1. Forget massive seawalls, coastal wetlands offer the best storm protection money can buy : COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Coastal communities around the world are facing increasing threats from tropical cyclones. Climate change is causing rising sea levels and bigger, more frequent storms.
Many coastal communities are pondering what to do. Should they build massive seawalls in a bid to protect existing infrastructure? Do they give up on their current coastal locations and retreat inland? Or is there another way?
Source: The Conversation
2. NASA visualises how sea levels will rise in Indian coastal regions : COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE
IPCC had flagged that sea levels around Asia in the North Indian Ocean have increased faster than the global average, with coastal area loss and shoreline retreat
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its “Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis” report released on August 9 made sea level projections which are based on data gathered by satellites and instruments on the ground, analyses and computer simulations. IPCC had flagged that sea levels around Asia in the North Indian Ocean have increased faster than the global average, with coastal area loss and shoreline retreat. NASA has used the same projections to make a visualisation tool which will help coastal regions prepare for sea level rise and plan infrastructure accordingly.
Source: Hindustan Times
3. Bureau Veritas delivers world’s first Approval in Principle for offshore floating solar technology to SolarDuck : FLOATING STRUCTURES
Bureau Veritas (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection, and certification (TIC), has delivered an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Dutch renewable energy company SolarDuck for its offshore floating solar solution ‘King Eider’. This is the first time such an approval has been granted to an offshore floating solar technology, marking the beginning of a new era for this form of renewable energy.
Launched in April, SolarDuck’s first pilot ‘King Eider’ consists of four triangular-shaped units, which are mounted by 156 solar panels and deliver a combined electrical output of 64 kWp to the grid. The project was deployed in IJzendoorn, in the Netherlands. The structure holds the solar panels more than three meters above water level. The platform is designed to handle coastal sea conditions and hurricane-force winds. It is also optimized for offshore sites in estuaries, natural harbours, as well as near-shore sites.
Source: gCaptain
4. World’s Largest Floating Offshore Wind Farm Ready in Scotland : FLOATING STRUCTURES
The world’s largest floating offshore wind farm has just been completed off the coast of Scotland, paving the way for better access to untapped wind resources.
The Kincardine Offshore Windfarm has a nominal capacity of 50 MW and is located 9.3 miles (15 km) southeast off the coast of Aberdeenshire in northeast Scotland. It plans to generate up to 218G Wh worth of electricity each year — enough to power the equivalent of about 55,000 Scottish households, reported the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).
Source: Interesting Engineering
5. India imposes stringent measures to control pollution of seas and inland waterways by ships : INLAND WATERWAYS
The central government has initiated stringent measures to control pollution of seas and inland waterways by ships such as surprise inspection of both Indian and foreign vessels entering or passing through the country’s maritime zones and inland waterways.
The matter, related to pollution of seas and inland waterways, has come up in the Lok Sabha. The government has clarified that not only the existing ships in India but also the new ships or ships under construction have been asked to comply with various anti-pollution measures before they begin their operations.
Source: The Statesman
6. Warehousing: Growth’s on a solid foundation : LOGISTICS
The warehousing sector in India has been on a high growth trajectory in recent years. Its first major stimulus came through the introduction of the GST regime in 2017, which saw the sector growing from 35 million sq ft (MSF) during 2015-17 to 77 MSF over 2018-20. And since last year Covid-19 has been accelerating its rise as one of India’s sunrise sectors, with analysts expecting leasing activity to touch new highs as the pandemic reinforces the need for a robust supply chain.
Real estate consultancy CBRE has projected that warehouse leasing, which reached a historic peak of 32 MSF in 2019, will touch nearly 100 MSF in the next three years. Its Chairman (India, South-East Asia, Middle East and Africa) Anshuman Magazine points out that even before Covid-19, global manufacturing was witnessing a visible shift towards alternative hubs.
Source: Financial Express
7. AI’s role in revolutionising the logistics in the post-pandemic era : LOGISTICS
Implementing Artificial intelligence (AI) is allowing companies to see more clearly in a post-COVID world. A study by Deloitte highlighted that 79 per cent of manufacturers intend to increase their AI investment in the upcoming years. AI empowers businesses to quickly act upon actionable insights drawn from multiple sources such as point-of-sale systems, social media, eCommerce orders, etc., to carve out future demand. AI helps supply chain stakeholders determine the demand for specific products and stock inventory accordingly.
AI and data analytics put together can bring visibility to the entire supply chain. It could limit disruption, minimise under- or over-stocks, and boost profitability. Besides, AI-led automation can trigger a notification with various stakeholders like warehouse managers and end-customer alerting to take relevant actions. Data say that nearly 47 per cent of customers change their preferred store if the product they are interested in is running out of stock.
