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.
75 percent of new electricity sources were renewable in 2019
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, new green energy hit an all-time high in 2019 with almost 75 percent of new energy generation coming from renewable sources. Solar, wind, and other green energy sources now make up one-third of the world’s power as fossil fuel plants Read More...
A startup called Platio just installed the first solar home driveway
Back in 2018, Hungary-based tech company Platio announced its goal of introducing the world to the aesthetically-pleasing solar pavement, which could partially replace home driveways and provide clean energy to households. Flash forward two years, and Platio has just installed its first solar Read More...
This experimental housing complex holds the key to a clean, stable grid
In the small town of Basalt, Colorado, a small housing development that was meant to stand as a bulwark against skyrocketing housing prices is now dually serving as a living laboratory for testing advanced power grid technologies. The hope is that, one day, these technologies could turn every home Read More...
Tequila ingredient shows potential as an efficient and eco-friendly biofuel
Agave, the desert plant most commonly known for producing the notorious tequila drink in Mexico, shows promise to expand its purpose beyond producing a party starter to become an efficient and environment-friendly biofuel. After analyzing agave’s ability to produce bioethanol, scientists from Read More...
Researcher says COVID-19 will reduce European emissions by 24 percent
Yesterday we shared a story about how the COVID-19 outbreak demonstrates society’s ability to act fast in the face of a crisis. If we choose to apply this amazing human capacity for action to the climate crisis, we may already have a bit of a head start with massive emissions drops due to the Read More...
Agrivoltaics: The mission to combine agriculture with solar farming
Are fields of open, often fertile land better used for producing renewable energy or food? The United States already hosts more than 2 million solar installations, and photovoltaic capacity is projected to more than double over the next five years. Meanwhile, our growing global population means Read More...
Global wind energy capacity hits all time high; it grew by a fifth last year
The past year was a good one for renewables as the world’s wind power capacity grew by almost a fifth in 2019, boosted by a boom of wind farms in China and the US. The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) found that wind power capacity grew by 60.4 gigawatts, or 19 percent, compared with 2018, in Read More...
The UK’s parliament pension fund is dumping fossil fuel investments
Good news from the clean energy front in the UK: The Parliament’s pension fund, which takes care of the pensions for members of parliament (MP), has made record investments in renewable energy and cut its exposure to fossil fuel companies. A new report from the £700m pension fund showed that Read More...
Virginia is the first southern state to commit to 100 percent renewable energy
Virginia passed a landmark law on March 6 which makes it the first state in the southern United States to commit to achieving 100 percent renewable energy. The Virginia Clean Economy Act of 2020 includes plans to eliminate emissions from the electricity sector and create 13,000 new clean energy Read More...
The world witnessed a 2% drop in overall carbon emissions last year
Good news from the green energy transition front: Carbon emissions generated by the electricity sector fell at the fastest rate in at least 30 years as countries turned their backs on coal, analysis suggests. Overall, coal-fueled electricity declined 3 percent in 2019, leading to a 2 percent fall Read More...