Industry-watchers, environmental groups and think tanks have commented on news this morning that the biggest coal mining company in the US, Peabody Energy, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing downturn in the coal industry as a major factor.
A levy, or cess, on coal and other fossil fuels in India will be doubled from INR200 (US$2.93) per tonne to INR400 per tonne, under the latest Budget announced today by minister of finance Arun Jaitley.
The power output from solar PV systems in France grew by 25% last year to 7.4TWh, up from 5.9TWh, according to the latest figures from the French electricity transmission system operator RTE.
Indian conglomerate RattanIndia Power plans to use a 324 hectare site in Punjab, which was originally pegged for a thermal power plant, to build a 200MW solar PV project.
India as a nation is set to contribute more than any other country to the rise in global energy demand over the next 25 years to meet rising incomes and population, however, its energy demand per capita will still be 40% lower than the global average, according to a report from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Solar prices in India could be substantially lower than coal by 2020, helping the technology become a major part of the country’s energy mix, according to a report by international consultancy firm KPMG.
