Rio+20

Rio+20: "We Are Made Wise by the Responsibility of Our Future"- In less than a month, world leaders will gather in Rio de Janeiro for the United Nation's 2012 Earth Summit. (Aiko Stevenson, The Huffington Post)

Environmentalists urge Obama to attend Rio Earth summit - The leaders of nearly two dozen environmental groups called on President Obama to attend next month’s Rio+20 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, underscoring the uncertainty that continues to cloud the historic meeting. (Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post)

U.N. Readies Largest Ever 'Save the Planet' Summit - Next month, the United Nations will hold what is expected to be the largest ever gathering of leaders to discuss sustainable development at a time when inequality is on the rise from the U.S. to China. (Kenneth Rapoza, Forbes)

Energy access

South Africa picks next 19 projects in green energy drive - South Africa has chosen 19 renewable energy projects in the second stage of its drive to cut its reliance on coal-fired plants, and bidders have until December to prove the projects are financially viable, the energy minister said on Monday. (Agnieszka Flak, Reuters Africa)
Report examines how land, water and energy must be managed as a whole - Politicians globally must confront growing scarcity of natural resources in order to enable a transformation towards inclusive and sustainable growth over the coming decades concludes the team leader of a major new European Commission report, led by the Overseas Development Institute, in co-ordination with the German Development Institute (DIE) and the European Centre for Development Policy Management. (Toby Price, Renewable Energy Magazine)
Energy efficiency

Eco-friendly buildings in Ranchi - Like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and other big cities, Ranchi will also get green buildings now. (Alok K N Mishra, Times of India)

Green investment must not suffer in dash for growth, MPs warn - Environmental protections must not be slashed in an "irresponsible" and "desperate dash for growth", an all-party group of MPs has warned. Green investment should play a key role in the UK's economic recovery, the group reports, but accuses Prime Minister David Cameron of a lack of leadership and George Osborne's Treasury as regarding environmental measures as hampering economic development despite the green economy growing at 4% a year. (Damian Carrington, The Guardian)

U.S. Energy Department Offers Hackers $100k to Crowdsource 'Apps for Energy' - Launched a little over a month ago, the crowdsourcing initiative offers $100,000 in prizes to software developers for the best new apps that help utility customers make the most out of a new open standard for sharing electricity usage data called Green Button. (Reuven Cohen, Forbes)

Renewable energy

South Africa Approves $3.4 Billion Renewable Power Plan - South Africa approved 19 wind, solar and hydropower-plant proposals costing 28 billion rand ($3.4 billion) in a second bidding round as it expands generation capacity and boosts cleaner energy. (Carlie Cooke, Bloomberg Businessweek)

Official report recommends step up in PV manufacturing in India - The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) concluded in a report that increased investment and support for the manufacturing industry is necessary for the National Solar Mission to truly "unleash its potential". (Matt Carr, Altenergymag.com)

Asian Power Sector Review: Growth Potential Matched by Challenges - Asia is the world's largest infrastructure market, with $4.1 trillion in power market spending expected over the coming decade, experts told industry participants and journalists at a recent quarterly power sector briefing held by infrastructure firm, Black & Veatch. (Jared Anderson, AOL Energy)

Sustainable energy policy

The necessary allies: Jobs and environment - Two of the world’s most urgent tasks — protecting the environment and creating jobs — both have enormously broad public support. (Bill Drayton, DevEx)

G8 summit urges action on global energy and climate change issues - As the latest G-8 summit closed at Camp David, Maryland this weekend, the eight countries involved agreed that a key component to greater global economic prosperity involves finding long-term solutions for affordable access to energy resources globally while at the same time finding ways to identify and manage global climate change. (Raymond Gellner, Examiner)

Greens' concern for draft energy bill - Environmentalists now fear that the UK government's draft energy bill to be published on Tuesday will end in a new "dash for gas". They want the bill to be guided by the government's stated wish to almost completely de-carbonize the electricity industry by the 2030s. (Roger Harrabin, BBC)

Western Cape wants to be SA green hub: Zille - Opening the first Southern African Solar Energy Conference in Stellenbosch, she told delegates that the province aimed to draw at least a tenth of its power from renewable sources within two years. (TimesLIVE)

Q+A-Where next for EU renewable energy policy? - An energy policy vacuum is looming in the European Union after a firm set of policy goals for renewable energy, carbon cutting and energy saving expires in 2020. (Barbara Lewis, Reuters)

