The resulting firefly-style map shows just how much Earth’s night-lights changed in four years, revealing some big differences that are easily explained,….
That India has brightened dramatically, as shown by all the blue in the image below, is also not a surprise. The country is home to more than its fair share of people living without electricity, and its government has been working to change that by establishing a rural electrification program and investing heavily in renewable energy. There is still a lot of work to be done, but the results are already easy to see on Nelson’s map.

source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/04/satellite-imagery-night-earth-lights/

Government today said it is aiming to bring down to “zero” thermal coal imports of power PSUs like NTPC in the current fiscal, a move that would reduce the country’s import bill by around Rs 17,000 crore.

The government would also slowly convince the private companies operating in the power space to totally stop the import of thermal fossil fuel.

“This year we want that coal import by these plants (of public sector companies) should be brought down to zero and slowly we would convince the private sector that there is no need for you to import coal,” Coal Secretary Susheel Kumar told PTI.

The government, he said, will also convince upon the private companies in the power sector to source coal through domestic sources as it is more reliable and prone to less price variations.

“The move is likely to substantially bring down the country’s import bill. India will save around Rs 17,000 crore on import bill,” the Secretary said.

The Coal Ministry, he said, will make available to the power public sector units (PSUs) the supply of thermal coal through domestic sources in sufficient amount which would prompt the companies to not resort to import of fossil fuel.

“We will supply so much of coal to them that there would be no need for them to import coal,” the Secretary said.

“We would bring down to zero the requirement of coal through imports of central public sector companies like NTPC and state PSUs. This is the target we have,” Kumar said.

The major policy thrust of the government, he said, is that import substitution should take place.

On account of increased production of coal imports declined from 217.78 MT in FY’15 to 199.88 MT in 2015-16.

The trend of fall in import of coal also continued in the 2016-17 fiscal. During the first 10 months (April-January), coal imports reduced by 2.59 per cent as against the year-ago period, the government had earlier said.

However, import of coal is not solely dependent on the domestic production. It also depends on other factors like power plant designed on imported coal and insufficient availability of coking coal of required grade, the government had said.

Source:  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/indl-goods/svs/metals-mining/govt-plans-to-cut-coal-imports-for-power-psus-to-zero-in-fy18/articleshow/58442535.cms

The government has outlined an investment of Rs 50,000 crore for the revival of closed fertiliser plants at Gorakhpur, Barauni, Sindri and Talcher and setting up of gas pipeline network to connect Eastern India to National Gas Grid.

At a review meeting for the revival of closed fertiliser plants, Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar said with the revival of the fertiliser projects at Gorakhpur, Barauni, Sindri and Talcher, an additional annual production capacity of 75 lakh tonne would be created making India self-reliant in meeting the annual domestic demand of around 32 million tonne, from being a net importer currently.

Financial allocations and the ground work would start this year itself and the five plants would become fully functional by 2020-21, he added. Kumar said as part of the government’s vision of “Fertiliser Security for Food Security”, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, in coordination with Ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Power and Coal, is following a two-pronged strategy.

The strategy includes existing fertiliser capacity augmentation by increasing the efficiency of the plants and revival of the closed fertiliser projects.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said a massive investment to the tune of Rs 50,000 crore was being undertaken for the revival of closed fertiliser plants and setting up of gas pipeline network to connect Eastern India to the National Gas Grid.

He said production from these four major plants will ensure enhanced domestic fertiliser production and availability which will give an impetus to the vital agricultural sector thereby aiding the second Green Revolution. The Talcher Unit is being revived by a consortium of PSUs namely Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilisers, GAIL, Coal India Ltd. and FCIL by investing Rs 8,000 crore.

Indian Oil Corporation, CIL and NTPC have registered a Special Purpose Vehicle by the name Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited for the revival of closed urea plants of FCIL at Gorakhpur and Sindri and of Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation of India Ltd. at Barauni, with an investment of Rs 20,000 crore.

Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/business/govt-earmarks-rs-50-000-cr-to-revive-closed-fertiliser-plants/398510.html

There had been a saving of 190 MW of power during peak demand for electricity recorded every day due to use of LED bulbs across the State, officials here informed.

