Energy Access

Five Solar Village Projects Transforming Communities Worldwide - The idea of a solar village is one that’s breathed imagination and innovation into countless communities around the world. Whether it’s state-of-the-art solar design or powering a tribal village in Africa, solar technology is demonstrating that we can replace unsustainable energy systems with viable solar alternatives and be more successful because of it. (Hans Wittich, RenewableEnergyWorld)

Leading the way - India is working with the UN to tackle these issues on a global scale. UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon is championing two new initiatives - Every Woman Every Child and the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative - because access to energy and improving women and children`s health are fundamental to achieving all our development goals. (N R Narayana Murthy and Ted Turner, The Times of India)

Rio + 20

Earth Hour plunges global landmarks into darkness (video) - Iconic buildings across the world including the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Opera House in Sydney turn off their lights as part of Earth Hour (The
Guardian)

Energy Efficiency

New Broadband Commission climate report confirms technology is the key to a low-carbon future - Governments urged to harness the power of information and communication technologies to dramatically cut emissions. (Sarah Parkes, Reuters)

Oil Scare Turns FedEx On To Energy Efficiency - The rising cost of oil isn't just a hit to the family budget. Businesses are hurt, too. Few are more affected than firms like FedEx. (John Ydstie, National Public
Radio)

New plans for carbon capture must not repeat mistakes of the past - Carbon capture and storage (CCS) promises all the ease of continued use of fossil fuels without the carbon emissions. The UK should be a leader in its development. (Dustin Benton, The Guardian)

Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy Is No Longer a Pipe Dream - In October 2011, the global population reached seven billion. It is on its way to more than nine billion, and it took only a dozen years to add the last billion.
(Peter Ter Weeme, Environmental Leader)

From landfill to green solution (video) - Engineers in Malaysia turn an old landfill into a green energy model for the future. (CNN)

Nigeria: Kogi Biodiesel Refinery to Gulp N2 Billion - The first phase of the Kogi State biodiesel refinery will cost about N2 billion, Governor Idris Wada has said. The construction of the refinery, it was gathered, is in collaboration with the Green Development Group from the United States of America. (Usman A. Bello, All Africa)

Sustainable Energy Policy

U.S. Military Doesn't Drive Energy Innovation, Except When It Does - On Friday, the Bipartisan Policy Center  released an odd study evaluating the role the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is likely to play in accelerating the pace of clean energy innovation. (William Pentland, Forbes)

Sparx Plans Renewable-Energy Fund - Sparx Group Co., one of Asia's largest hedge funds, plans to launch a fund in July to invest in renewable-energy projects in Japan as the country reshapes its energy policy. (Kana Inagaki and Ben Lefebvre, Wall Street Journal)

Rio +20

Time Is Nigh for Global Action, Manifesto Warns - An era has dawned in which humanity’s impact on the earth could prove to be as great as ice ages or meteoric collisions, scientists, government officials and business leaders warned this week at a big environmental conference in London. (David Jolly, New York Times)

BRICS Summit-Delhi Declaration - Five emerging economic powerhouses - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - are meeting in Delhi for the BRICS summit to discuss a range of issues, including increased financial integration of the member countries, energy security and the ongoing crisis in Syria. (International Business Times)

Nigeria: Government Engages Private Sector in Preparations for Rio+20
- Federal Government has held a preparatory workshop for the private sector as part of efforts to ensure the sector's active participation in the global sustainable development forum schedule for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June. (Alex Abutu, All Africa)

Energy Access

Pay As You Go Solar: A Rural Power Solution - While many countries are trying to wean themselves off expensive and dirty fossil fuel energy, much of the world is still waiting on any type of electricity. (AOL
Energy)

Energy efficiency

Ford Focus Electric will use 'build-to-order' sales model - Ford  is on track for the full US launch of its Ford Focus Electric next month, after successfully delivering the first wave of vehicles to commercial partners, such as Google, Florida Power and Light and Microsoft, late last year. (James Murray, The Guardian)

