Somerset biogas plant plans revived thanks to new investment
Plans to build a biogas plant on the outskirts of a village have taken a step forward thanks to new investment. Planning permission for the plant, at Evercreech in Somerset, was first granted eight years ago but the project has stalled since then.
Global supply chain squeeze, soaring costs threaten solar energy boom
Global solar power developers are slowing down project installations because of a surge in costs for components, labor, and freight as the world economy bounces back from the coronavirus pandemic, according to industry executives and analysts interviewed by Reuters.
The new geopolitics of global business
Twenty years ago this week the share price of a startup run by an obsessive called Jeff Bezos had slumped by 71% over 12 months. Amazon’s near-death experience was part of the dotcom crash that exposed Silicon Valley’s hubris and, along with the $14bn fraud at Enron, shattered confidence in American business. China, meanwhile, was […]
Coal Is Getting Even Closer to the End of Its Line
In 2020, Americans used 447 million short tons (to distinguish from metric tons) of coal. That’s enough to fill 4 million railroad cars, which sounds like a lot. But it’s also the country’s lowest annual coal consumption since 1965, and even that barely hints at the historical territory coal may soon explore. A few more […]
Climate Crisis Can’t Be Solved Without Africa
The Biden administration’s plan to pursue a 50% reduction in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 is hugely encouraging. It’s already spurred other nations, including Canada and Japan, to adopt more aggressive plans of their own. But global progress in the coming decades will hinge on what happens in developing nations, especially India and China, […]
Africa Needs Electricity Now More Than Ever, Especially To Keep COVID-19 Vaccines Cold
Solar energy conjures up images of rooftop panels. The depiction is especially true in Africa, where about 600 million people are without access to electricity — power to keep the lights on and power to keep the COVID-19 vaccine frozen. Africa’s economy has experienced solid growth at an average of 3.7% throughout the continent. That […]
Xi Vows Focus on Emission Cuts, End Energy-Inefficient Projects
China will make cutting emissions a focus of its ecological strategy in the next five years, President Xi Jinping said, vowing to call off projects which consume a lot of energy and can’t meet environmental standards.
The Mirtchev Megatrend: A Must Read
Millions of people on the planet are working on alternative energy: engineers, politicians, laborers and analysts. Even more people are the consumers of these emission-free power sources which range from solar to biofuels. In the future, yet more novel types of energy will charge our grids: geothermal, space-based solar, tidal, hydrogen, and more.
Denver Airport Is a Model for Biden’s Infrastructure Plan
Anyone among the two-thirds of Americans who approve of President Joe Biden’s American Jobs Plan for infrastructure investment probably knows somebody in Denver, or catches a nonstop flight from its 25-year-old international airport to somewhere in North America, Asia, Europe or South America. Flying to Paris for the weekend is the latest Denver connection.
UK woos sovereign wealth funds over green investments
The UK is in talks with some of the world’s biggest sovereign wealth and pension funds about investing in British green energy projects, including gigafactories and offshore wind farms. UK minister Gerry Grimstone told the Financial Times that he has had discussions with investors including Temasek and GIC, the Singaporean sovereign wealth funds, as well […]