The New India - BBC Documentary 2013
Recent video. A little biased at the start re: the typical poverty, caste system blah-blah-blah.
However, also covers fab. new stuff like the urban renewal in the mega-cities, as balanced as the beeb can be. Funny to see a street lady speaking, actually complaining in fluent English.
@ 13:32, BBC covers the transformation of India's cities.
It's something close to my heart because I know how India ghettoised it's colonial metropolitan inheritence.
I have visited S. Asia inculding India and suffered greatly the dilapilated public services of said former glorius, jewel like cities.
Indian Railways Going Green with Eco-Toilets-by Mahesh Basantani
Indian Railways has traveled many miles of tracks since its introduction in 1853. However, anyone who has traveled on Indian trains is fully aware that the facilities on board are lacking in more ways than one. Unhygienic toilets reeking of human excreta have left many a traveler with an unpleasant experience, and have been an environmental burden as well. But things are starting to change for the better. Indian rails will soon boast eco-friendly toilets, thanks to an initiative from the Honorable Minister of Railways Laloo Prasad Yadav.
The installation of eco-friendly toilets was announced by the Railway Minister during the presentation of the 2008-09 Indian Railway budget in the Parliament. There are two different technologies that will begin implementation with a testing phase. The first one was developed by the railway’s Research Designs and Standards Organization in Lucknow, with Microphor of the US and Faridadbad-based Aikon Technology. This system collects excreta into a tank, which is divided into 2 chambers. The waste is broken down in the first chamber within 6-7 days by enzymes produced by a patented bacterial culture. The leftover liquid from the first chamber flows into the secondary chamber where it is treated with chlorine before disposal. So far, eighty of these prototype bio-toilets were procured and installed on Prayagraj express and AP Express.
The other test toilet has been developed by a group of scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. These eco-toilets were developed under the Technology Mission on Railway Safety, and are based on chemical treatment. They are “zero-discharge” toilets that separate the solid and liquid part of the human waste. The solid part is collected in a container, and liquid waste is recycled and used for flushing. The system thus avoids depositing the human waste on the rails. This prototype toilet is being tested in one Chennai train.
When the test phase is complete, the Indian Railways plans to install eco-friendly toilets in its approximately 9,000 trains by 2011-13.
Solar Energy Reaches Grid Parity in India and Italy 
-by Lori Zimmer, 04/08/13
Renewable energy just hit a new landmark in India and Italy, as Deutsche Bank reports that solar power is finally available at the same cost as traditional electricity in the two countries. The bank’s global solar demand forecast for 2014 also predicts that demand for solar power will soar 20% – particularly in China, the U.S. and the U.K. The German bank expects India and Italy’s achievement to inspire other countries, making solar power accessible to even more consumers.
The cost of installing photovoltaic arrays in India is quite high, yet despite this expense the country has achieved grid parity for solar power in a feat for green energy. Due to India’s incentive to expand solar energy, Deutsche Bank is forecasting an optimistic jump in the world’s solar energy demands, anticipating that India will be able to produce between 1 and 2 gigawatts of solar energy.
As for the United States, Deutsche Bank predicts the residential solar market to increase to 1 GW and the commercial market to hit 2GW with the completion of a giant solar farm already under construction in the Mojave Desert.
Now that Italy and India have reached grid parity, solar energy is on the road to being a commonplace energy source, rather than just an alternative.
-Read more: Solar Energy Reaches Grid Parity in India and Italy | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
:hehe:
India To Build World’s Largest Solar Power Plant In Rajasthan-By Sreeja VN
on September 21 2013
The Indian government will set up the world’s largest solar power plant in its northwestern state of Rajasthan, an official statement said on Friday, and the venture is expected to significantly reduce solar power taxes in the country.
The project, known as the "Ultra-Mega Green Solar Power Project," will have a total power generation capacity of 4,000 megawatts, which is more than double the total solar power generation capacity in India.
“This will be the largest solar-based power project in the world. Being the first project of this scale … this project is expected to set a trend for large-scale solar power development in the world," a government statement said.
The project will be spread across 23,000 acres of land belonging to the state-run Sambhar Salts Ltd, near the Sambhar Lake, which is about 47 miles away from Jaipur, Rajasthan’s capital city. The first phase of the project, which will be for 1,000 megawatt capacity, is expected to be completed in three years and will be run by a joint venture of five state-run utilities, including BHEL, Power Grid Corporation of India and Solar Energy Corporation of India.
"Based on the experience gained during implementation of the first phase of the project, the remaining capacity would be implemented through a variety of models," the statement said.
The plant, when fully operational, will generate 6,000 million units of electricity a year, and it is expected to bring down the solar power tariffs in the country.
India, which is facing a severe power shortage, has been promoting solar and wind energy to meet its increasing energy needs. Solar power currently contributes less than 1 percent to India’s energy mix, which is heavily dependent on coal and hydro power plants. However, the government aims to increase the current capacity of 1,700 megawatts of solar power to 20,000 megawatts of solar energy by 2020, through its ambitious project, the national solar mission.
The government is hoping to sell solar power from the proposed plant at 5.50 rupees (about 9 cents) a unit, which would be the lowest tariff for solar power in the country.
"Solar power at the rate of Rs 5.50 per unit would surely bring in buyers. Prior discussion with the government, distribution companies and the ministry of finance have yielded that solar power at this rate is most viable for finance and purchase," Amit Kumar, Associate Director (energy & utilities) at PwC told the Economic Times.
101 East : Tale of a modern city
Perhaps posted before, I was impressed with the first 1/2.
Must see for India enthusiasts, @ 5:00 says $ 70 Billion, it's ~ $ 110 Billion now!
@ 10:15 he says it's the biggest building boom in India, ever. I believe him.
Mumbai
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