UK greenhouse gas emissions down 7% in 2011 - Last year's mild winter helped UK greenhouse gas emissions fall 7% in 2011, as people used less gas to heat their homes, provisional figures published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change reveal. (Adam Vaughan, The
Guardian)

Sustainable energy policy

AfDB Co-Organizes First Africa Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation - The first Africa Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) will take place from between 1 and 3 April 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya, at the Intercontinental Hotel. (All Africa)

Renewable energy

Nigeria: Enugu to Support Inventor of Wind Turbine for Power Generation - Enugu State Government has promised to support ingenuity of an indigene who has developed a wind turbine that generates 24 kilowatts of electricity at 10 metres per second wind speed. (All
Africa)

Gulf has good reason to back renewable energy - Has renewable energy already lost the battle with fossil fuels? No, clean energy technologies are here to stay. (Yasser Al Saleh, The National)

China seeks UK co-op on clean energy - UK's expertise in clean energy production can help China achieve its ambitious emission reduction targets, said Chinese business leaders who came to the UK looking for cooperation opportunities on Tuesday. (Cecily Liu, China Daily)

Rio+20

Looking to Rio+20, world must act on sustainable development, says UN forum - The international community must "reset the global development agenda" and strengthen its commitment to sustainable development, a United Nations-backed conference in Istanbul heard today. (UN News Centre)

Energy Access

Nokero's Inventor Creates a Solar Light Bulb for Health-Clinics and Schools Lacking Electricity - Nokero International, the leader in solar lighting, announced today the release of a bright and powerful solar light bulb for schools and medical-clinics. (Press Release, San Francisco Chronicle)

Echelon Enables Micro Grids in India and South Africa - Echelon Corporation today announced two micro grid deployments in India and South Africa that integrate distributed generation to compensate for disruptions in utility-supplied power. (Press Release, MarketWatch)

South Africa: Tshwane Moves to Eradicate Electrification Backlog - The City of Tshwane will spend R323 million to eradicate the backlog of homes without electricity in informal settlements. (Nthambeleni Gabara, All Africa)

Sustainable Energy Policy

Volcker rule could raise energy prices, study says - The proposed Volcker rule crackdown on trading and investing by banks could cause gasoline, electricity and natural gas prices to rise, according to a new report. (Reuters)

No decision on carbon reporting? Tories fail every environment test - Defra secretary Caroline Spelman's non-announcement on businesses fails to follow obligations of the Climate Change Act (Mary Creagh, The Guardian)

When the World Tackled an Environmental Threat, and Won (Video) - In 1974, Dr. Sherwood Rowland, a young research scientist, warned the world that chlorofluorocarbons, man-made chemicals found in aerosol sprays and refrigerators were damaging the earth's ozone layer. (Jim Witkin, New York Times)

Energy Efficiency

Kosovo counting on the U.S. for energy leadership - The U.S. government and the World Bank can aid Kosovo with funding and technical support that will permit them to develop a holistic approach to energy diversity and security. (Daniel M. Kammen, San Francisco Chronicle)

Zipcar Launches Its Pilot Large-Scale Electric Vehicle Program In Chicago - Zipcar has launched its first large-scale electric vehicle program in Chicago. (Trefis Team, Forbes)

Renewable Energy

Zimbabwe: Call to Adopt Solar Energy - ZIMBABWE can successfully adopt solar energy as a cheaper alternative to electricity, Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre Chief Executive Dr. Robson Mafoti has said. (All Africa)

GSMA and Bharti Infratel Partner to Expand Green Energy Initiatives for Telecom Towers - The GSMA and Bharti Infratel Limited today announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop and promote green technologies for telecom tower infrastructure in India. (Press Release, MarketWatch)

Rio +20

Time Is Nigh for Global Action, Manifesto Warns - An era has dawned in which humanity’s impact on the earth could prove to be as great as ice ages or meteoric collisions, scientists, government officials and business leaders warned this week at a big environmental conference in London. (David Jolly, New York Times)

