Kerala - Kochi   

CII to launch courses in green technology

KOCHI: The CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, a division of the Confederation of Indian Industry, will launch courses in ‘green technology' soon. The work on preparing the basic structure and content are under way.

The courses are to be launched at the GBC's Hyderabad centre as well as other sub-centres in various States, including Kerala. The Green Business Centre (GBC) has a branch in Kochi.

The GBC, since its inception seven years ago, has been involved in various projects for the development and application of environment-friendly and sustainable technologies.

Its activities are spread over a range of sectors such as renewable energy, environment management, water management, energy efficiency, apart from services in facilitating the setting up of ‘green buildings', S.Raghupathy, head of the GBC, told The Hindu.

The CII has formed a council on renewable energy. The council has members drawn from industry, manufacturers, users and institutions. Its vision is to enable India become a global leader in the renewable energy sector by 2020.

Energy conservation is one of the major focus areas of the GBC.

The energy costs have grown three-fold in India in the last decade.

Excellence in energy efficiency ensures a healthy bottomline through the most productive measures, he said.

The GBC offers services for energy audit and development of specific energy consumption norms for various sectors.

Over 1,000 energy audits have already been carried out. The audits have led to a net saving of Rs.2,000 million by the industry, he said.

The GBC has facilitated construction of corporate buildings, convention centres, airport terminals and public sector units conforming to a green building code, developed on an internationally accepted scale.

The GBC building in Hyderabad has received platinum rating, the highest in the category.

The facility for design and rating of buildings as per Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) parameters is being extended to the residential sector also. Even existing buildings can be modified to receive LEED ratings, he said. The LEED certification services are being extended to new sectors.

Hospitals with LEED certification is an emerging new area.

Several hospitals across the country have already received the green building ratings.

One of the new initiatives of the GBC is New Ventures India (NVI), aimed at assisting individuals and institutions intending to take up green building projects.

It is a joint venture of the GBC with World Resources, Washington.

The initiative is supported by USAID as well as the British High Commission. NVI would encourage creation of green enterprises by engaging stakeholders such as investors and financial institutions.

It would also help partner with local institutions to create support networks.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

CII to launch courses in green technology
Endosonography workshop concludes
Call for open selection of RTI commissioner
Chandy: Mani should own responsibility
Violation of rights: Chandy
Steps suggested for upgrading transport
No decision yet on revival of Rayons
31,225 seats available for Plus One programme
Surgeons' conference ends
‘Judiciary enjoys vast powers in the country'
Xavier board convention concludes
KSU threatens to disrupt entrance exam
NCP State unit to decide on alliance
In Kochi Today

Copyright © 2010, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu