Sustainability

Researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) predict that growth to 60TW of photovoltaics needed to rapidly reduce emissions to ‘net zero’ and limit global warming to <2 °C could require up to 486 Mt of aluminium by 2050. A key concern for this large aluminium demand is its large global warming potential.

A lack of end-of-life batteries this decade is likely to play into the hands of Chinese recyclers located near most of the world’s production facilities, according to analyst WoodMac, but might at least help rebalance the current situation in which new products are cheaper than recycled ones.

Today, both Reliance and Fortescue are realizing the huge investment, employment, import replacement and export opportunities in zero emissions industries of the future, both for India and Australia. And they look to be leading the way, fully supported by global financial institutions increasingly seeking to deploy trillions of patient capital in low volatility, non-commodity price exposed zero-emissions energy sources of the future.

The Indian multinational solar EPC player has won a project worth INR 1,500 crore for its recently created business segment of waste-to-energy. The project also marks its first order in the European market.

The US$ 5.9-billion building solutions manufacturer aims to increase the share of green energy to 34% of its total power requirement by 2024, and further to 100% by 2050, from the current levels of 13%.

Recovering valuable raw materials from end-of-life solar panels and batteries presents a great opportunity for India to secure their future availability as the nation chases its ambitious renewable energy targets.

Orsted transitioned from a coal-intensive utility to a global renewable energy leader creating immense shareholder wealth. A new report looks at what strategic decisions led to this transition and learning for Indian companies to look forward to the future energy transition.

The Gujarat-based extractive metallurgy technology solutions provider will set up a 1,000 tonnes per annum (TPA) lithium-ion battery recycling plant, primarily based on the hydrometallurgy process developed in-house. It plans two more such facilities, taking the overall capacity to 10,000 TPA. 

India’s solar capacity growth up to 2030 also means the generation of a significant mass of PV module waste due to early failures or damages during transportation, installation, and operation. The waste generation could be 21 kilotonnes assuming India’s cumulative installed PV capacity grows to 287.4 GW by 2030 from 40 GW in 2020. This doesn’t include end-of-life panel waste as PV systems installed between 2020-30 are assumed to have at least 30 years of lifetime.

‘More than 90’ suppliers of appliances such as solar lanterns and home solar panels, as well as mini-grid installers, will be offered low-interest credit by an assortment of government-backed and privately-financed entities.