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India to Boost Solar Power Generation

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:45:51 +0000

India has launched a program to boost solar power generation over the next decade. India wants to make solar energy a central part of its efforts to combat climate change.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated on Monday in New Delhi a national “Solar Mission”, which aims to generate 20,000 megawatts of power in 12 years.

The Prime Minister says he hopes this will help India bring about a strategic shift from the country’s reliance on fossil fuels to a more sustainable path of growth.

It is an ambitious target. India presently generates a meager three megawatts of solar power.

Experts say reducing solar energy costs to levels equal to conventional sources such as coal will be critical to the success of the mission.

Prime Minister Singh says he is confident that India has the scientific talent to develop technologies that will make solar energy viable. He says he hopes the “solar mission” will replicate the success of the country’s highly successful information technology industry.

“Eventually, if the ambitious roll out of the Mission is to become a living reality, we will have to create many ‘Solar Valleys’ on the lines of the Silicon Valleys that are spurring our IT industry across the four corners of our country. These valleys will become hubs for solar science, solar engineering and solar research, fabrication and manufacturing,” he said.

Indian officials hope solar power will also help eliminate the country’s huge energy deficit. Nearly half of India’s over one billion people, mostly in the villages, are not connected to the nation’s power grid.

Mr. Singh says solar power can play a significant role in lighting up the countryside.

“The rapid spread of solar lighting systems, solar water pumps and other solar power-based rural applications can change the face of India’s rural economy,” he added.

The “Solar Mission” is expected to cost about $19 billion, and will start with steps to drive down production costs of solar panels and spur domestic manufacturing.

The government is also calling on the private sector to invest in research, manufacturing and development of solar power. Besides helping to increase the amount of renewable energy in the country, India wants to build a solar power industry that will match countries like China and Japan.

Climate change campaigners have welcomed India’s plans to boost solar energy, although there is some skepticism whether its ambitious targets can be achieved.

India is regarded as critical in global efforts to combat climate change because its greenhouse emissions are expected to grow rapidly as its economy expands. India hopes to cut down its emissions by improving energy efficiencies and focusing on solar power.

voanews.gov

US and China energy policy speech by President Obama

admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:04:43 +0000

Planet Tiger

President Obama in China talking about US and China energy policy initiatives

After a warm welcome in Beijing’s historic Great Hall of the People, President Obama and President Hu sat down to discuss the many overlapping issues facing both nations, including China’s growing economy and its effect on the US and the rest of the world and the exciting education reforms happening in each country:

RESIDENT OBAMA: As we both affirmed, the United States and China have a great many mutual interests. And after 30 years of bilateral relations, I think it’s fair to say that our two governments have continued to move forward in a way that can bring even greater cooperation in the future.

And I want to reaffirm the fact that the American people are interested in stronger relations with the people of China, and that the more that we can encourage people-to-people exchanges that are consistent with the discussions that we’re having at the government level, the more that China and the United States will be able to work cooperatively on a whole range of issues — both economic issues, security issues, and global issues that are in the interest not just of our two nations but the entire world.

President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao speak during a joint press conference held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Nov 17, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

One topic of particular interest to both leaders is a joint initiative towards clean energy, and President Obama and President Hu introduced a far-reaching package of measures to strengthen cooperation between the United States and China on clean energy. An abridged version of the measures is below, and the full version is available here:

The U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center will facilitate joint research and development of clean energy technologies by teams of scientists and engineers from the United States and China, as well as serve as a clearinghouse to help researchers in each country.

The U.S.-China Electric Vehicles Initiative will include joint standards development, demonstration projects in more than a dozen cities, technical roadmapping and public education projects, all aimed at eventual deployment of electric vehicles to reduce oil dependence.

The U.S. China Energy Efficiency Action Plan will allow the two countries to work together to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, industrial facilities, and consumer appliances, culminating with an annual U.S.-China Energy Efficiency Forum, rotating between the two countries.

The U.S. China Renewable Energy Partnership will facilitate development of roadmaps for wide-spread renewable energy deployment. A new Advanced Grid Working Group made up of American and Chinese developers and strategists will help plan for grid modernization in both countries, and a new U.S.-China Renewable Energy Forum will be held annually, rotating between the two countries.

A 21st Century Coal Initiative, for which the two Presidents pledged to promote cooperation on cleaner uses of coal, will include large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration projects.

A Shale Gas Initiative, will allow the U.S. and China to use experience gained in the United States to assess China’s shale gas potential, promote environmentally-sustainable development of shale gas resources, conduct joint technical studies to accelerate development of shale gas resources in China, and promote shale gas investment in China through the U.S.-China Oil and Gas Industry Forum, study tours, and workshops.

The U.S. China Energy Cooperation Program will leverage private sector resources for project development work in China across a broad array of clean energy projects, to the benefit of both nations.

Read more about the President’s historic 10-day trip to Asia here

President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao together at a reception before the formal state dinner at Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on Nov. 17, 2009. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza

Article courtesy of the White House

For more news also read The Daily Tiger and The China Tiger

Welcome to Planet Tiger

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:44:24 +0000

Planet Tiger
Welcome to Planet Tiger, an evolving links paper on all matters involving the Environment and the Earth.
We shall be principally concentrating on five subjects.

1. Climate change.
2. Green energy.
3. Green building.
4. Green living.
5. Green jobs.

For English news that can be read in 41 languages , visit The Daily Tiger which has links to hundreds of world media and news sites.