The information was provided in a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Raman Singh to know the progress of implementation of ‘Rashtriya Ujala Yojana’ and distribution of LED bulbs to the various households in the State.

During the meeting, it was informed that the State is saving Rs 379 crore due to less consumption of power on account of use of LED bulbs by consumers.

It was also informed in the meeting that about 72.90 lakh LED bulbs had already been distributed in the State so far.

A total of 661 street lights have been replaced with LED lights under Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) in Chhattisgarh as on February 2016, the Central Government had informed.

A total of 1,639,265 street bulbs have been replaced with LED Lights throughout the country under SLNP during the aforesaid period.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had launched the Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) on  January 5, 2015 to attain significant savings by promoting LED based lighting. The scheme is being implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a joint venture company of four Public Sector Undertakings under the Ministry of Power. There is no element of Government of India subsidy in the scheme.

EESL has evolved a service model to enable municipalities to replace conventional lights with LEDs at no upfront cost. The resultant reduction in Energy and maintenance cost of the municipality is used  to repay  EESL over a period of time. The target is to  install 3.5 crore LED street.

Notably, the energy efficiency market in India is estimated at US$ 12 billion that can potentially result in energy savings of up to 20 per cent of current consumption, by way of innovative business and implementation models.

Under the SLNP, SDMC area alone accounts for over 2 lakh street light replacements.

The cumulative annual energy savings in SDMC through this programme is 2.65 crore kWh which has helped to avoid capacity addition of 6.6 MW, resulting in a daily reduction of 22,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases.

In the SDMC Project, EESL is addressing complaints from various sources viz, registered from BSES helpline, night patrolling team by EESL, mobile vans, e-mails, social media and other sources including Ward Councilors. Additionally, EESL is putting stringent complaint redressal mechanism and Centralized Control and Monitoring System (CCMS) to enable remote operation and monitoring of the street lights.

CCMS provides real time information on energy consumption and remote monitoring of the street lights.

It may be mentioned here that the State Government had been distributing three LED lamps free of cost to those who fall under the BPL category. The Above Poverty Line ration card-holders can buy LED lamps on EMI also.

A consumer can save up to Rs 160 per annum on each LED bulb. The officers said that 09 watt LED bulb gives an illumination of 100 watt. It is estimated that there will be a saving of Rs 300 crore per annum with this scheme.

Source: http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/raipur/led-bulbs-distribution-helps-govt-save-rs-379-cr-in-power-bills.html

Industry body Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA) today said the wind power generation capacity in the country has crossed 32 GW mark.

However, according to the Central Electricity Authoritys (CEA) monthly report for March 2017, the installed wind power generation capacity is around 28.7 GW, lower than the ITWMA estimates.

Indias installed wind power generation capacity has crossed 32 GW so far and there should be at least 6 GW of capacity addition every year to meet the target of having 60 GW by 2022, IWTMA Chairman Sarvesh Kumar said on the sidelines of Windergy India 2017 conference here.

Elaborating further, he said the latest data indicate that countrys wind power generation capacity is over 32 GW after addition of 5.4 GW in last fiscal.

On the veracity of the data, he replied that the latest estimates indicate that country has the installed wind power generation capacity of 32 GW.

About the expected capacity addition this fiscal, he said,”We are going to do 6 GW in 2017-18. It is based on certain fundamental as the government alone will auction 4 GW of capacities during this fiscal”.

“Apart from government auctions, there would be addition of wind power capacities by the industry and institutions,” he added.

The government has decided to go through the bidding route as the first ever auction of wind power projects in February 2017, where power tariffs dropped to all-time low of Rs 3.46 per unit. Wind power capacity of 1 GW was auctioned by the Solar Energy Corporation of India in February.

Globally, India is at the fourth position after China, the US and Germany, in terms of wind capacity installation.

Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) in its Global Wind Report presented a strong outlook for wind power across the globe in 2017.

“India set a new record in 2016, and 2017 is likely to be another strong year, but after that things will probably slow a bit as the industry and markets adapt to tendering system which is now being introduced and then pick up again,” GWEC had said in its 2016 report.

