CO2 levels already in danger zone

Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have entered the danger zone and must be reduced if climate disasters are to be averted,
according to researchers.

US, British and French scientists, including two from Yale, said in a study that optimum CO2 level should be less than 350 parts per million (ppm) - a dramatic change from most studies that have pegged the danger level for CO2 at 450 ppm or higher.

Atmospheric CO2 is currently 385 ppm and is increasing by about two ppm every year from the burning of coal, oil, gas and forests.

"This work and other recent publications suggest that we have reached CO2 levels that compromise the stability of the polar ice sheets," said author Mark Pagani, Yale professor of geology and geophysics.

"How fast ice sheets and sea level will respond are still poorly understood, but given the potential size of the disaster, I think it's best not to learn this lesson firsthand," he said.

The statement is based on improved data on the earth's climate history and ongoing observations of change, especially in the polar regions, said an Yale University release.

The authors use evidence of how the earth responded to past changes of CO2 along with more recent patterns of climate changes to show that atmospheric CO2 has already entered a danger zone.

Coal is the largest source of atmospheric CO2 and the one that would be most practical to eliminate. Oil resources already may be about half depleted, depending upon the magnitude of undiscovered reserves, and it is still not practicable to capture CO2 emerging from vehicle tailpipes, the way it can be with coal-burning facilities, note the scientists, the study said.

These findings have been published in Open Atmospheric Science Journal.
Source : The Times of India

College focuses on Green Technology

New Delhi: Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, University of Delhi, presented Convergence 2008, on Innovating Change, at India Habitat Centre from October 31 – November 1, 2008. The event was focused on the use of Green technology in corporate sector.

Each year the college adopts a highly relevant topic to broaden the horizon of knowledge. This year the theme of seminar was Innovating Change. The innovation is about generating new ideas that will prevent the company from stagnation by giving its product and services a competitive edge.

Mr. N.K. Khosla, Exec, Director, IOC and Mr. Raj Dutta, Exec, Director, Quatrro inaugurated the seminar with the lamp lighting ceremony with Dr. Poonam Verma , Principal, SSCBS. Mr. Pradeep Gupta, Chairman- SSCBS and Prof. Dinesh Singh, Director, South Campus, Delhi University were also the part of the opening ceremony.

The first day of the seminar was on Green technology. In the first session, Dr. Bhure Lal, Chairman, Environment and Pollution Authority, focused on the need to utilize Solar Energy to save the earth from environmental crises. The other eminent panelists were Mrs. Nimisha Garg, Director, SolarIndiaOnline.com and Ms Livleen Kahlon, EEA TERI. They discussed about environmental problems like Global Warming and its impact.

In the second session, speakers from Crisil, EVI and Nokia focused their views on the opportunities that lie in using the green technology and the ‘Need of Green Technology in India’. This session was followed by the session on hurdles where speakers from industries like Tata BP Solar, Mahindra and Niesbud spoke on the hurdles, which companies face in going green. However the most appreciated event of the day was the Big Fight on “Are we comprising on long term sustainable development for short term growth?” among industrialist, academicians, environmentalist with the help of a moderator.
JK Tyres was the title sponsor for the event and the other partners were Pepsi, NDTV.com and Fever104. SolarIndiaOnline.com was the online partner for the event.

How solar power works

Solar energy is a tried and tested power source that is already being used around the world for numerous commercial, industrial, government and domestic applications. It is powering water pumps in African villages, weather stations in the Antarctic and satellites in space!

It works by transforming the energy from the sun into a reusable form of electricity, a process known as Photovoltaic (or PV for short). Your Solar panel acts as a collecting tray, helping you catch the sun’s rays. The bigger the panel, the more energy you can collect. The energy collected is stored for your future use in a battery.

Sometimes you collect more energy than you actually need so with larger panels a voltage regulator should be fitted to control the flow of energy and prevent battery damage.

It would be hard to find a more environmentally friendly power supply. Clean and green, solar power is a renewable, sustainable and non-polluting source of energy. It is easy to see the appeal of solar power for domestic use. Low maintenance and long lasting, it is
a highly cost-effective and reliable energy supply.

All Solar panels come with a 10 year guarantee and a 20 year performance guarantee on the cells.

Solar Energy : Solution to India’s Energy crisis

US Congress feel that the immediate solution to India's energy problem lies in tapping of solar energy. According to the United Nations Human Development report, India suffers a huge power deficit with over 400 million of its billion-plus people having no access to electricity.

Considering this, the scientists believe that government should concentrate on tapping the conventional sources of energy like wind and solar energy to meet the country's immediate energy requirements.

"Although we have got nuclear deal it would take some time before the deal actually materializes in terms of electrical supply. Where as the solar energy is available, right now various ways of tapping the solar energy is possible. The cells are easily available and you can convert the solar energy into electricity and use it for various appliances," said Professor T Michael Kumar, Director, School of Mechanical Science, Karunya University.

Most parts of the country receive clear sunshine for major part of the year. However, only about 1, 748 MW power is produced from solar energy while India needs 1,30,000 MW of electricity every year. Solar energy with an appropriate technology promises to be one of the most replenishing, pollution free and inexhaustible sources of energy.

Live Earth concert to promote Solar Energy.

India will host the next Live Earth concert to raise funds for lighting homes with solar energy in places where people do not have access to electricity. Live Earth concert has become something of a global movement with its mission to use the “power of entertainment” to “ignite global movements” on environmental issues.
The concert will be held in India's financial capital Mumbai on December 7, 2008. The event will feature U.S. rocker Jon Bon Jovi and Bollywood's biggest superstar, Amitabh Bachchan and environmental advocates and many other international celebrities. The concert bash will take place at Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai.
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore has said that India should lead the world by committing to produce all of its new energy from clean and renewable sources within the next 10 years.
The proceeds from the concert will go to the "Light A Billion Lives campaign," supported by Nobel Prize-winner Rajendra Pachauri, the chairman of the United Nation's Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Emmy-winning concert producer Kevin Wall disclosed that the creative director for Live Earth India would be film director and producer Shekhar Kapur. Organisers said they would set up giant screens and distribute televisions in remote villagers for the concert.

Students develop car that runs on solar energy

A group of engineering students at Mary Matha Engineering College, Paliyode, Thiruvananthapuram, has designed a car and termed it as "a compact vehicle which works with a hub motor, utilising electricity, charged by solar panels."
The use of electricity makes the innovation eco-friendly as well as noise-free. The battery of the car can be charged with the help of direct sunlight using the solar panels, said a communication from the students.
The major feature of the new type car is that the driver's seat can be rotated 180 degrees and the entire control of the vehicle like steering, accelerator and head lights are connected to the seat so that the concept of reverse driving becomes obsolete. The car can travel at 40 km per hour.
The innovators are Aristotle Ashok, Unnikrishnan M.A., Saji M.P., Titto B.S., Rahul S.L. and Ajith C.G. with guidance from their instructor Shyam Kumar.

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