Experts suggest that designing APV systems while ensuring good crop yields on land where the solar panels are installed, is one of the important ways to increase the acceptability of APV projects in India. Recent experiences from Maharashtra and New Delhi show that innovations related to land spacing are making agricultural activities such as ploughing and harvesting more feasible alongside solar installations.
These innovations that help increased distance between solar panel rows to integrated systems of rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation, and improved farm practices, could pave the way for widespread adoption of agrivoltaics in India (Mongabay, India).
Researchers develop a land conversion pressure map to help conservation planning
While human activities are increasingly modifying natural habitats worldwide threatening biodiversity, focused efforts need to be made to conserve threatened lands and preserve biodiversity when limited capital and resources are available for conservation. Thus, identifying areas undergoing degradation and habitat loss is crucial to prevent further deterioration of land.
Scientists at The Nature Conservancy, a United States-based think tank, and his team have created a Conversion Pressure Index (CPI) that offers an extensive perspective on potential land conversion risks across different ecosystems.
The team used human modification maps to assess the historical rate of human changes from 2000 to 2015 to forecast future alterations and found that human modification was expected to rise by 2030. They successfully pinpointed areas susceptible to further development based on existing infrastructure and resources such as renewable energy, oil and gas, mining, agriculture, and urban sector expansion. The CPI was validated by comparing it with the observed human modifications in 2015, showing a strong correlation between the modeled and observed maps.
Hyderabad's water management to get smart
Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) will be replacing existing traditional water pipeline valves by automatic smart water valves to track and manage water distribution effectively as well as to prevent contamination in the water supply network.
The technology will be a boon for Hyderabad where 30 valves are installed for every 1000 to 2000 households in residential buildings and lineman are required to physically visit each pipeline value to release and close the water supply at regular intervals which makes the process time consuming and inefficient. The lineman has to take additional steps to monitor water supply and this makes the system inefficient and people often complain about lack of continuous water supply. Smart water values are expected to make the system more efficient and accountable (The Times of India).
A software engineer creates forests by planting trees in Pune and Bengaluru
Tormented on seeing a large number of beautiful green trees being chopped down in Bengaluru, Kapil Sharma a software engineer decided to do something about it. He began visiting government offices to understand his role and capacity as a citizen and started planting saplings on weekends. As more and more people started joining him he started SayTrees - a non-profit organisation dedicated to creating urban and rural forests, and rejuvenating lakes with support from corporations and the community.
The organisation also started working on water conservation after realising that after planting saplings during the monsoon, it became challenging to find water to sustain them in the summer.
A pioneering startup develops water from thin air
Scientists from Uravu lab inform that there is an average of two billion litres of water in the 100 metres of Bengaluru’s air column at any given time and harnessing this water could help to address the city’s drinking water crisis to some extent.
At Uravu Labs, air moisture is absorbed using a liquid desiccant and then processed through a desorption method to convert it into water. This water is purified and enriched with essential minerals and bottled for consumption. Uravu labs uses liquid desiccant instead of the more popular condensation technology which is both more affordable and efficient, currently producing over 4,000 litres per day (Mongabay, India).
(https://www.indiawaterportal.org/articles/agrivoltaics-set-gain-fresh-boost-india)
(The content of this article reflects the views of writers and contributors, not necessarily those of the publisher and editor. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only)
By Aarti Kelkar Khambete
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