It said, “Overall, we expect that Asian market to add 154 GW in next five years, for a total of 357 GW by the end of 2021”.

The council has projected 8.8 per cent growth in wind power installations to 546.1 GW in 2017 from 486.8 GW in 2016 across the globe.

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/indias-wind-power-capacity-crosses-32-gw-mark-says-iwtma/1/938054.html

Union power minister Piyush Goyal said here on Tuesday that cities with low line-loss will start getting 24-hour power supply on priority basis. Talking to reporters while inspecting progress in Integrated Power Development Schemes and Clean India Campaign here on Tuesday, Goyal said there is a line loss of 40% to 45% in UP and power pilferage is the major reason for it. The Centre and the state government have intensified efforts to put a check on line loss. Places with low line-losses would start getting round-the-clock uninterrupted power supply. Goyal urged people to give information about power pilferage and other complaints on toll free number 1912.

Earlier, Goyal visited the localities where the work of laying underground cables under IPDS was in progress. The minister sought reason from the district administration and Varanasi Municipal Corporation for delay caused in repairing of roads after completion of cable lying task. He said that the Union government has fixed December 2017 as the deadline for the completion of IPDS to make the holy city free from overhead cables.

Later, he reached the ghats to review the progress in riverfront development and sanitation work under Clean India Campaign. Regarding cleaning of Ganga under Namami Gange project, he alleged that non-BJP governments in past left this project lingering. The scene has changed now and the progress in the projects is taking place with accelerated pace. Union water resource minister Uma Bharati and chief minister Aditya Nath Yogi have held a meeting in Lucknow recently to discuss the projects only.

He said that three companies are contributing in solid waste lifting. He claimed that work on four-lane Varanasi-Sultanpur, Varanasi-Azamgarh, Varanasi-Ghazipur and six-lane Varanasi-Aurangabad highways have been intensified with the completion of the process of land acquisition.
The minister also held a review meeting with officials.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/cities-with-low-line-loss-to-get-uninterrupted-power-goyal/articleshow/58369140.cms?utm_source=toimobile&utm_medium=Twitter&utm_campaign=referral&from=mdr

सरकारी पावर कंपनियां अब अपनी कोल सप्लाई की अदला-बदली कर उन्हें अधिक एफिशिअंट पावर प्लांट्स में भेज सकेंगी। कोल इंडिया (CIL) ने कोल की आसानी से सप्लाई के लिए पिछले सप्ताह केंद्र और राज्यों की पावर जेनरेशन कंपनियों के साथ अग्रीमेंट साइन किए हैं। इससे पावर जेनरेशन की कॉस्ट कम करने में मदद मिलेगी।

इस कदम से एनटीपीसी जैसी केंद्र और राज्यों की पावर जेनरेशन कंपनियों के प्लांट्स को कोल लिंकेज मिल सकेगी। अगर किसी कंपनी के पास देश भर में कई प्लांट हैं और प्रत्येक प्लांट के लिए अलग फ्यूल सप्लाई अग्रीमेंट (एफएसए) है, तो इन सभी लिंकेज को एक एफएसए माना जाएगा।

कंपनियों के पास कोल के बेहतर इस्तेमाल के बारे में फैसला करने का विकल्प होगा। इससे कॉस्ट कम करने के लिए अधिक एफिशिअंट प्लांट्स को अधिक कैपेसिटी पर चलाया जा सकेगा।

कोल इंडिया के एक अधिकारी ने बताया, ’13 अप्रैल तक केंद्र और राज्यों की पावर जेनरेशन कंपनियों के साथ 40.2 करोड़ टन की कॉन्ट्रैक्ट वाली कुल सप्लाई में से 36.8 करोड़ टन के लिए सप्लिमेंटरी अग्रीमेंट साइन किए गए हैं।’ बाकी के अग्रीमेंट अगले कुछ दिनों में साइन किए जा सकते हैं।

