Excellent Article in swarajya Magazine on the New Tesla Storage Systems

Please check this article out. The writer deserves kudos for writing the first really good article on solar tech from an Indian perspective. I would add that for large buildings including malls, hotels, software development centers etc, this might be even more economical even at current costs, if you take the problem of power cuts and the cost of using diesel generators into consideration. Let us always keep in mind that US and European calculation of generation and storage system costs consider 3 hours (average) of sunlight a day for 300 days a year. India easily enjoys twice that much sunlight, for 325 days a year. I know that Prime Minister Modi is a solar energy enthusiast. I hope he reads and enjoys this article, before calling for an expansion of his already excellent solar energy plans.

Koyambedu Biogas Plant - Well Done, India!

The Koyambedu Wholesale Market is not far from the apartment where I last lived in India, before I moved to the US. I remember riding past the site regularly, long before construction even started, as well as buying groceries farmer-direct after it opened, at hugely discounted prices over retail markets in Vadapalani, T. Nagar, and other parts of Chennai. Now, the waste from Koyambedu will be processed into Syngas, which would be supplied to homes in the fast growing neighborhood. I sincerely hope that this is a trend. Using waste productively, is a great way for poor nations like India to save money. The added bonus of keeping the streets cleaner, would be the icing on the cake. Well done! Hope other cities and markets in the country follow this example!

Solar Power is Now at a Price Advantage When Compared to Fossil Fuels

This report comes via hard nosed Morgan Stanley Economists, not wide-eyed green energy enthusiasts. And, a report that shows that solar power could be economical even in a market like the US, where the Northern states would get an average of 3 to 4 hours of sunlight a day for 300 days a year, it would be vastly more economical in markets like India where the country receives sunlight for more than 6 hours a day, for 325 + days a year, across the country, on average. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a solar energy enthusiast. I hope he is encouraged even more in his efforts by this report.

Hey, India, Check This Out

India and Britain consider themselves close allies. They ought to work on using the huge amounts of sewage in India to run better public transport. Whoever manages to do this, will also become very, very wealthy, as sewage is a constantly renewable resource. With the strong rapport between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi of India and David Cameron of the UK, this is a technology that both Britain and India should try to implement as quickly as possible. I lived with my parents at the Old Tower Block in Madras for many years, and remember watching in despair as the Adyar River became a sewage carrying, stinking mess. Madras also has the Cooum, aka the Buckingham Canal, which is even filthier, though there still were benches along its banks in Egmore along Commander in Chief Road, to remind us of a time when people took boats down it for pleasure. All that poop could power a lot of buses and save huge amounts of foreign exchange for India. Hopefully, someone in New Delhi and London is watching this new technology, and planning to do a lot with it. Do check out the fantastic Geneco UK website. And, do subscribe to their Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook pages.

India's First Net Zero Energy Building - I Am Not Convinced

India's "The Hindu" newspaper has a story about what is claimed to be India's first Net-Zero Energy Building. While I am not clear if the building in question has been certified by an external and independent agency to be Net-Zero, if, indeed, this is truly Net-Zero, then it is a remarkable achievement. I am not entirely convinced that this is the case, though, when you have a 930 kW peak power solar generation capacity in a 31,488 Sq Meter building with "robotic parking" and central HVAC system. Something, somewhere, is amiss. That said, if this does spark off an interest in actually building net-zero structures in India, it would be fantastic. Right now, I do think this is hype, not fact. I shudder to think of how this will end up making India a butt of jokes for a while, when experts investigate this and find the claim to have a lot of Blue Sky to it.

Well done, Tata Power Solar! Now, for a Similar Project in India . . .

Solar Thermal Magazine has this announcement of a very significant project by Tata Power Solar and British Gas for Toyota in the UK. I know I've made this point several million times before, but it needs to be reinforced - Toyota are no fools, and they know exactly how to offer great cars at reasonable prices. This means that they are not, quite, a company that is likely to invest hugely in solar power if it would mean adding to the cost of manufacturing their cars, and eventually get passed on to consumers who might, well end up looking at better priced options form others. Also, a point to note - if solar power is viable in always dark and overcast Britain, guess how much more viable it would be in ever bright and sunny India? What next, Tata? A similar solar roof at one of your automobile plants? That might be a great idea! Anyone interested is welcome to check out Tata Power Solar's website. .

If Cold and Foggy Norway could Build a ZEB Home that Generates 3 Times as much Power as it Needs, Guess What Sunny India Could Do

Gizmag, a site that I believe everyone with an interest in technology should follow, has this report about a very interesting house designed in Norway. Basically, the house has solar PVs and water heating systems, along with a rain water harvesting system in a design that captures the maximum amount of sunlight in such a cold place. The pictures show a home that is pleasing to the eye, and that could send a lot of electricity into the grid instead of drawing from it. In short, for a net power deficit country like India, this could be a panacea. There would be no need to worry about the frequent power failures that are a way of life there, and, by merely being there, the home could generate electricity and help other properties in the neighborhood. If the owners have an electric car or motorcycle, that would get charged for free as well.