DMRC earns Rs 2.4cr through carbon credits

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's (DMRC) green efforts are finally paying off. The agency has earned Rs 2.4 crore ($ 5,42,269) from the sale of 82,000 certified emission reductions (CER) under the carbon credits scheme by the Japan Finance Carbon Ltd in 2008 and 2009. While the DMRC earned Rs 1.07 crore through the sale of 39,000 CERs for 2008, it earned Rs 1.33 crore through the sale of 43,000 CERs for 2009. These payments were received in March and April.

The DMRC hopes to channel the funds generated by the sale back into its carbon credits programme, as well as into research and development of technology for reducing greenhouse emissions.

Incidentally, DMRC was the first railway project in the world to be registered by the United Nations under the clean development mechanism (CDM) which enabled it to claim carbon credits, wherein DMRC earns CER for the use of regenerative braking system in its rolling stock (trains). "This was the first time in the world that the United Nations framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) had registered a project based on regenerative braking,

Under the regenerative braking process, whenever trains on the Metro network apply brakes, three phase-traction motors installed on these trains act as generators to produce electrical energy which goes back into the over head electricity (OHE) lines. The regenerated electrical energy supplied back to the OHE is used by other accelerating trains on the same service line, thus saving overall energy in the system as about 30 per cent of electricity requirement is reduced.

A Germany-based validation organization TUV NORD which conducted an audit on behalf of UNFCCC certified in 2009 that DMRC had stopped emission of 90,004 tonnes of carbon dioxide from 2004 to 2007 by adoption of regenerative braking systems in the Delhi metro trains. DMRC started the CDM project in September 2006.

The DMRC spokesperson said, "The money earned from the sale of CERs will be used to offset the additional investment and operation costs incurred due to the implementation of the project activity, to stimulate research and development activities and to give extensive training to train operators for optimum regeneration."

For more details follow--http://www.delhimetrorail.com

send your feedback at-

flixwave@gmail.com

Switching on LEDs to Save Energy and the Environment

Ultraviolet light can safely sterilize food, water and medical equipment by disrupting the DNA and other reproductive molecules in harmful bacteria. Traditionally, mercury lamps have supplied this UV light, however mercury release from power generation and lamp disposal have generated discussion of harmful environmental impact. A potentially energy efficient and non-toxic alternative is the light-emitting diode, or LED, which can be made to emit at almost any desired wavelength.

LEDs are also more rugged and operate at lower voltages than glass containing mercury bulbs. Thus, LEDs are more compatible with portable water disinfection units, which could also be solar-powered and used in situations where centralized facilities are not available, such as disaster relief. LEDs currently require a lot of electricity to produce UV light, but researchers from around the world are focused on improving this efficiency.

LEDs are semiconductor devices that operate in much the same way as the tiny elements on a computer chip. The difference is that some of the electrons flowing into an LED are captured and release their energy as light. Because these are solid materials rather than gas-filled bulbs, LEDs are more compact and durable than alternative light sources. The first commercial LEDs were small red indicator lights, but engineers have developed new materials that emit in a rainbow of colors. Nitride-based LEDs are the most promising for pushing beyond the visible into the ultraviolet. Some of these UV LEDs are already being used in the curing of ink and the testing for counterfeit money, but for sterilization, shorter wavelength light is required. These short wavelength, or “Deep UV” LEDs, present a number of technical challenges and are predominantly implemented in highly specialized disinfection systems in industrial and medical applications, as well as other non-disinfection markets.

The Joint Symposium on Semiconductor Ultraviolet LEDs and Lasers (CLEO: 2011, May 1-6 in Baltimore) will feature several talks addressing these challenges, while highlighting current efforts to improve the efficiency of nitride-based LEDs. Max Shatalov of Sensor Electronic Technology in Columbia, S.C., will report an improved design for making high-power UV LEDs that would be especially good for knocking out bacteria. From the birthplace of nitride (blue and white) LEDs, Motoaki Iwaya from Meijo University in Japan will describe a joint effort with Nagoya University to extend the range and improve the efficiency of UV LEDs.

send your feedback at-

flixwave@gmail.com