News Bulletin : August 2021 – Issue 1
1.Policy ignition: India\’s satellite navigation sector set for higher growth trajectory : INLAND WATERWAYS
India\’s satellite based navigation and augmentation service sector appears headed for a higher growth trajectory with the proposed ignition of a policy push towards effective development, operation and maintenance of such systems.
The Department of Space (DoS) plans to devise a \”comprehensive and substantive\” national policy for satellite based Navigation Policy – 2021 (SATNAV Policy – 2021).
Its draft has now been hosted on the website of the Indian Space Research of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for public consultation after which it would be placed before the Union Cabinet for final approval.
Source: Times Of India
2. Coastal flooding risk has doubled since 2000, putting waterfront economies at risk: COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE
As sea level rises, it can be easy to miss the subtlety of higher water. It’s much harder to overlook saltwater more frequently flooding streets, impeding daily life and making existing problems worse.
The frequency of high-tide flooding along the U.S. coasts has doubled since 2000, and it’s expected to increase five to 15 times more in the next 30 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warns in a new report released July 14, 2021.
I work with coastal communities in the northern Gulf of Mexico that are facing the risks of rising seas as they try to avoid preventable damages and costs, such as infrastructure failures and falling property values. Information like the NOAA report is critical to helping these communities succeed.
Source: Market Watch
3. Govt justifies higher taxes on petrol and diesel: RENEWABLE ENERGY
The government has justified high level of taxation on auto fuels suggesting that revenue from petroleum sector is important for running various developmental schemes but has refused to acknowledge the role played by higher prices of petrol and diesel in fuelling inflationary pressure on the economy.
Replying to a question on impact of rising fuel prices on country\’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic in the Lok Sabha, minister of petroleum and natural gas Hardeep Singh Puri said that revenue generated by taxation (on petroleum products) is used in various developmental schemes of the Government like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana (PMUY), Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) and also to provide relief to the poor during the pandemic by schemes like Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) under which free ration was provided to 80 crore beneficiaries during April, 2020 to November 2020 and May-June 2021, free vaccination against Covid-19 etc.
Source: Energy World from The Economic Times
4. We\’re having a virtual power plant moment: RESOURCES AND UTILITIES
From wildfires to heat domes and polar vortexes to floods, the impacts of extreme weather are being felt across the United States. The climate chaos is revealing the fragility of our energy grid and planned and unplanned outages are becoming more common. Losing energy during extreme weather is more than uncomfortable; it’s dangerous.
It makes sense that home and building owners are investing in solar generation and storage resources, which can keep power flowing when the grid is down. And, when aggregated, these assets can do more than just help the owners; they can help the entire grid become more resilient by providing new, dispatchable resources to utilities.
In other words, extreme weather is driving renewed attention in the virtual power plant (VPP).
Source: Greenbiz
