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3TIER: one of the largest independent providers of wind, solar and hydro energy assessment and power forecasting worldwide announced the opening of an office in Bangalore, India today. It should be noted here that India is one of the top four wind-power markets in the world and also, the most developed market in Asia.

According to Kenneth Westrick, fonder and CEO of 3TIER, “India has the elements needed to prove that it is possible to leapfrog fossil fuels and fully integrate renewable energy projects into a country’s energy portfolio. He further elaborated on his statement by informing that India has good wind resources in its southern and western states, tremendous potential to tap into solar and hydropower, a government commitment to explore renewable energy sources and a market of more than 1 billion people – including 420 million people with no access to electricity.

Of the total number of villages in India with no access to electricity, it can said with absolute certainty that close to 40% of these cannot be electrified using fossil fuels. Thus, renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and hydropower can play an even greater role by electrifying remote parts of the country. “As the most densely populated country in the world with many villages that have no electricity, there is strong demand to augment the power grid in India,” said Steven Cashen, 3TIER’s Director of International Marketing Development. “3TIER will work closely with developers to assess and forecast potential wind, solar and hydro energy projects.” explained Cashen. Read the rest of this entry »

Led by Nobel laureate Al Gore, The Climate Project (TCP) – a US based non-profit organization — took the lead on March 15th, 2008 in launching its India chapter by training over a hundred enthusiastic representatives of business, politics and civic society. Dr. R.K. Pachauri, chairman of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the other half of the Nobel Peace Prize 2007 was also present at this Climate Change leadership Program.

Declaring the emerging economy of India to be the future of the world, Mr. Gore asked for greater participation by all Indians in the efforts to combat climate change and secure a safer tomorrow. He also called for raising global consciousness to a higher level to address several of the so-called political challenges being faced in different parts of the world today. Developing the capacity for a vision and building a moral authority are essential to taking action together as a civilization. That according to Mr. Gore, is also the need of the hour.

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In a press conference on Thursday, Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute, shared his concern that greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere will lead to grain and water shortages in India and China as well as rising grain prices in the United States.

“The world has never faced such a massively predictable potential reduction in grain harvest as we are now looking at with the melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau,” said Mr. Brown. “Keep in mind, this is not based off of a climate model with somewhat theoretical projections. This analysis is based on what is already happening–on a trend that’s very well established in both India and in China.”

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“If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound with mine, then let us work together.” This phrase, from an activist Aboriginal group in Queensland, Australia, seems to sum up perfectly a solar energy movement led by women a world away from Queensland.

Barefoot College, in India, is training middle-aged women from rural villages in Bolivia, Afghanistan, Gambia, Ethiopia, Mali, Cameroon, and Sierra Lione to be solar engineers. After training, the women return to their homes to install solar electricity units with the support of the communities.

Via: Green Girls Global

Dear Readers,

Our goal this week was to help , bring you eye to eye with people of many nationalities to explore what environmental issues motivate each of us to care and inspire us to take action.

In case you missed it or are coming back for more, here’s our week in review:

Sam Aola Ooko offered a Kenyan perspective from the streets of Nairobi.

Pem Charnley reflected on the rise of the Industrial Revolution in the UK and its implications for the world and environment.

Mark Seall went to the Swiss Alps, wondering why the idea of personal responsibility for the environment is lacking, then to the streets of Switzerland for a taste of some real attitude.

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Deepti Kalsi on Indian environmentalism | Well, I would say yes I do consider myself an aspiring environmentalist, but I have many areas in which I think I could stand to improve.

As for India, it has been two years since I went back and whenever I go I tend to visit the same 2 or 3 places. I always go to New Delhi. I think based on Delhi alone I would say I have seen a strange dichotomy. On the one hand, Delhi has planted a lot of trees in recent years in an attempt to counteract the increasing air pollution.

In fact, a few years ago there were boards all over the city promoting “Keep Delhi Green.” They also have created a Metro rail system that runs within Delhi as well as to some outlying areas. From my experience traveling on it as well as accounts of friends and relatives who used it recently, it is fast, efficient, and clean. It’s hard to find anything that actually stays clean in Delhi!

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This week, we’ve explored public transportation around the world. To wrap up, we searched the world for the funniest and most unusual public transportation. This is what we found.

Levitating Monorail, Germany. An electric car? Cool. An electric train? Awesome. An upside down electric monorail?? Now that qualifies as unusual public transportation. Believe it or not, this transit system was built over 100 years ago. While Ford was fidgeting with his “quadricycle,” the city of Wuppertal built this transportation marvel that still appears ahead of its time today.

It’s a zero emissions, all electric transit system, and it floats through Wuppertal (the self-styled “German San Francisco”) with over 20 million passengers a year. Photo: Flickr

Mae Klong Train Market, Thailand. Yes, those are train tracks running through that market. One of the shortest train routes in Thailand is also one of the most bizarre. Ambling past windmills and salt flats, the train stops halfway through its route at a river. Right, no bridge. So, people get out and ferry across to a second train, which picks up where the first left off. But wait, it gets better…

In order to arrive at the Mae Klong station, the train must pass right through the middle of a crowded street market. Vendors quickly pull in their stalls several times a day as the train goes by. For an excellent account of the journey, read Steve Van Beek’s article on the Tourism Authority of Thailand website or this article at 2Bangkok.com, or see this video. Photo: Thai-Blogs.

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