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The air-conditioning industry will comply with the new temperature standardisation announced by the government within a couple of months, including resetting its inventory, without passing any additional costs to consumers. Leading room-air conditioner (RAC) makers such as Voltas, LG Electronics, Blue Star and Haier have welcomed the move and said the move will not only help the industry to grow sustainably by saving energy, but also optimise energy consumption, reduce grid load in peak summers and also extend the lifespan of the units. On Tuesday, Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the government is working on a framework to standardise the default temperatures of air conditioners, including those in automobiles, in the range of 20 to 28 degrees Celsius. The industry will have to go for some minor modifications in the designs and settings of the remote control and its firmware (software embedded into hardware devices) for its implementation and needs up to six months for its .
Britain's government said Thursday it is withdrawing from a controversial international energy treaty after efforts to modernize it ended in stalemate. The UK's move followed similar announcements by France, Germany and other European Union countries to quit the Energy Charter Treaty, which critics say is being used by the fossil fuel industry to legally challenge governments over their climate policies. The treaty entered into force in 1998 to protect and encourage international flows of investment in the energy sector. But a number of countries have faced costly legal challenges over reducing their reliance on fossil fuels and boosting greener energy sources. UK officials said negotiations to update the treaty to better support cleaner technologies had gone on for several years, but resulted in an impasse among European countries. "The Energy Charter Treaty is outdated and in urgent need of reform but talks have stalled and sensible renewal looks increasingly unlikely," said Grah
India can achieve energy independence by 2047, when it celebrates 100 years of independence, according to a study by the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The study titled "Pathways to Atmanirbhar Bharat" also notes India's energy infrastructure needs an investment of USD3 trillion in the coming decades. It determined that achieving energy independence will generate significant economic, environmental, and energy benefits for India which include USD2.5 trillion in consumer savings through 2047, reducing fossil fuel import expenditure by 90 per cent or USD240 billion per year, enhancing India's industrial competitiveness globally, and enabling its net-zero commitment ahead of schedule. "India's energy infrastructure requires a USD3 trillion investment in the coming decades, and our study finds that prioritizing new energy assets that are cost-effective and clean is crucial for long-term financial sustainability," said Berkeley Lab staff scientist and ..
The government informed Parliament on Thursday that it was earnestly trying to sort out with France the issues pertaining to the construction of 1650 MW nuclear power reactors in Jaitapur in Maharashtra. "Much of the conflict of views on the two sides happened because of geopolitical reasons. We are, very earnestly, trying to sort it out and we are moving forward," Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh said in the Rajya Sabha during the Question Hour. He was responding to a supplementary question asked by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on the status of construction of nuclear power reactors in Jaitapur. There are technical, financial and civil nuclear liability issues that both sides have to resolve. India has announced plans to construct six 1,650 MW nuclear power plants at Jaitapur in Ratnagiri which could become the nation's largest nuclear power site once completed with a 9,900 MW capacity. Replying to another supplementary query asked by Muzibulla Khan of the BJD