Letters - April 15, 2012

Authority to fight hunger

To fast track India’s industrial growth, FM gives sops to mining

With Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee attributing India’s slowdown to lack of industrial growth, sectors involved in manufacturing and mining were bound to have got sops. Coal mining projects have been exempted from paying any customs duty while importing exploration and mining equipments. He has also scrapped taxes on imported coal used by power companies.

Solar trick

New business for new renewables

It was a trade exhibition abuzz with the restrained chatter of busy suited executives at company stalls making contacts and finalising deals. Nothing out of place except that this trade was about renewable energy technologies, which have unconventional reasons for growth. First, these technologies are seen as the most economical and feasible source of energy for millions of people unconnected to the electricity grid and having no electricity to light their houses or cook their food. This energy poverty is disabling and needs to be eradicated. Introduction of decentralised and improved technologies paves the way to catapult the poorest of the households into the most modern systems. Secondly, these technologies—from wind and solar to biomass—provide cleaner low-carbon energy options to combat climate change. These are future systems critical for survival of all.

Solar energy is everybody's business

Solar mission is too important to let doubtful dealings hijack it

The truth about solar mission

US sets mercury emission limits

TO MINIMISE the largest source of pollution from coal-based and fuel oil power plants, America’s environment protection agency has set the first ever mercury and air toxics standards (MATS). Some 7,000 power plants in the country will now have to reduce their mercury and other toxic emissions levels.

Two technologies that shape our future

A tremor ran through the cutting- edge electric car industry last month. Mathieu Tenenbaum, working with French automaker Renault, was just another faceless name till then. But one espionage story that hit the newsstands made him infamous in a single stroke.

New gold rush

India is on a mission. To drastically ramp up its solar power production to 22,000 MW by 2022.

Resource war India after 2020

What is the shape our climate-challenged world is in? Rich developed countries have made it clear they are not interested in any talk about their past emissions.