Sustainable energy policy
Global Governance and African Reality - There are few hotter topics on the international agenda than sustainability. The theme has been a mainstay of international conferences, and the biggest of them all — the UN's Rio+20 conference — will begin just over a month from now. Kandeh K. Yumkella, head of UNIDO, the UN agency that promotes industrial development, explains what's at stake for Africa. (Kandeh K. Yumkella, The Globalist)
Water policy needs 'radical' change to protect people and environment - Ahead of Rio+20, a report is calling for a joined-up approach to managing the world's water, land and energy demands. (Liz Ford, The Guardian)
SolarCity: Ditch Your Big Utility And Get A Free Rooftop Solar System - In states with deregulated electricity markets, power providers must compete for customers who can switch to a competitor much like they change cellphone services. (Todd Woody, Forbes)
UK carbon targets 'at risk over local authority funding cuts' - Funding cuts to squeezed local authorities are putting the UK's carbon targets at risk, the government's climate advisers warned in a report published on Thursday. (Fiona Harvey, The Guardian)
Rio+20
Business and governments discuss green economy ahead of Rio+20 - A two-day consultation addressed how to best leverage business strengths in innovation, adaptation and implementation to facilitate the transition to a green economy. (The Guardian)
How Green is My Occupy? Rio+20 Enviromentalists Team With #OWS - I imagine that in the Main Street Media, this will be billed as, "Tree Huggers Meet Wall Street Bashers." You can be certain that something close to this will be the spin put on the conjoining of the still-fledgling Occupy Movement with the veterans of the environmental movement -- the latter now gaining its second breath and much traction. (Jerry Ashton, Huffington Post)
Brazil hotels set to cut rates for June's Rio+20 summit - Rio de Janeiro hotel owners have agreed to cut prices during a major UN summit next month, amid fears that spiraling costs were putting off visitors. (BBC)
Renewable energy
Research paper shines light on competitiveness of solar PV power - New working paper argues that common perceptions about the lack of competitiveness of solar photovoltaic power are misleading and out-of-date. (Bloomberg New Energy Finance)
Tidal power gets a stormy birth off coast of Scotland - Unlike wind, the tides are totally predictable for decades ahead. The turbines, well below the waves, are also out of sight and probably out of mind. And the tidal currents are of course utterly carbon-free. (David Shuckman, BBC)
A Bright Future for Renewable Energy - The current market for the renewable energy sector in the United States and around the world is a mix of challenge and opportunity. However, the long-term future of clean energy is bright. (Phyllis Cuttino, The Huffington Post)
Energy efficiency
Energy Efficiency Gaining Ground in Inefficient States, ACEEE Says - Energy efficiency is gaining momentum in states that have traditionally been behind the curve in pushing such technology, according to research by the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy. (Environmental Leader)
Sustainability Emerges as Key Focus in $53 Billion Architectural Coatings Market - Lux Research launches a Lux Sustainability Grid to assess the true value and commercial prospects of established and emerging "green" coating technologies. (MarketWatch)
LG Electronics Brings New, Innovative Energy-Efficient Commercial HVAC Solutions To LEED-Focused Architects - Marrying innovative design with higher efficiency, Multi V III VRF technology delivers AHRI certified ratings, fast response cooling and space-saving smaller footprint. (MarketWatch)
Energy access
Nigeria: 27 Japanese Firms in Country for Investment- About 27 Japanese firms met the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Dr Samuel Ortom on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of investing in the Nigerian economy. (Sunday Williams, All Africa

Rio+20

UN chief asks youth to ‘make some noise’ ahead of Rio+20 conference - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today asked young people from all over the world to “make some noise” to help accelerate progress on the negotiations of the United Nations Sustainable Development Conference (Rio+20) which will take place in Brazil next month. (UN News Centre)

Head of UN Development Program says Rio summit is about motivation, not binding agreements - The head of the U.N. Development Program says next month’s summit on sustainable development is less about binding agreements than about motivating countries into action. (The Washington Post)

Rio+20 and sustainable commerce: More efforts on the way - There are 35 days to Rio+20, and within about the same time Microsoft will start to act on its dramatic announcement few days ago that it is going to join the “green” ranks and move toward carbon neutrality starting this July. (EcoSeed)

Rio+20 must address the process of change, not just its content - A few weeks ago, the Government of Brazil, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program, launched an interactive website intended to support discussion in the lead up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which takes place next month. (Nick Perkins, SciDevNet)

Sustainable energy policy

U.S. Solar Tariffs on Chinese Cells May Boost Prices - The U.S. yesterday imposed tariffs of as much as 250 percent on Chinese-made solar cells to aid domestic manufacturers beset by foreign competition, though critics said the decision may end up raising prices and hurting the U.S. renewable energy industry. (Ehren Goossens, Brian Wingfield and William McQuillen, Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

China rejects US solar dumping ruling, companies warn tariffs might hurt clean energy industry - China’s government on Friday rejected a U.S. antidumping ruling against its makers of solar power equipment and Chinese manufacturers warned possible higher tariffs might hurt efforts to promote clean energy. (The Washington Post)

CM stresses on developing non-conventional energy sources - Chief minister Nitish Kumar said the energy requirements can be fulfilled only with the renewable energy through generation of more biomass, husk power and solar plates. (Times of India)

