The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is a research institute in New Delhi that specializes in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable development. Established in 1974, it was formerly known as the Tata Energy Research Institute. As the scope of its activities widened, it was renamed The Energy and Resources Institute in 2003.
Since 1992, UNDP's Global Environment Facility - Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) has supported over 27,000 community-driven environmental projects across the world. Despite its grassroots success, knowledge management (KM) within the SGP remains fragmented, limiting the systematic documentation, sharing, and scaling of local innovations. Since Operational Phase 7 (OP7), UNDP initiated efforts to strengthen KM by partnering with national organizations, yet strategies vary widely due to diverse regional and institutional contexts. Examining the evolution of SGP's thematic priorities and KM initiatives, and identifying key gaps and institutional challenges, this perspective article argues for a unified yet flexible KM framework. We propose actionable elements for such a system grounded in global learning, participatory knowledge capture, communication strategies, local ownership and cross-learning, while respecting local specificity. Such a system can enhance horizontal learning, policy engagement, and the replication of community-based solutions by bridging global environmental objectives with grassroots insights.
Approximately 16 million fisherfolk in India depend on fisheries for their income, food, and nutritional security. However, aquatic ecosystems across India are heavily polluted, resulting in significant challenges for communities dependent on fisheries. While research on pollution and waste management in India has progressed, local coastal communities’ knowledge and perspectives are still overlooked in environmental decision-making. To address this gap, we focused on the Chilika Lake area, employing a mixed-method approach. We surveyed 161 fishers and conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) in local communities. Our findings indicate that, although fisheries serve as the primary source of livelihood, water pollution adversely affects the quantity and quality of fish, ultimately impacting the household income. Tourism and agriculture, including aquaculture are considered major contributors to aquatic pollution. While fishing-related litter does contribute to pollution in coastal areas, fishers infrequently encounter derelict gear compared to plastic bags and bottles. Solid waste disposal and management issues are widespread, largely due to inadequate waste collection and disposal facilities, resulting in the prevalence of informal waste management systems. The outcomes of the research highlight the need for targeted education and outreach initiatives in coastal areas to address waste mismanagement, promote active participation among local communities to initiatives such as beach clean ups, as well as encourage practices of recycling and reusing materials. Similarly, developing alternative livelihoods can reduce dependency on fisheries and contribute to sustainable development and biodiversity conservation.
Solar air heater is widely employed in applications such as space heating and agricultural drying, due to their simplicity and cost-effectiveness. In this study, a three-dimensional numerical investigation is conducted to evaluate the thermal and hydraulic performance of a solar air heater featuring an absorber plate modified with semi-frustum-shaped roughness elements. The simulations are performed using ANSYS FLUENT, incorporating the RNG k-epsilon turbulence model to capture the complex flow characteristics. The SIMPLE algorithm is applied for pressure-velocity coupling, and the finite volume method is used to discretize the governing equations. Two key geometric parameters, the relative exit radius and the relative roughness pitch, are varied within the ranges of 0.156-0.781 and 0.0078-0.0156, respectively. The analysis is conducted over a Reynolds number range of 4,000 to 24,000. Results indicate a considerable improvement in maximum heat transfer enhancement of 2.47 times compared to a smooth duct. The maximum value of the thermo-hydraulic performance parameter is found to be 1.70 at a relative exit radius of 0.0156 and a relative roughness pitch of 0.312.
Biopolymer-silica nanocomposites (BSNCs) significantly enhance oil recovery by positively impacting viscosity, altering wettability and promoting beneficial shifts in reservoir microbial communities. The synergistic impact of these parameters could improve oil recovery from marginal wells. This study thus investigates the effect of BSNCs of guar gum (GG) and xanthan gum (XG) on EOR and their impact on the microbial community of the reservoir. For this purpose, sol-gel derived silica nanoparticles were grafted onto XG and GG (1000 ppm and 3000 ppm) using a novel two-step stir-freezed method. Rheological and wettability tests confirmed an increase in viscosity of injection fluid and wettability alteration of reservoir rock from oil-wet to water-wet, enhancing crude oil sweep efficiency. Oil reservoir simulating bioreactors (ORBs) when injected with XSNC 3000 ppm showed the highest recovery of 21.29 %, followed by 8 % in XSNC 1000 ppm, 7.41 % in GSNC 1000 ppm and 2.29 % in GSNC 3000 ppm. 16S rRNA gene metagenomic analysis of microbial communities revealed higher microbial richness and diversity in BSNC-flooded bioreactors, with dominant genera including Acidovorax, Caulobacter, Brevibacillus, and Cupriavidus. The ORB XSNC 3000 ppm with the highest Shannon and Simpson indices showed increased abundance with evenly distributed microbial communities such as Firmicutes, Pseudomonas, and Acinetobacter. These communities are often linked to properties like biosurfactant production, emulsification, and hydrocarbon utilization which in turn, increases oil recovery from marginal wells. Hence, this study establishes an unexplored connection between BSNC injection, microbial community shifts, and EOR.
A marine algal production and processing facility was set up in Navi Mumbai, India for integrated production of algal biofuels and biocommodities that included a number of new methods of production and processing. It included a sunlight distribution-based 100,000 L/220 m(2) algal growth system (open) that was found to give improved productivity over raceway pond at earlier scales; a harvest mechanism based on self-aggregating feature of select algae; a 100 L wet algal lipid extraction unit that can process wet algal paste without the need for drying at normal temperature and pressure using biocompatible industrial solvents. A variety of coproducts - aquafeed, cattle feed, food packaging biodegradable plastics, cellulose nanocrystal platform chemical, pyrolytic bio-oil, biohydrogen - were developed for value-addition. Algal growth in the growth system was characterized by significant contamination challenges posed by the highly biodiverse backwater location until a high salinity-tolerant alga was adopted which resulted in a sustained productivity of 15.1 g/m(2)/day. The wet algal lipid extraction unit (based on a method that yielded full lipid recovery at lab-scale) resulted in an extraction efficiency of 90.1 % +/- 19.2 %. Aquafeed from deoiled algae showed promising results and offers the most immediate prospects for value-addition among the various coproducts developed. Food packaging biodegradable plastics from deoiled algae has shown properties better than those from other feedstock. Technoeconomic analysis showed that at realistically pursuable targets of 25 g/m(2)/day productivity and 20 % lipid content at a scale of 130 ha, algal biofuel can be produced at $ 1.02/L with value-addition from aquafeed as coproduct from deoiled algae. The target range was $ 0.8-1.0/L. The influence of parameters on the final biofuel cost can be summed up in the following order and degree: scale > > coproduct value-addition > algal productivity > > contamination control > lipid content > lipid extraction efficiency.
