Energy access

WBCSD: energy needs of 9 billion people can be met sustainably - A new publication released today by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) outlines how the 30 per cent increase in global energy demand forecasted for 2050 can be met sustainably. (WBCSD)

Solar powered phones recharge Kenya's conversations - The upcoming Rio+20 conference on sustainable development will try to identify solutions to worsening resource scarcity and climate change, but Habiba Rage may already be holding one in the palm of her hand. (David Njagi, AlertNet)

EDF to Build South African Wind Farms in 2013 after Award - Electricite de France SA, Europe’s biggest power generator, plans to start work in 2013 at the three wind projects awarded in a South African auction to boost alternative energy sources. (Sally Bakewell, Bloomberg)

9 Reasons CleanStar Mozambique is Rio-Ready - CleanStar Mozambique’s founders and investors have this crazy idea that they can make the lives of a few hundred thousand people in Mozambique a lot better, avoid climate-change inducing deforestation, and make money at the same time. (Jen Boynton, UN News Centre)

Rio+20

U.N. chief tries to 'light a fire' under Rio+20 talks - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday urged negotiators here to get past "microscopic examination" of text and produce a clear agenda document on sustainable development that will shape debate next month at the Rio+20 international summit. (Colin Sullivan, E&E reporter)

Rwanda: Hit the Reset Button for Development, Says Ban - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged countries to seize the opportunity provided by the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) to set the world on a path towards a sustainable future, stressing that collective power in the form of partnerships will be crucial to address the challenges the planet is facing. (AllAfrica)

Goals and actions for sustainable future at center of Rio+20 talks - With less than one month to Rio+20, the next round of negotiations between governments to forge the outcome document for the major global conference on sustainable development will take place at the United Nations from 29 May to 2 June. (Press Release, UN News Centre)

This Forest Is Our Forest - Twenty years ago, the world came together in Rio de Janeiro for a historic summit meeting to tackle the environmental issues that threaten the very sustainability and preservation of our planet. Now, as world leaders and thousands of other participants prepare for the Rio+20 Conference, we are facing an even more urgent set of environmental challenges. (Luis Ubiñas, New York Times)

Time is ripe for a global commitment on mandatory reporting at Rio+20 - When governments meet at Rio+20 in June, one defining, decisive and positive outcome for the planet and its people could be a global commitment to corporate sustainability reporting. (Mervyn King and Herman Mulder, The Guardian)

U.N. chief joins chorus urging a non-treaty outcome in Rio - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday echoed calls for a non-treaty approach during sustainable development talks next month in Brazil. (Colin Sullivan, E&E reporter)

Global development podcast: what can Rio+20 achieve? (podcast) - As delegates prepare for June's Rio+20 UN Earth summit on sustainable development in Brazil, we ask what tangible measures the conference can hope to produce. (John Vidal, The Guardian)

Sustainable energy policy

Ellen Challenges Africa At Sustainability Summit - President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has called on participants at the Summit for Sustainability in Africa to promote the sustainable use of natural capital worldwide. She said to do this requires the change of incentives faced by the people of the African continent and indicated that there is a need to put value on the contribution biodiversity makes to the global environment. (All Africa)

India Solar Energy Advisory Council meets for first time - Indian Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Dr. Farooq Abdullah has urged the industry leaders to invest in solar energy projects in the country. (India Press Information Bureau, Solar Server)

Sen. Bingaman Tells Sandia Wind Turbine Blade Workshop That Renewable Energy is Important to US Policy - Sen. Jeff Bingaman said Wednesday the on-again, off-again nature of U.S. energy tax incentives and the uncertainty over federal spending on research and innovative technology presents a major challenge to the wind energy industry and other alternative energy industries. (Power Engineering)

Energy efficiency

Green Growth: Developing Productive Capacity - The move came as negotiators discussed the United Nations zero draft in New York on 29th May – 2nd June. (UN News Centre)

Geothermal energy could meet a fifth of UK's power needs – report - The UK could meet a fifth of its power needs – the equivalent of nine nuclear power stations – by exploiting geothermal power, a new report into the technology has found. (Fiona Harvey, The Guardian)

Surat to be India's first 'Eco City' - After selecting Surat as one of the three cities in the world for a demonstration project for "eco city" development, UK-based charity The Ecological Sequestration Trust (TEST) has decided to spend nearly Rs 50 crore over a period of five years to build a sustainable development model that will be more environment-friendly. (Himansshu Bhatt, Times of India)

Renewable energy

Wind turbine creates water from thin air - Wind turbines have long produced renewable energy but a French engineering firm has discovered another eco-purpose for the towering structures. Eole Water claims to have successfully modified the traditional wind turbine design to create the WMS1000, an appliance that can manufacture drinking water from humid air. (Eoghan Macguire, CNN)

What Electric Grid Operators Want: Good Wind Energy Forecasts - Improving wind energy forecasts is critical for integrating this variable power source into the U.S. power grid, especially when the country has seen a big jump in wind energy generation, according to a report released on Wednesday on whether various regional grids in the country will be ready to meet peak energy demand this summer. (Ucilia Wang, Forbes)

Solar Energy Momentum Building in the Middle East as Qatar Banks Finance $1.1 Billion Polysilicon Plant - Local banks have come together to finance Qatar’s first solar-grade polysilicon production plant, a planned $1.1 billion, 8,000-metric-ton facility being built by Qatar Electricity and Water (QEWC), and Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec), a joint venture of the Qatar Foundation that supports efforts to transform the Gulf Coast country’s economy from a carbon-based to a knowledge-based one. (CleanTechnica)

Solar RECs listed on Power Exchange for first time - In a first, as many as 100 solar renewable energy certificates (RECs) were traded on the Power Exchange of India (PXIL), out of which five were bought at a price of Rs 13,000 per certificate. (The Economic Times)