Clean Energy Transition

The Global Solar Opportunity Tool enables analysis and visualization of the technical and economic potential for solar electric technologies ranging from residential rooftop systems to utility-scale installations for countries around the world. The Clean Energy Solutions Center has established this tool to assist policymakers and analysts in understanding the size and location of market opportunities for cost-effective deployment of solar technologies.

Codelco, Chile’s state-controlled copper-molybdenum producer, has inaugurated a photovoltaic plant to supply clean energy to its Chuquicamata division.

ALDE MEP Fiona Hall (UK, Liberal Democrats), who took part in the negotiations with Member States on the Energy Efficiency Directive on behalf of the Liberals and Democrats, has welcomed the deal brokered last night. Commenting on the deal, she said: "Although the text in Article 6 on the energy efficiency obligation schemes is not as strong as the Parliament wanted, it is an important achievement that for the first time ever Member States will have to have a long term strategy with policy and measures in place for dealing with the energy efficiency of their buildings. "In addition, the Parliament secured an early review of the deal in 2016 including of the exemptions that currently weaken Article 6. "Thanks to the changes insisted upon by the Parliament, the directive will now achieve 17% of the 20% energy efficiency savings needed by 2020 - as compared to less than 15% before last night.

Staff from the university have been working in partnership with a social landlord in the north-west of England to examine how new tenants of five typical, semi-detached three-bedroom properties respond to a range of interventions to make them more energy aware – and use the energy within their homes more wisely – over a period of two years.

In “Money Well Spent: Industrial Energy Efficiency Program Spending in 2010“, the ACEEE details, for apparently the first time ever, the total U.S. industrial energy efficiency deployment and technical assistance at the federal, state and utility levels.

Denmark's Parliament has passed the most ambitious green economy plan in the world: it will generate 35% of its energy from renewable energy by 2020 and 100% by 2050.

The 1GW station would involve four square kilometres of solar panels. It’s estimated to be about 2,000bn yen ($21bn) and 30 years away, and it would have to become much, much cheaper to get out there:

While TFETs don’t yet have the energy efficiency of current transistors, papers released in December 2011 by Penn State and March 2012 by Notre Dame demonstrate record improvements in tunnel transistor drive current, and more advances are expected in the coming year.

Recent reports in the media suggest that India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan import anything between 75% and 100% of their respective domestic requirements for petroleum. The region is otherwise rich in other sources of energy which are not evenly distributed and to a large extent untapped. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have large reserves of gas and coal. The entire region has among the world's highest potential for hydro-electric power, with Nepal and Bhutan in the lead. There exists a high potential for renewable energy, with India showing the way in solar and wind energy. Sri Lanka is looking to leverage hydro-electricity and biomass resources for its energy needs.