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Thermal power plants in India emit around 500 Mt of CO 2 annually. All of it is released into the atmosphere untreated. Microalgae, a third generation feedstock for bio-fuel emerges as a viable option for partly sequestering the emissions. Moreover, its carbon capture capacity of 4.8 kg CO 2 /kg biomass, which is very much as compared to terrestrial substitutes like Jhatropa curcas , enables to produce bio fuel hence adding value to the entire process. This paper intends to build upon this idea and come up with strategies to integrate bio fuel production and CO 2 sequestration with the existing thermal power plants. The raw materials needed for algal growth are available in the plant as elaborated in the paper. Thus the bio fuel produced can be routed back to power the plant consequently lowering the dependence on coal. This would help in putting a check on the carbon emissions thus making the existing systems more environmentally benign and suitable for long haul. This paper reviews currently employed carbon capture technologies and methods and comes up with a strategy to subsume carbon capture through microalgae with power plants of a certain capacity. 3 t/day is taken as the basis for calculations in the proposed flow sheet. An alternative of the above is also provided which substitutes the biofuel production with co-firing. This escalates the nitrogen content of flue gas but deescalates the investment. This brings down the capital investment in the plant but enhances N 2 content of flue gas. Carbon leakage is accounted for in a table of atomic balance. It takes care of input and output of carbon. The paper is inclined towards the conclusion that the Microalgae possess incredible potential and if tapped efficaciously could prove to be extremely helpful in these days of power and environmental crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many places are dealing with the problem of water scarcity, especially in the summer months. This occurs mostly in the dry areas with hot climates that are exposed to intensive solar insolation which are the main driver for the evaporation of water. Some companies that are in charge of water service, and are operating open water reservoirs, have developed a solution to cover the water with floating balls to limit the solar insolation and to mitigate the evaporation of water. Another good approach is using floating solar panels for the same cause, which will provide an additional power source. It can enhance the productivity of hydropower plants with reservoirs. An additional benefit of the solution is the amount of the available water surfaces for placing the solar panels, instead of potentially useful areas for other purposes (agriculture, buildings ...). This paper reviews the current development of the technology, potentials, and best practices. It shows that this technology is feasible and can compete with other power sources, considering the cheapest LCOE being 46 USD/MWh for a 50 MW power plant in Uttar Pradesh, India. [Display omitted] • FPV is feasible, with LCOE as low as 46 USD/MWh for a 50 MW power plant in Uttar Pradesh, India. • FPV improves water retention in open reservoirs while improving efficiency of PV panels. • Asian countries have recognized potentials of FPV and have the largest plants (150 MW construction in Huainan, China). • Developers from EU have key knowledge for development of FPV projects, why their development should be supported there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]