IT giant Infosys has installed a new biogas plant to recycle food waste in their Bangalore campus. Bio gas generated in the plant will be used in the food courts to prepare food for employees. Infosys has an advanced waste management and renewable energy integration program. Its campuses have a total installed capacity of 9.7 MW of solar PV and 9.25 TPD of biogas plants.

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has launched an online PV system calculator for consumers interested in installing solar rooftop systems. SPIN will help in estimating potential PV capacity that can be installed, applicable tariff rates and electricity required by building owners. The tool can be used to determine PV system size and costs for commercial, residential, institutional and industrial sectors.

Calculator can be accessed at: Read more…

Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Limited (NMRCL) is installing energy efficient HVAC systems and LED lights and solar pipe based lighting in Nagpur metro stations. Sewage treatment plant is also planned to generate waster for non-drinking purposes.
The metro will also generate 65% of energy needed for its operations through solar power. NMRCL will install rooftop solar PV systems in two phases to meet this demand – 14 MW in phase I and 11 MW in phase II. Using the RESCO model, 70,000 square meters of roof space will be allotted to Mahagneco for installing solar PV panels. Metro stations have been designed to integrate roof top systems and ancillary equipment.

Indian Institute of Sciences (IISC) Bangalore has installed a 20 kW PV plant on the library building roof. The plant produces about 80 kWh of electricity daily. Since its installation in 2013, the systems has generated 85 MWh electricity, thereby averting 60 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. The team suggests that at current performance levels, investment in the PV system installed can be recovered in 4.5 years. IISC has also used the solar plant setup to study performance of PV technology in Bangalore across different seasons. Their study of the plant performance suggests a need to keep surface temperature of panels below 45 ºC as beyond this threshold the yield of the panels started dropping.

Chandigarh Renewal Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society is proposing mandatory solar rooftop PV systems for all buildings. The notification will be issued after public consultation. Residential, commercial, educational, health and institutional buildings under the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh will fall under the scope of this program. Notification will apply to residential buildings on plot sizes greater than 100 square yards and housing complexes on more than .2 hectare of land.

Delhi government has set a target of 1 GW of solar power generation daily through rooftop installations by 2020. This is to be increased to 2 GW by 2025. To achieve this target, the government has proposed 30% subsidy in capital investment and mandatory installation for all government and commercial buildings. The schemes offers home owners alternatives – they can either avail the subsidy for installing rooftop PV themselves or lease out roof space to firms in exchange for using electricity generated through the PV system. Owners will be able to sell surplus back to the utility. An incentive. An incentive of Rs. 2 will be provided per additional unit of electricity generated and sold to the utility. No approvals will be required for installation and panels will allowed to be mounted on frames to keep terrace space free for other activities like clotheslines, terrace gardens etc..

NZEBs can be possible and more economical in Delhi now!