News Bulletin : December 2021 – Issue 2
1. Offshore projects that harness wind, offset rising water, gaining global traction
Current offshore technology allows for venturing further into the seas and using wind as a powerful element to generate sustainable energy.
• Floating offshore wind turbines are different from bottom-fixed offshore wind turbines
• The Windcatcher is a structure that could contain more than a hundred rotors stacked vertically
• A floating 3-floor cow farm adjusts to rising sea levels and doesn\’t need to take up any space on land.
An ocean produces more than a breeze. The deeper you venture offshore, the heavier the winds.
Source: AME Info
2. Budget 21-22: Infrastructure outlay up 34.5% at Rs. 554,000 crore after pandemic
Union Budget 2021-22 has provided capital outlay of Rs. 554,000 crore, an increase of 34.5 percent over Budget Estimate of FY 2020-21, for infrastructure development to boost the economy after SARS CoV-2 pandemic, minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Monday.
In addition, the minister said, the government has also made provision of more than Rs. 200,000 crore for states and autonomous bodies towards their capital expenditure. National Monetization Pipeline was also prepared to unlock the value of investments in public sector assets by tapping private capital and efficiencies for delivering infrastructure services. These proceeds are envisaged to both augment existing infrastructure and create greenfield infrastructure, he said.
Source: Domain-B
3. Why India’s offshore wind energy potential remains untapped despite its 7,600 km-long coastline
Three-and-a-half years since the government asked companies to come forward to set up India’s first offshore wind energy project, in the Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat, the project is yet to take off. In offshore plants, wind turbines are installed in the sea as opposed to onshore projects with turbines on land. The Gujarat project would have a capacity of 1 gigawatt.
By 2022, India plans to produce 5-gigawatts electricity – for comparison, at its peak, Delhi’s electricity demand was about 3.3 gigawatts on November 14 – from such offshore wind energy projects, and expand it to 30 gigawatts by 2030.
Source: Scroll
4. Inland waterways body clears 25 routes for cargo, passenger traffic
In a major boost to development of inland waterways system in the country, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has found 25 out of 111 national waterways fit for cargo or passenger movements.
The identification is result of techno-economic feasibility and the Detailed Project Reports on the National Waterways carried out by IWAI as part of exercise to identify and develop waterway stretches that could be developed into complete economic corridors facilitating movement of both cargo and passengers.
Source: Live Mint
5. Why logistics technology matters
The largest muscles in the human body are in the back. Yet, we work hard to put up an attractive front as an indicator of strength. Businesses are run similarly. The global market size of marketing tech is seven times that of logistics tech, despite the global market size of logistics being twice that of e-commerce. This gap is filling faster than meets the eye. Here\’s why.
The top five largest muscles of the human body are in the lower thigh, the back of the pelvis, the shoulder, the back upper arm and the hips.
Source: Forbes
6. Railways focusing on improving passenger experience through world-class stations: Vaishnaw
The Railway Ministry’s focus is on improving passenger experience through world-class railway stations, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday. Speaking at an event of the Confederation of Indian Industries, he maintained that spending on new railway lines, doubling of tracks and electrification among others is on track.
With the stations at Bhopal and Gandhinagar now with world-class features in terms of city integration and passenger flow, 40 more stations will be tendered shortly, he said.
Source: Daily Excelsior
7. 26 new green express highways to make India\’s road network robust: Gadkari
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, during the Agenda AajTak 21, said the Modi government is building around 26 new green express highways, which will make the road network stronger in the country.
Gadkari said the roads can bring prosperity to a nation, and that the government has set some crucial targets for the next two years.
Source: Business Today
8. Leapfrogging water infrastructure into the 21st century
Between widespread drought, climate unpredictability and aging water supply infrastructure, water utilities face increasing pressure to keep up with current levels of water consumption.
However, the recently passed U.S. infrastructure bill, which has allocated $55 billion for water infrastructure — $35 billion of which will go toward incorporating the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act — signals a much-needed shift in the field. While most of the money will go toward making upgrades to outdated water lines, many hope some of this stimulus will go toward innovation for a more resilient water future.
Source: GreenBiz
9. Ready for low carbon restart?
Can we rely on distributed energy resources to provide restoration services for our future energy system in times of need? Download this Utility Week report to discover the state of play as the landmark Distributed ReStart project from National Grid ESO, SP Energy Networks and TNEI draws to a close.
The move towards a low carbon electricity network containing more distributed energy resources brings with it new challenges. One of these is how we restore electricity services should there be a national outage.
Source: Utility Week
10. By 2030, India will be able to meet its electricity needs through renewable energy: Study
A new study by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) shows that India can leapfrog to a more sustainable power system by 2030, thanks to dramatic cost reductions in battery storage and wind and solar energy.
In the publication, \”Least Cost Pathway for India\’s Power System Investments\”, the researchers examined a least-cost investment pathway to meet India\’s electricity demand through 2030.
Source: Wio News
