Wasteful Energy

Here’s 2 items I picked in the Indian express. Way to go about guys. People across the world are doing these things. Environment is Chic.

First Item
As energy-hungry India looks for alternative sources of electricity, a new study says there is a potential of generating 2500 MW of power from urban, municipal and industrial wastes in big cities in the next two to three years.
About 40,000 million tonnes of solid wastes and 5000 million cubic metres of liquid waste is generated every year in the urban areas of the country which can be suitably recycled for power generation, according to the study brought out by leading industry body ASSOCHAM.
According to estimates, about 1500 megawatt of power could be generated from urban and municipal wastes and an additional 1000 megawatt could be secured from industrial wastes in the country by 2010.
'Mitigating Climate Change: The Indian Perspective', suggests that expediting setting up of waste energy projects can partly solve the problem of power shortage.
The cost factor involved could be within the range of around Rs 200 crore, resources for which could be generated through municipalities and local governments with the subsidy element coming from the state governments, it said.
Several studies on Indian power sector reveal the potential for saving of around 20,000 MW through various energy efficiency measures, including renovation and modernisation of old power plants and adoption of cleaner coal technologies.
ASSOCHAM says that India has potential to reduce its projected emissions over next 30 years by nearly one-quarter.
All the energy efficiency measures in the power sector could qualify to gain the carbon credits, it says noting that initiatives by several generating and transmission companies recently towards claiming carbon credits are a positive sign for the sector.
The study also maintains that with the abundant availability of renewable sources like biomass across the country, India has vast potential to replace the current usage of fossil fuels in various industrial and commercial applications.
"This would reduce the dependence of fossil fuels in the industrial system and also reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. This is also expected to increase the economic value of the biomass fuels which in turn is likely to improve the social and economic conditions of the rural areas," the study says.
With the continuous exploration of gas reserves across the country, India is also poised to grow in this field and develop more gas-based power plants and find its usage in various industrial applications, it says.
"The Government of India's steps towards encouragement of private participation in this sector and growing potential for gas-based power plants in India would definitely play a key role in future to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in power and industrial sector," the study says.

Second Item
Marking the biggest and first of its kind tie-up in the private sector, Real Estate major K Raheja Corp is working with former US president Bill Clinton-led Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) to retrofit their buildings across the country to cut Green House Gases. “Climate change is a global problem that requires local action,” Bill Clinton had said on May 17 last year, while announcing the Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program that looks at retrofitting the larger buildings in sixteen of the world’s largest cities.
Mumbai is one of the cities listed from India, where K Raheja Corp has started work on Inorbit Mall in Malad and a hotel in Powai, first in their list of 20 odd buildings to be retrofitted.
While the concept of constructing green buildings is fairly established, retrofitting existing new buildings is comparatively a new concept. And the real estate group, which plans to retrofit all its properties, is not only looking at cuts in energy bills but also at a savvy international image.
“We have signed a first-ever project development under the Clinton Climate Initiative and are working on the energy audit with Johnsons Control, one of the companies introduced as the leading energy efficiency provider by the CCI,” says Shabbir Kanchwala, associate vice president, K Raheja Corp.
And it’s not just about energy saving, he says. “Not only will we cut our energy expenditure by 20 to 25 per cent, but will also save up to 20 per cent water. Moreover, this is also building for the future as don’t sell any of our properties. Instead, we lease them out to world renowned companies like Microsoft, which like to work in savvy, eco-friendly buildings. We are the first ones to retrofit our buildings, but we are also the first to gain this competitive edge,” says Kanchwala.
Work has started in Mumbai and Hyderabad, and according to the company, 50 lakh square feet of built space (in over 20 odd buildings) will be retrofitted. For the process, smarter glass varieties (which let in light, not heat) and better suited air-conditioning systems are used. Sewage treatment is also done to conserve and recycle water. While some government buildings have been retrofitted for cutting carbon emissions, the concept is still picking up in the private sector. “Many government buildings under the CPWD have been retrofitted, like the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The concept is catching up now in the private sector as retrofitting to cut emissions is a win-win situation,” says Sanjay Seth, Energy Economist, Bureau of Energy Efficiency.