Page 138 - CW E-Magazine (27-8-2024)

Top Stories

RENEWABLE ENERGY

India likely to miss 2030 wind energy goals: Report

Annual wind installation in India renewables capacity by 2030. The Inter-
have risen in the last three years but it is national Energy Agency (IEA) declared
well below what is needed for the 2030 this action as the ‘single most important
target, according to a new report from lever’ to cut emissions this decade and
UK-based energy think tank Ember. keep the 1.5 deg C goal within reach.
According to the IEA, to meet the
India is targeting to build 509-GW tripling renewables capacity goal, wind
of renewables by 2030 including 110-GW capacity should also at least triple.
of wind. The report said to achieve this increase from 901-GW capacity recor-
India needs to build 9.3-GW of wind ded in 2022. Reaching a global tripling The report analysed 2030 national
capacity annually from 2024 to 2030. of wind would require an additional wind targets in 70 countries plus the
Though annual wind installations in the 585-GW of capacity. EU, which collectively represent 99%
country have risen over the past three of current global wind capacity. The
years, the current build rate of 2.8-GW “Governments are lacking ambi- analysis suggests that global wind
in 2023 is well below what is needed. tion on wind, and especially onshore capacity will double and that is mostly
wind,” said Dr. Katye Altieri, electri- because China is expected to over-
The report also claimed that the city analyst at Ember. “Amidst the hype deliver and the rest of the world in
national targets by governments add of solar, wind is not getting enough aggregate is on course to under-deliver.
up to just over a doubling of the global attention, even though it provides cheap
wind capacity by 2030, but fall short of electricity and complements solar.” The latest industry forecasts suggest
tripling. that China is set to triple wind capacity
At the UN’s COP28 climate change by 2030, and it will continue to account
The current sum of 2030 national conference in December, countries for over half of global wind additions
wind targets is 2,157-GW, a 2.4 times reached an agreement to triple global every year from 2024 to 2030.
TAKING ACTION
FSSAI launches project to address microplastic

contamination in food products

The Food Safety and Standards institutions across the country, including
Authority of India (FSSAI) has the CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology
launched a project to assess microplastic Research (Lucknow), ICAR-Central
contamination in food products and Institute of Fisheries Technology (Kochi),
develop methods for its detection. and the Birla Institute of Technology
and Science (Pilani). FSSAI pointed out
According to an offi cial statement, that the Food and Agriculture Organi-
the project – Micro-and nano-plastics “The primary objectives of the pro- zation (FAO), in its recent report, has
as emerging food contaminants: Estab- ject include developing standard proto- highlighted the presence of microplas-
lishing validated methodologies and cols for micro/nano-plastic analysis, tics in common food items like sugar
understanding the prevalence in different conducting intra- and inter-laboratory and salt. “While the report underscores
food matrices – was started in March comparisons, and generating critical the global prevalence of microplastics,
this year. The aim is to develop and data on microplastic exposure levels it also emphasises the need for more
validate analytical methods for detect- among consumers,” FSSAI said. robust data to fully understand the
ing micro and nano-plastics in various implications for human health and safety,
food products, as well as assess their This study is being implemented particularly in the Indian context,” the
prevalence and exposure levels in India. in collaboration with leading research regulator said.

138 Chemical Weekly August 27, 2024

Contents Index to Advertisers Index to Products Advertised