business Standard in Mumbai on Monday.China accounts for 35 per cent of the carbon credits, followed by India with 24 per cent. India has another 200 projects in the pipeline, and at this point of time it is clear how many of these projects may run into rough weather, said N R Krishnakumar, director of operations, India and West Asia, DNV.CDM is an arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol, which allows industrialised countries to invest in developing countries to reduce emissions in developing countries, as an alternative to more expensive emission reductions in their own countries. It is supervised by an executive board and is under the guidance of the Conference of the Parties (COP/MOP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Fund crunch hits green energy projects globally
by , Business Standard, 13 November, 2008
Over the last few years the nuclear industry has used concerns about climate change to argue for a nuclear revival. Although industry representatives may have convinced some political leaders that this is a good idea, there is little evidence of private capital investing in nuclear plants in competitive electricity markets. The reason is simple: nuclear power is uneconomical. In an excellent recent analysis, \"The Nuclear Illusion,\" Amory B. Lovins and Imran Sheikh put the cost of electricity from a new nuclear power plant at 14
The Flawed Economics of Nuclear Power
by Lester R. Brown, Earth Policy Institute, 28 October, 2008
India plans to plant Jatropha on 11 million hectares for biofuels. Several Indian companies including Reliance Energy, Godrej, Tata,Indian Oil Corporation and Natural Bioenergy are rushing to seek land from various state governments to establish Jatropha plantations. The FAO annual report, released this October, says that biofuel production using agricultural commodities tripled from 2000 to 2007. The FAO warns that growing demand for biofuel agriculture will continue to put upward pressure on food prices.
Food special report: Can developing countries avert crisis?
by Rajesh Chhabara, Climatechangecorp.com, 05 November, 2008
Can the collateral damage of a growth-at-all-costs economic model be addressed by a “regenerative” economy as opposed to a “degenerative” one based on fossil fuels and outmoded notions of industrialisation?Veteran social activist K R Datye believes it can Environmentalists and activists have often been criticised for opposing so-called development projects and not having anything constructive to offer in their place. The late Anil Agarwal, founder of the Centre for Science and Environment in Delhi, underlined this by pointing out that the greens opposed dams, coal-based thermal power stations and nuclear plants. But, he noted, the dilemma remained: How is a developing country like India going to obtain electricity to run a modern economy?
Green capitalism
by Darryl D’Monte, Infochangeindia, 08 April, 2008
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