केंद्रीय कैबिनेट ने पिछले वर्ष मई में सरकारी पावर जेनरेशन कंपनियों के लिए देश में प्रोड्यूस होने वाले कोल के बेहतर इस्तेमाल के प्रपोजल को अनुमति दी थी। सरकार ने कहा है कि कोल क्वॉलिटी में सुधार होने और सप्लाई चेन की एफिशिएंसी बढ़ने से एनटीपीसी के पावर प्लांट्स की पावर जेनरेशन कॉस्ट घटी है।
पिछले तीन वर्षों में कोल प्राइसेज, सेंट्रल सेस और रेलवे फ्रेट में बढ़ोतरी होने के बावजूद पावर जेनरेशन कॉस्ट में कमी आई है।

डेटा से पता चलता है कि पावर जेनरेशन के लिए कोल की कॉस्ट 2016-17 में 39 पैसे घटकर 2 रुपये से कम प्रति यूनिट की रही।

2014-15 में एनटीपीसी के पावर प्रॉडक्शन की कुल कॉस्ट 2.01 रुपये प्रति यूनिट की थी, जो 2016-17 में घटकर 1.94 रुपये पर आ गई।

अधिकारियों ने बताया कि वास्तविक कटौती 6.4 पैसे प्रति यूनिट की है, लेकिन बढ़े और सेस और चार्जेज को जोड़कर देखने पर पावर प्रॉडक्शन की कॉस्ट में कुल कमी 39.5 पैसे की है।

The Madhya Pradesh government would soon provide nearly 18,500 solar-powered water pumps to farmers in the state at subsidised rates.

“We are going to make available solar borewell and surface pumps fitted with remote monitoring system to the farmers under the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Solar Pump Scheme shortly,” New and Renewable Energy Department Principal Secretary Manu Srivastava told PTI.

“The rates of solar pumps already arrived at after the bidding are the lowest in the country. The performance of each pump can be monitored on a real-time basis from anywhere in the world,” he said.

MP Urja Vikas Nigam (MPUVN) would be the nodal agency to make available the solar pumps to the farmers, he said.

“We have already picked up the firms (through bidding) which are going to supply solar power to the state. The rates are much below the benchmark prices of Government of India,” Srivastava, who is also the managing director of MPUVN, said.

“The rates of the direct current pumps are the lowest in the country. These pumps will have a five-year maintenance provided under a contract,” he said.

“There is also a provision of comprehensive insurance of the complete pump system for five years,” he said.

“It is for the first time that any state government has embarked on such a huge programme of supply of solar pumps to farmers,” Srivastava claimed.

He said that earlier Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan governments had provided 11,000 and 10,000 solar pumps respectively to farmers at subsidised rates.

“The sale of green energy pumps in such a huge number is going to save crores of rupees of the MP government annually,” said Rajendra Kothari, the former director of PHD Chamber of Industries and Commerce (MP and Chhattisgarh).

A senior official of the state energy department said in the last fiscal, the MP government provided power subsidy of Rs 70 billion (Rs 7,000 crore) to farmers for use of the water pumps.

The sale of solar pumps is going to rev up the agricultural productivity of the state, he said.

MP has the highest agricultural growth rate of over 20 per cent since last couple of years, the official said.

The use of solar pumps will increase the cultivable land area, reduce dependence on diesel pumps and make multi-cropping possible, he said.

This would also help in doubling the income of farmers and provide sustainable livelihood on a long-term basis, he said.

“The use of solar pumps is bound to reduce carbon foot-print. These pumps, driven by green energy, are bound to come as a boon for the marginalised farmers of tribal dominated districts like Mandla, Dindori, Chhindwara, Seoni, Balaghat, Alirajpur, Jhabua,” he said.

The sale of these pumps is likely to reduce the distribution losses of the cash-strapped MP Power Management Company (MPPMC) Limited and power distribution companies (discoms), a senior power official said.

The revenue losses of the discoms are high due to non-payment of electricity dues in Bhind, Morena, Sheopur, Shivpuri and Gwalior districts, he added.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/mp-govt-to-provide-subsidised-solar-water-pumps-to-farmers/articleshow/58325475.cms