Energy
Transitioning to a world powered by renewable energy is key to tackling climate change. Here you can find the latest good news related to our clean energy transition, covering wind, solar, green hydrogen, hydropower, and more.
French oil firm Total bets on renewable energy with near €1bn bid for battery maker Saft
French oil giant Total is buying high-tech battery maker Saft for €950m (£749m) as it seeks to expand its electricity and renewable energy business. The offer values Saft's shares at €36.50 apiece, a 38pc premium to the company's share price on Read More...
California utility-scale solar energy surpasses wind energy for 1st time
2015 saw a shift in the balance of utility-scale renewable energy power in California. A recent report notes that utility-scale solar energy jumped past wind for the first time within the state. Vaisala notes public records from the California Independent Systems Operations (CAISO) show California Read More...
‘Only solar energy can fight pollution in India’
Adoption of solar power over fossil fuels would be the only solution to India’s increasing pollution, the head of a Supreme Court-appointed panel on environmental protection said on Friday. Bhure Lal, the chairperson of the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA), said that India Read More...
Elon Musk wants carbon tax and “revolt” against the fossil fuel industry
Tesla’s chief executive Elon Musk says that a global “revolt” may be needed to accelerate the transition to more sustainable energy and transport systems. In a speech at the Tesla Factory in California Musk accused politicians of bowing to the “unrelenting and enormous” lobbying power Read More...
New inexpensive generator can sustainably generate hydrogen to power buildings and cars
The hydrogen fuel cell will be an important component of the emerging clean energy economy. The fuel cell can power electric cars as well as provide electricity to homes and offices. Creating hydrogen in a renewable way is one of the challenges that need to be overcome for the breakthrough of the Read More...
Solar power sets new record-low price, undercutting coal
Solar power set another record-low price with developers in the United Arab Emirates bid as little as 2.99 cents a kilowatt-hour to develop 800 megawatts of a Dubai solar park. That’s 15 percent lower than the previous record set in Mexico last month and much lower than coal-fired energy that Read More...
Renewables reach 5.7% of India’s energy mix
The share of renewables, excluding hydropower, in India’s energy mix has reached 5.7% as of February this year, up from 4.97% in 2012/13, according to data released by the Central Electricity Authority. Energy minister Piyush Goyal said amendments to the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) in Read More...
3 record-setting projects that prove how powerful solar energy really is
When the right technology is used, solar energy can do far more than make your dashboard toy nod its head. It can power homes, businesses and, as these 3 record-setting examples illustrate, help us make our way around the globe. Click on the solar-powered innovations below to find out just how Read More...
UNEP: Export of solar energy could earn Ghana $38 million yearly
This is not a big news story. Yet, behind the story is an important emerging trend. Renewable energy can shake up the balance of power in the world. Many developing countries have plenty of sun which they can harvest and export energy to rich countries. Ten days ago we wrote in The Optimist Daily Read More...
Smart grid uses blockchain to record transactions in its sustainable energy network
Rapid change happens when new technologies “marry”. When the telephone and the computer wedded, the Internet was born. Now, an interesting marriage emerges between microgrids, providing sustainable, renewable energy and the blockchain, the bitcoin technology to record transactions. Read More...