THIN FILM SOLAR PANELS

Archive for October, 2010

India’s ministry of New and Renewable Energy is working on a proposal to start several diploma and technical training courses in renewable energy specifically in solar energy systems. The ministry feels that there would be tremendous demand for skilled technicians as several project developers would launch their solar energy plants and other renewable energy power plants in the near future.

The ministry recently gave approvals to the first projects of the National Solar Mission which would make India the leading solar energy power generator by 2022. The National Solar Mission would add 20,000 MW of solar PV and solar thermal power plants across the country in the three phases, with the first phase (till 2013) seeing an addition of 1000 MW capacity of solar PV and solar thermal.

Several state-owned companies, private firms as well as foreign investors are looking to establish large-scale power plants and cashing in on the plethora of subsidies and tax benefits being offered by the government to renewable energy power producers. The demand for renewable energy-based electricity is expected to increase significantly since all Indian states are obligated to procure at least ten percent of their power from renewable sources.

With several power plants sprouting up around the country the requirement of a technically skilled workforce would be essential. Several hundred thousand technicians would be required for the planning and designing of the power plants; construction and installation of the generating units and transmission equipment and monitoring and maintenance of the equipment.

Such courses would not only help cater the rising demands of workforce in the renewable energy sector but would also help in generation of jobs. The government is encouraging the use of Indian-made equipment in power plants thus there would also be a demand from the manufacturing sector with several solar cell and collector manufacturing companies looking to expand their capacities.

India already has industrial training centres called the ITIs which provide vocational training to young people in the operations carried out in the industries. After the completion of their training these young professionals are absorbed by the electrical, computer & IT and several other manufacturing and services sectors.

Image: technicolorcavalry/Flickr/CC

The views presented in the above article are author’s personal views and do not represent those of TERI/TERI University where the author is currently pursuing a Master’s degree.

The Green Business Blog Carnival comes to Cleantechnica! Following up on Green Business Blog Carnival post #16, a fun summary of some green business news on Viv Biz Club, here’s the next edition of the Carnival for your reading pleasure.

• It’s the middle of the West Coast Green Conference today, where “a stellar assembly of leaders and thinkers come together to discuss our nation’s green economy.” CalFinder Solar went through and picked out the conference sessions and speakers most oriented towards green business owners for us. Take a look if you are at the conference or watching it live via the conference’s Virtual Pass.
• Ecolocalizer (one of our sister sites), which is hosting this Carnival next week, also has a couple posts straight from the West Coast Green Conference published about an hour ago. Ryan Van Lenning wrote on one of William McDonough’s remarks in his keynote speech, “We need a new design assignment as a species.” Ryan also wrote a piece on some of his favorite sessions so far.
• Doc’s Green Blog performed what I think is a useful service for anyone interested in green matters this week. It created a list of the internet’s top green blogs. To clarify what Doc’s Green Blog was listing, here’s a little more info: “It does not include sites that are purely news channels or the web presences of news or trade magazines. It emphasizes blogs that are not commercial projects with paid staff. It also emphasizes blogs with information of interest to businesses, so it is light on lifestyle blogs.” I found this piece a useful read and quite a good list.
• Jeff McIntire-Strasburg wrote a piece this week on the SUNflitered blog about a Tampa-area coffee company and cafe, “A Cup of Organic,” that demonstrates how faith and social enterprise can go hand-in-hand. A great-looking green business in my old global neighborhood that also has a strong missionary focus. Interesting…
• If you want to learn about the theory behind Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Lane Jost of The Inspired Economist recommends The A-Z of Corporate Social Responsibility as an excellent starter. The paperback edition is the latest update with additional content to address the role of CSR following the 2007 financial crisis.
• Cleveland’s ‘buy local and sustainable law’ is the first law in the U.S. providing advantages for sustainable companies bidding on city contracts. In another post from The Inspired Economist, Emily DeMasi discusses this groundbreaking law.
• California Ballot Proposition 23 would overturn California’s AB 32, The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. Specifically, Prop 23 would freeze AB 32’s provisions until California’s unemployment rate stays at 5.5% or below for four consecutive quarters. Opponents point to its funding by out-of-state interests and energy companies and say AB 32 will benefit California in the long run because of the new companies that will invest in the state, creating high paying jobs…. During the next several weeks, Triple Pundit will run guest postings on Prop 23 from leaders in industry, government, academia, non-profits, and the investment community. Check out the link above to keep up with this conversation.
• As a special bonus for our Cleantechnica readers, Triple Pundit, in partnership with the Cleantech Group, is also offering an opportunity to win a free pass to the Cleantech Forum in New York from October 11-13 (a $2,295 value).
• Green web hosting is one of the ways web hosting companies are trying to reduce their environmental impact, and it offers a great way for eco-minded consumers to put their money where their mouth is. Green Marketing TV put together “The Ultimate Guide to Green Web Hosting” this week — check it out.
• Social entrepreneurship conferences, or social enterprise conferences, are important for those interested in learning about, networking around, and collaborating on social entrepreneurship ventures. Green Marketing TV put together a guide on this topic this week as well, “The Ultimate Guide to Social Enterprise Conferences” — check it out!
• When we talk about clean tech, we normally talk about clean energy, but clean tech is also includes clean or green IT. Cleantechies has a good post on just that topic this week.
• In Ecolobris‘ third post on its inquiry into Asia Paper & Pulp’s operations in Indonesia, the site presents new potential evidence — a new independent audit (at least it claims to be so) that is saying Greenpeace faked data to build a phony case against APP. That’s a controversial story if I’ve ever seen one.
• From one of our other sister sites, Planetsave, Tom Schueneman has a thorough post on something that may take us one big step closer to utility-scale energy storage, a gravity power module. Looks promising.