Source: Express Pharma
8. Railways terminates Rs 30,000 cr private passenger train bid process; fresh tenders soon : RAILWAYS
The Union Railway Ministry has decided to terminate the ongoing bidding process for private passenger trains after a tepid response from bidders owing to contract rules mostly favouring the Indian Railways.
A government source close to the development told BusinessToday.In, “The current tenders for private train operations will be discharged and fresh bids with changes in the provision for private participation will be rolled out soon.”
“The ministry has started work on fresh bids with learnings from the recent tendering process,” the source added.
Source: Business Today
9. Cycles onboard trains, Pune Metro shows the way: Hardeep Singh Puri: METRO
Maha Metro’s managing director Dr Brijesh Dixit and officials of Pune Metro travelled through the metro from Phugewadi to Sant Tukaram Nagar and vice versa carrying bicycles onboard the train on Thursday.
Pune Metro on Thursday conducted a trial run with bicycles onboard the trains between Sant Tukaram Nagar station and Phugewadi station. “The work of Pune Metro is going in full swing. In the coming months, the metro service will be operational for the public. Maha Metro has taken a revolutionary step so that passengers while commuting can carry bicycles onboard the train,” said Hemant Sonawane, spokesperson for Maha Metro, the agency in charge of Pune Metro.
10. Rs200cr to be spent for refurbishing and rebuilding SEEPZ: Commerce Minister: BUSINESS PARKS/ ECONOMIC ZONES
The Centre is working on a policy that will enable companies desirous of exiting SEEPZ Special Economic Zone to do it in a time-bound manner and enable new companies to take their place. This was stated by Shri Piyush Goyal in Mumbai today. The Union Minister for Commerce and Industry announced this during a meeting with Export Promotion Councils, Commodity Boards and Authorities and other stakeholders in Mumbai, to discuss measures to enhance and increase exports. Source: IIFL Securities
11. India proposes new green energy rules to promote renewable power: RENEWABLE ENERGY
The Indian government has proposed a new set of rules “Draft Electricity (promoting renewable energy through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2021” for purchase and consumption of green energy, including the energy from waste-to-energy plants.
The proposed rules aim to push for faster adoption of renewable power by addressing various concerns related to the green energy sector. The union power ministry has put the rules online on August 16 and sought comments from all stakeholders within 30 days.
Source: Money Control
12. As momentum for hydrogen builds, electric utilities chart multiple paths forward: RESOURCES AND UTILITIES
Utilities interested in the hydrogen market are considering the fuel for carbon-free generation and for new business models on the horizon.
To the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the future of hydrogen is both clear and bright. As the city moves with increasing speed toward its 100% renewable energy target, hydrogen will fill an important gap by providing a form of long-term storage for when the city’s growing network of wind and solar resources are offline.
“We view green hydrogen as the path forward to full decarbonization, and full decarbonization in a way that is reliable,” said Jason Rondou, director of resource planning, development and programs at LADWP.
Source: Utility Dive
13. India’s Highway Construction Is in the Fast Lane : ROADS AND HIGHWAYS
To boost growth, India is aggressively developing its transportation infrastructure, including railways, roads and even commercial waterways. When experts look back at the early 2000s, they will observe that India embarked on a construction spree to develop its transport infrastructure. The country is emulating what the United States and Europe did in the previous century and what China and East Asia have done more recently. Traditionally, India focused on railways. For the last 20 years, roads have been the priority. Now, the country is also focusing on its 116 rivers and long coastline to develop commercial waterways. Source: Fair Observer
14. National Monetisation Pipeline: Road assets worth Rs 1.60 lakh cr to be monetised over 4 years: ROADS AND HIGHWAYS
Road assets worth Rs 1.60 lakh crore will be monetised over four years till FY25 under the ambitious national asset monetisation plan announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday.
Sitharaman said the asset monetisation does not involve selling of land and it is about monetising brownfield assets.
Source: Free Press Journal
15. The U.N.’s Terrifying Climate Report : WATER & ENVIRONMENT
Scientists predict hotter heat waves and worse flooding in the decades ahead, but the catastrophe is evident everywhere this summer.
In 1988, the World Meteorological Organization teamed up with the United Nations Environment Programme to form a body with an even more cumbersome title, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or, as it quickly became known, the I.P.C.C. The I.P.C.C.’s structure was every bit as ungainly as its name. Any report that the group issued had to be approved not just by the researchers who collaborated on it but also by the governments of the member countries, which today number a hundred and ninety-five.
Source: The New Yorker
