China's central government plans to spend 170 billion yuan ($27 billion) this year to promote energy conservation, emission reductions and renewable energy, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement on its website on Thursday.

The ministry said China plans to promote more use of energy-saving products and low or no-emission power generation such as solar and wind. It also wants to accelerate the development of renewable energy, as well as energy-saving technologies, such as electric and hybrid cars.

In an otherwise ‘electricity surplus’ Gujarat, the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, on Thursday announced a partnership with the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) for providing solar stoves and lanterns to its two lakh rural women members in the State.

For this, IFC will provide a partial credit guarantee for a $5-million (about Rs 250 crore) loan that ICICI Bank is providing to SEWA-sponsored Grassroots Trading Network for Women (GTNW).

AHMEDABAD: International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is helping Ahmedabad-based Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) provide energy-efficient cook stoves and solar lanters to its members. IFC will provide a partial credit guarantee for a $5 million loan that an Indian private sector bank is providing to SEWA-sponsored Grassroots Trading Network for Women.

Under the initiative, women from various villages in Gujarat will be provided a loan to buy the combination of stove and lantern, at Rs 2,800 and Rs 1,800 respectively.

Ministry of new and renewable energy has constituted solar energy industry advisory council (SEIAC) to advice it on various technology related matters, attracting investments across the value chain, suggest steps required to encourage R&D and drive down costs and make the Indian solar industry globally competitive.

Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, may finally be getting serious about overcoming the technical and financial hurdles for tapping its other main resource: sunshine.

Thousands of solar power panels have sprung up across Europe over the past few years, thanks to generous subsidies that make the technology an attractive alternative to conventional energy.

Saudi Arabia too, wants to generate much more solar power as it lacks coal or enough natural gas output to meet rapidly rising power demand.

Two large overseas investors in the UK energy market have joined the chorus of criticism of the government's new energy bill.

The German-based E.ON, one of the big six electricity providers in Britain, said national subsidy schemes for renewables such as Britain's contracts for difference had helped "bust" key European carbon reduction initiatives.

And Norway's Statkraft, said on Wednesday it would not be able to press the button on a giant £30bn offshore wind farm on the Dogger Bank until ongoing "uncertainty" was lifted.

Tamil Nadu is now a leader in renewable energy, with one of the largest regional installation of wind farms. The state has excellent solar energy potential. It is also blessed with abundant biomass resources.

Being one of the most industrialised states in the country, and known for its excellence in technology, research and academia, the state has the potential to become a global leader in renewable energy.

Morocco plans to speed up tender processes for the development of a 2,000-megawatt solar energy plan, starting with the award this year of a first contract for 160 megawatts to be generated using concentrated-solar technology (CSP).

Mustafa Bakkoury, who chairs the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen), said a winning consortium for that first phase of a 500-megawatt solar power plant, in the southern region of Ouarzazate, would be announced by the start of summer.

Israel's Arava Power said on Tuesday it secured 780 million shekels ($204 million) in funding to build eight medium-sized solar energy fields - the largest financial closing in the country's solar power industry.

Much of Israel is covered by desert with favorable conditions for harnessing the sun's energy, and while Israeli firms have developed a number of pioneering technologies used around the world, the country has yet to invest heavily in solar fields at home.

The government recently set a goal of 10 percent of its energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020.

Industry unhappy over unremunerative tariff in a scenario of rising biomass prices

Amid growing regulatory and administrative uncertainties the biomass-based power producers have sought the intervention of Forum of Regulators (FoR) for early resolution of issues relating to open access, cross subsidy, CDM sharing, penalty clause imposed by certain distribution companies for maintaining plant load factor and the tariff structure.