Published on: April 14, 2025
Snippets : 14 APRIL 2025
Snippets : 14 APRIL 2025
- Karnataka is set to embark on an ambitious renewable energy initiative aiming to generate nearly 19,000 MW of solar and wind power by 2030, integrating common battery storage and transmission infrastructure. This hybrid energy model will combine solar, which peaks in the morning, with wind power, stronger in the evenings, to optimize output. Battery and pumped storage systems will manage peak demand and excess generation. A majority of the capacity—around 15,000 MW—will be located in north Karnataka, including districts like Belagavi, Koppal, and Raichur, with land already identified and farmer negotiations mostly completed. Some of these projects will operate under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. According to studies by the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) and the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Karnataka has immense renewable potential—1.24 lakh MW for wind and 25,000 MW for solar—though currently only a fraction has been commissioned. Despite challenges such as lengthy implementation timelines and regulatory hurdles, Karnataka remains among India’s top five renewable energy-producing states.
- The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a United Nations agency, has approved a global carbon pricing system aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry, with full implementation expected by 2028. The system introduces annual fees for ships that exceed emission limits, pushing the sector toward carbon neutrality by 2050. Revenues collected will be used to support the adoption of zero or near-zero emission technologies and assist developing nations in transitioning to low-emission maritime operations. The measure was backed by 63 member states, including the EU, India, China, Brazil, and Japan, while 16 countries, mostly fossil fuel exporters like Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the UAE, opposed it. Pacific Island nations abstained, calling the plan insufficiently ambitious, while the U.S. did not participate in the vote. Environmental groups hailed the decision as a significant step but cautioned that it may fall short of delivering strong climate action. The move comes amid growing concern as the shipping industry accounts for nearly 3% of global emissions, with the potential to rise further without regulatory intervention.
- BatEchoMon (Bat Echolocation Monitoring) is India’s first fully automated system for detecting and analysing bat echolocation calls in real time. It was developed by Kadambari Deshpande (Postdoctoral Fellow, IIHS) and Vedant Barje (WildTech Project Lead, Wildlife Conservation Trust), under the guidance of Jagdish Krishnaswamy at IIHS, Bengaluru. Traditional bat monitoring was slow and labour-intensive, taking months to analyse data from just a few nights due to large recording volumes. BatEchoMon uses a combination of an ultrasonic detector (AudioMoth), Raspberry Pi microprocessor, and a CNN-based algorithm to identify bat species from echolocation calls. It generates spectrograms, recordings, and statistics on bat activity, automatically activating at sunset and operating in real time. The system is solar-powered, WiFi-enabled, modular, and can function for up to eight days without sunlight. It costs about a third of traditional detectors and currently recognises 6–7 common Indian bat species, with plans to expand through national collaborations. This innovation aims to shift researchers’ focus from data processing to ecological insights and foster deeper bat research across India.
- India has successfully test-fired its indigenous Laser Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) system, marking a significant milestone in advanced defence capabilities. The test, conducted by the DRDO’s Centre for High Energy Systems & Sciences (CHESS) at Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, involved the land-based, vehicle-mounted DEW MK-II (A). The system effectively engaged and destroyed fixed-wing UAVs and swarm drones, causing structural damage and disabling onboard surveillance sensors. Operating at the speed of light, the laser weapon demonstrated pinpoint accuracy and was guided by radar or electro-optic (EO) systems for target detection. Its high-powered laser beam is capable of inflicting structural failure and neutralizing warheads. With this successful trial, India joins a select group of global powers—such as the US, China, and Russia—with comparable DEW technology. This test highlights India’s growing indigenous capabilities and aligns with strategic government priorities focused on directed energy and hypersonic weapons for future warfare.
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully carried out the release trials of the Long-Range Glide Bomb (LRGB) named ‘Gaurav’. This 1,000-kg class air-launched bomb has been indigenously designed and developed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in Hyderabad with collaboration from Indian private players like Adani Defence Systems & Technologies, Bharat Forge, and various MSMEs. Unlike conventional bombs, ‘Gaurav’ is a glide bomb that features aerodynamic surfaces such as wings and fins, enabling it to glide forward without an engine, relying solely on momentum from high-altitude drops and aerodynamic lift. This design allows it to be launched from beyond enemy radar and air defence range, increasing pilot safety while maintaining strike accuracy. The bomb measures 4 metres in length, 0.6 metres in diameter, with a wingspan of 3.4 metres. It can glide over 100 km when released from altitudes above 40,000 feet and is equipped with a dual guidance system combining Inertial Navigation System (INS) and satellite-based GPS for high-precision targeting.
- A new campaign has been launched in Bengaluru by the Electronics City Industries Association (ELCIA), Namma Metro, and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) in collaboration with the Toyota Mobility Foundation and WRI India to enhance public transport usage among corporate employees in Electronics City. Named the Station Access and Mobility Program (STAMP 3.0), the initiative aims to encourage startups and tech companies to develop innovative solutions for first- and last-mile connectivity challenges, especially ahead of the upcoming Yellow Line metro opening in 2025. The program emphasizes sustainable transport options, including metro feeder buses, to reduce emissions and congestion while making public transport appealing to high-income groups.
- Karnataka government forms an expert committee to re-identify non-notified forests within six months as per the Supreme Court’s directive, aiming to finalize the areas under the Forest (Conservation) Act under Meenakshi negi
- Tiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu is making inroads in cultivating Adenium obesum, more popularly known as ‘desert rose’, a unique flowering plant that has drawn major attention for its novelty as an ornamental houseplant.
- The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has established a new ‘Blue Category’ of industries within Essential Environmental Services (EES), which has led to ‘Blue Washing’—the reclassification of highly polluting Waste-to-Energy (WTE) incineration plants from the ‘Red Category’ to the ‘Blue Category,’ suggesting they are environmentally friendly despite their pollution levels. The ‘Blue Category’ includes less harmful activities like composting, biogas plants, sewage treatment, and material recovery facilities.
- Researchers at Bengaluru’s Raman Research Institute develop a portable, affordable device to screen for sickle cell disease using an electro-fluidic micropore system to measure red blood cell stiffness to treat sickle cell anaemia
- KATRIN stands for Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino experiment, and it is located in Karlsruhe, Germany. Its primary aim is to precisely measure the mass of the electron antineutrino, a type of neutrino produced in beta decay. The experiment focuses on studying the decay of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, which emits both an electron and an electron antineutrino. The energy of the emitted electron is affected by the mass of the neutrino — hence, measuring electron energies helps infer the upper limit of the neutrino’s mass.
