Chief Minister MK Stalin inaugurated Phase-I of CapitaLand Investment Limited’s (CLI) International Tech Park, which is considered to be the first park certified by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) as ‘Net Zero’ – a rating for energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste management. Located along Chennai’s newest and fastest-growing IT corridors, the 5 million square foot business park will offer four Grade A office blocks with the capacity to house over 50,000 IT service professionals. Read More

Central Railway received the “Shunya Label” from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) for two Net Zero Energy Buildings (Senior Secondary Railway School and the Administrative Building of the Zonal Railway Training Institute (ZRTI)) on October 2023. The Administrative Building boasts a connected load of 288.48 KW, a built-up area of 6503 sqm, an annual energy consumption of 40,379 kWh, and an annual energy generation of 237,484 kWh. Its Energy Performance Index stands at (-) 30.3 kWh/sqm/year, and it has been awarded the “Shunya Plus” label. The Senior Secondary Railway School has a 42 KW connected load, a built-up area of 4,126 sqm, an annual energy consumption of 9,752 kWh/year, and an energy performance index of 2.36 kWh/sqm/year. It has been awarded the “Shunya” label. Read More

India’s demand for electricity to power household air conditioners is estimated to expand nine-fold by 2050 and will exceed total power consumption in the whole of Africa today, according to  the International Energy Agency (IEA).

In its latest World Energy Outlook 2023, IEA has predicted that  India will experience the largest energy demand growth of any country or region in the world over the next three decades.

It projected India’s energy supply to rise from 42 exajoules (EJ) in 2022 to 53.7 EJ in 2030 and 73 EJ in 2050 under stated policies scenarios and 47.6 EJ by 2030 and 60.3 EJ by 2050 as per announced pledges. Read More

The Government of India has launched a Standards & Labeling scheme for solar panels on October 20, 2023. The program was inaugurated by the Honorable Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy, R. K. Singh. This initiative will make it easier for citizens to make informed and judicious decisions when purchasing solar photovoltaic modules. The star labeling scheme, prepared by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) for PV modules, will be effective from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025. Abhay Bakre, the Director General of BEE, stated that from now till the year 2030, at least 200 GW of solar panels are expected to be added. Read More

The IEA published a report providing policy-oriented recommendations and guidelines tailored to different stages of the process for adopting efficient grid-interactive solutions in buildings. These recommendations are aimed to support Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) policy makers in their policy development to create an energy-efficient and grid-interactive built environment. Read Report

The George D. Aiken Center, home of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont, has officially become a net zero energy building. Located at UVM’s central campus, the Aiken Center now produces as much or more energy than it uses on an annual basis. Read More

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA) through its Sri Lanka Energy Program, introduced the National Energy Benchmarking Portal (NEBP). This innovative platform is designed to assist businesses in curbing electricity consumption by promoting efficient practices and conservation methods, thereby addressing the challenges posed by escalating energy costs. The launch of NEBP marks a significant step toward a more sustainable and energy-efficient future for businesses in Sri Lanka.  Read More

IGBC awarded the Chennai Central Railway Station platinum certificate for achieving net-zero energy consumption. 1.80 MW solar has been installed on the roof of the platform shelters and station building, saving INR 10.75 crore annually. This meets the daytime power needs of the facility. Furthermore, the station was retrofitted with 7,000 LED bulbs and energy-efficient BLDC fans, and a waste-water recycling plant. Read More

The Stack, a new landmark in Vancouver’s downtown, has opened as the first office tower in North America built to zero carbon standards and certified by the Canada Green Building Council. Owned by Oxford Properties Group and CPP Investments, the 37-story tower features innovative sustainability measures, including low-carbon systems and smart technology for energy management. It also prioritizes employee well-being with operable windows, fitness facilities, and a rooftop terrace offering panoramic views. Read More

A group of built environment industry groups and movement leaders have shared a new collaborative project to rapidly reduce embodied carbon in the built environment. The goal of the project is to ensure all embodied carbon reporting at the whole building and whole project scale in the U.S. (including landscapes and infrastructure) follow the same clear definitions and scopes of included impacts. Read More

The report released from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and energy consulting firm Brattle Group finds U.S. building CO2 emissions could be reduced up to 91% below 2005 levels by 2050 with aggressive deployment of efficiency and electrification and a fully decarbonized grid. This scenario also avoids more than one-third of total reference case building energy use and slightly reduces reference case building electricity demand. Read More

The 2023 Advancing Net Zero Status Report highlights action being taken now to decarbonise the built environment. The report showcases breakthrough action from across the GBC network, including the 35 GBCs participating in WorldGBC’s global Advancing Net Zero programme,175 signatories to the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, the wider GBC network, partners, and more. In addition, the report also highlights collaborative efforts from the market that support WorldGBC’s mission to achieve 100% net zero carbon buildings by 2050. Read More