Renewable energy

Small Island Nations Banding Together for Hydroelectric, Renewable Power Development - A declaration adopted by 20 small island developing states could potentially increase the percentage of hydroelectric power in their overall energy mixes. (Michael Harris, Renewable Energy World)

Apple to use only green power for main data center - Apple Inc. plans to power its main U.S. data center entirely with renewable energy by the end of this year, taking steps to address longstanding environmental concerns about the rapid expansion of high-consuming computer server farms. (Poornima Gupta, Reuters)

Energy efficiency

Project on Development and Promotion of Solar Heating Applications Launched - Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Shri Gireesh B. Pradhan today launched a project on development and promotion of solar concentrator based heating applications in India. (Press Information Bureau, Government of India)

Small Wind Energy Goes Urban In Italy, Korea, Brazil And Texas (video) - Streetlights usually operate at electricity rates like the ones we pay in our private homes. So having that energy provided by some form of renewable energy, means that every cent is saved and for municipalities, whose budgets are being squeezed, that’s something serious to consider. (Jennifer Hicks, Forbes)

Demand for energy needs inquiry - Peter Hughes said that although his body supported renewable options, he wanted to see a balanced, affordable, sustainable and secure energy policy. (BBC)
Energy access

Nigeria: From Dirty Diesel to Clean Energy - "When I call my family in Lagos, Nigeria, my dad complains about power being out again. Because of inadequate power-generation capacity, blackouts are common and many residents and businesses rely on diesel generators for their power supply," said entrepreneur Bimbola Adisa. (Kathryn Mcconnell, All Africa)
Is environmentally sustainable water, energy and land for all possible? - How do you ensure access to safe water, energy and land in a way that benefits the poorest people on the planet but does not harm the environment? (The Guardian)

Rio+20

Innovative collaboration critical to advance sustainability globally – The private sector delivers key messages on green and inclusive economy ahead of Rio+20. (The Guardian)

Rio+Social Announces New Speakers: Entrepreneurs, UN Leaders and Global Advocates Join the Social Good Discussion - Michelle Bachelet, Ertharin Cousin, Sergio Fernandez de Cordova, Ricardo Guimarães, Kate James, Anthony Lake, Ronaldo Lemos, Mary Robinson, Matthew Shirts, and others to speak at innovative global event uniting social media and social good. (Yahoo! News)

Private Sector gears up for Rio+20 - In a 2010 study by Accenture and the UN Global Compact, 93% of the 766 CEOs surveyed believed that sustainability will be “important” or “very important” to the future success of their company. (Alana Chloe Esposito, Media Global News)

Energy access

Ghana: Bioenergy for Sustainable Development - the Role of Sugar Cane in Africa - Sugar cane has been used to make sugar (sucrose) in varying forms for thousands of years but only in recent decades has its potential as a renewable energy source been exploited on any significant scale. (Francis X. Johnson and Vikram Seebaluck, All Africa)

Energy efficiency

Britain is rising to the challenge of greening our economy - It's clear that with unprecedented pressure on our natural resources and our climate, the world economy needs to "green up". I want UK businesses to be in the vanguard of that move. (Caroline Spelman, The Guardian)

Nigeria: Power Promise a Year After - Expectations for Electricity Get Darker- Against the backdrop of President Goodluck Jonathan's promise of a remarkable improvement in power generation and distribution , the country still supplies barely 3,600 to 3,800 megawatts of electricity currently. (Charles Kumoul, All Africa)

Only biofuels will cut plane emissions- We need something that can deliver emission reductions from existing fleets of planes – and the solution already exists. As a small, maritime trading nation Britain has always been some distance from big international markets. (Ben Caldecott, The Guardian)

Renewable energy

WWF urges switch to renewable energy - An "AGGRESSIVE" switch to renewable energy, in South Africa and worldwide, would be the right place to start reducing humanity’s effect on the globe, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) SA CEO Morné du Plessis said yesterday. (Sue Blaine, Business Day)

Sticking solar power station where the Sun shines- There's always the Sun. It burns four-million-tons of fuel every second and gives the energy away for free. But, while solar power is already generating many megawatts worldwide, the weather and the night tend to spoil things somewhat. (Kenneth Macdonald, BBC)

Sustainable energy policy

Shift by U.S. Muddles Solar Imports Case - Renewable energy companies around the world are awaiting a decision Thursday by the U.S. Commerce Department on whether to impose anti-dumping tariffs on solar panels imported from China, as a little-noticed policy shift by the department last year has made the outcome of the case unusually hard to predict. (Keith Bradsher, The New York Times)

Angola: British Under Secretary for Energy, Climate Change Expected in Luanda - The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and Chairman of the British Business Ambassadors by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), Lord Marland, is expected Wednesday in Luanda for a two-day visit to Angola. (All Africa