That wraps up this week’s Green Business Blog Carnival. Hope you enjoyed the rides… er, articles.

Be sure to check out the next edition of the Carnival next Friday on Ecolocalizer.

Of course, cool green business stories are the fuel that burns this Carnival’s fire, and we’re always looking for good submissions for the Carnival. If you think you’ve got one, send it to us via the submission form at Triplepundit. Also, if you want to host the Carnival on your blog, check out the Carnival schedule and let us know if one of the open dates works for you.

Bioengineered silkworms may help free the world from its dependence on petrochemicals, by providing a greener way to produce fabrics that are as strong as spider silk. A research team has successfully altered silkworms to produce a substance that has the distinct physical characteristics of spider silk, namely its extraordinarily high tensile strength and elasticity. If the new silkworms can be grown commercially, it raises the potential for manufacturing a wide range of fabric-based products that use less feedstocks derived from petroleum and other toxic chemicals.

How to Build a Better Silkworm

The research team is from the University of Notre Dame, the University of Wyoming, and Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. The scientists used recombinent DNA techniques to insert genetic material from spiders into silkworms. The result was a combination of worm and spider silk. Though not quite as strong as native spider silk, the new product is significantly stronger and more elastic than normal silk.

Many Uses for Super Strong Silk

Suturing and bandaging are two current medical uses for normal silk that could be replaced with a stronger product. Beyond that biomedical uses, the researchers envision super strong silk replacing petrochemical based fibers in everything from air bags and athletic clothing to canopies and other building elements based on fabric. Tents, sails, kites, and even bullet proof vests are just a few of the other possibilities.

Earth to Petrochemicals: Buh-Bye

Bioengineered silk worms are just one of the growing number of alternatives to petrochemicals and other toxic substances that are typically used in synthetic products. The movement has a name – “green chemistry” -and it takes many forms, such as using kinetic energy as a non-toxic disinfectant instead of chlorine, or eliminating the use of the greenhouse gas hexane in cooking oil production (right, who knew?) by subbing in reclaimed carbon dioxide to separate the oil from crushed seeds.

Image: Spider web by foxypar4 on flickr.com.