Solar Power, Clean Energy - Current Affairs Questions and Answers

ANSWER: Council on Environment and Water

Explanation:
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has signed an MoU with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a policy research institution, to launch a new ‘Initiative on Solar for Healthcare’.

• The collaboration will focus on providing effective health care delivery at the last mile by reducing uncertainty in critical infrastructure, particularly electricity supply via cost effective solar-based solutions.
• As of 2015, nearly 35 million citizens in rural India rely on un-electrified PHCs for primary health services.
• The synergy between health and energy are the two specific goals of this initiative, and the efforts within this collaboration advances on both fronts.

ANSWER: Mexico

Explanation:
United States, Canada and Mexico will generate half their overall electricity from clean energy by 2025, according to the White House

• This is an aggressive goal yet achievable continent wide
• In 2015, clean energy-wind, solar and hydropower plus nuclear power accounted for 37 percent of the three countries electricity
• In the United States, region’s largest electricity producer by far, clean energy generates around a third of the total output, placing it below Canada but ahead of Mexico
• The rise in the coming years will mostly be driven by renewables and energy efficiency
• Canadian cities use hydropower to generate 59 percent of electricity and nuclear power for another 16 percent
• Mexico will join an existing commitment by the US and Canada for reducing the methane production by 40-45 percent of its 2012 level by 2025

ANSWER: US

Explanation:
India and the United States committed themselves to establish the US-India Clean Energy Hub as the coordinating mechanism to focus on government efforts in the US in partnership with leading financial institutions to enhance renewable energy investment in India.

• The two nations also agreed on a US $40 million US-India Catalytic Solar Finance Programme equally supported by the US
• This includes cooperation with USAID on Greening the Grid and support to Indian utilities for scaling up use of rooftop solar equipment

ANSWER: San Francisco

Explanation:
World’s Energy Leaders to gather in San Francisco for the 7th Clean Energy Ministerial and Inaugural Mission Innovation Ministerial on June 1-2,2016.

• Energy Ministers from Nations with 90% of Clean Energy Investments and 75% of GHG Emissions to Focus on Advancing Clean Energy Cooperation and Implementing PRIS Agreement Commitments.

ANSWER: Dera Baba Jaimal

Explanation:
World’s largest single rooftop solar power plant of 11.5 Mw capacity was inaugurated in Beas near Amritsar in Punjab.

• Spread at a single rooftop stretch of 42 acre at Dera Baba Jaimal, the project was synchronised earlier this year.
• In addition to single largest rooftop solar power plant, seven rooftop solar power plants of 8Mw capacity were also inaugurated in Beas Dera campus making this place the highest single campus generating solar power of 19.5 Mw at multiple rooftops in the country.

ANSWER: Gujarat Energy Development Agency

Explanation:
In an attempt to scale up the present solar power generation in Gujarat, the state government is now all set to launch its much awaited project of grid-connected rooftop solar power units, wherein residential property owners will be encouraged to install this new system.

• The Solar Rooftop project was initiated by Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA), which is the state nodal agency to promote renewable energy.
• In the current fiscal of 2016-17, GEDA has set a target of generating 50 megawatt (MW) of electricity by installing such rooftop solar photovoltaic (SPV) units across Gujarat.
• This rooftop solar project is for residential consumers only

ANSWER: Waive transmission charges for electricity generated from renewable sources

Explanation:
For providing clean energy projects in the nation, government has taken the decision to waive transmission charges for energy from renewable sources according to Union Minister Shri Piyush Goel. A legal framework will be brought out where all inter state transmission of renewable energy will be at no cost. Therefore, renewable energy will not be charged for transmission across the nation. Government has also sanctioned contracts worth INR 38,000 crore via competitive bidding for green corridors.

ANSWER: Transparent

Explanation:
Stanford engineers Shanhui Fan, a professor of electrical engineering, research associate Aaswath P Raman and doctoral candidate Linxiao Zhu at Stanford University in US, have found a solution which is based on a thin, patterned silica material laid on top of a traditional solar cell to boost its efficiency and cool the solar cells. As the heat of the solar cells increases, they become less efficient at covering photons in light into electricity with can be used. Material of the coating is transparent to the visible sunlight powering solar cells, yet captures and emits thermal radiation or heat from infrared rays. In 2014, the same researchers developed an ultrathin material radiating infrared heat directly back toward space without atmospheric warming. For a typical crystalline silicon solar cell with an efficiency of 20 per cent, minus 5 degrees Celsius of cooling would improve absolute cell efficiency by over 1 per cent, a figure that represents a significant gain in energy production. The transparent thermal overlay works best in dry environments.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) uses the temperature difference between cooler deep and warmer shallow or surface seawaters to run a heat engine and produce useful work, usually in the form of electricity. However, since the temperature differential is small, the efficiency is low, decreasing the economic feasibility of ocean thermal energy for electricity generation. It needs a working fluid with low boiling point and hence refrigerants like ammonia or R-134a are used. In some cases vapor given out by seawater itself is used. Currently the world’s only operating OTEC plant is in Japan, overseen by Saga University. In 2002, India tested a 1 MW floating OTEC pilot plant near Tamil Nadu. The plant was ultimately unsuccessful due to a failure of the deep sea cold water pipe.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
LPG has mostly propane and butane. LNG has mostly methane. LPG is suitable for large and heavy diesel vehicles like trucks and buses. LPG, LNG and CNG are cleaner than petrol and diesel.