BRICS Summit-Delhi Declaration - Five emerging economic powerhouses - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - are meeting in Delhi for the BRICS summit to discuss a range of issues, including increased financial integration of the member countries, energy security and the ongoing crisis in Syria. (International Business Times)

Nigeria: Government Engages Private Sector in Preparations for Rio+20
- Federal Government has held a preparatory workshop for the private sector as part of efforts to ensure the sector's active participation in the global sustainable development forum schedule for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June. (Alex Abutu, All Africa)

Energy Access

Pay As You Go Solar: A Rural Power Solution - While many countries are trying to wean themselves off expensive and dirty fossil fuel energy, much of the world is still waiting on any type of electricity. (AOL
Energy)

Energy efficiency

Ford Focus Electric will use 'build-to-order' sales model - Ford  is on track for the full US launch of its Ford Focus Electric next month, after successfully delivering the first wave of vehicles to commercial partners, such as Google, Florida Power and Light and Microsoft, late last year. (James Murray, The Guardian)

UK greenhouse gas emissions down 7% in 2011 - Last year's mild winter helped UK greenhouse gas emissions fall 7% in 2011, as people used less gas to heat their homes, provisional figures published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change reveal. (Adam Vaughan, The
Guardian)

Sustainable energy policy

AfDB Co-Organizes First Africa Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation - The first Africa Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) will take place from between 1 and 3 April 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya, at the Intercontinental Hotel. (All Africa)

Renewable energy

Nigeria: Enugu to Support Inventor of Wind Turbine for Power Generation - Enugu State Government has promised to support ingenuity of an indigene who has developed a wind turbine that generates 24 kilowatts of electricity at 10 metres per second wind speed. (All
Africa)

Gulf has good reason to back renewable energy - Has renewable energy already lost the battle with fossil fuels? No, clean energy technologies are here to stay. (Yasser Al Saleh, The National)

China seeks UK co-op on clean energy - UK's expertise in clean energy production can help China achieve its ambitious emission reduction targets, said Chinese business leaders who came to the UK looking for cooperation opportunities on Tuesday. (Cecily Liu, China Daily)

Energy access
Energy Access in the Developing World: Biggest Opportunity Ever? - When an energy industry opportunity sums up most of the current trends in global business and is ready for investment, how do you convince companies to take advantage of it? (Peter Gardett, AOL Energy)
Cambodia work on China-funded power transmission line - Cambodia on Thursday broke ground for the construction of a 22 kilovolt electricity transmission line in the country's eastern part. (Xinhua, China Daily)
Ashok Gehlot inaugurates solar power project (video) - Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated a solar power project in Dhursar village in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, during his three day long Feed Back Campaign. (Hindustan Times)
Rio+20
Freetown: UN Family Launches SEFA - The UN family in Sierra Leone has launched the Sustainable Energy For All (SE4All) initiative at the UNIPSIL compound, Signal Hill Road in Freetown Thursday 5th April 2012. (The Parotic Vanguard)
Renewable energy
Wind power: Renewable, job-creating, less polluting -Many recent op-eds in The Sun have discussed Gov.Martin O'Malley's wind bill. To those concerned about the cost of wind energy, I would observe that doing nothing might prove even more expensive in the long run. (Kayla Reisman, The Baltimore Sun)
Electricity Campaign  - Sri Lanka’s electricity sector’s dependency on costly thermal power has increased during the last six months, as the country’s hydro power generation has dropped significantly due to lack of adequate rainfall.  (Lanka Business Today)
Kenya: Kengen Signs Final Sh11.6 Billion Olkaria Geothermal Power Project Contract - The contract will see the Chinese company develop in the next 27 months a steam field-that comprises installation of steam pipelines, steam separators and seam filled control system to deliver steam from geothermal wells to Olkaria 1 unit 4, 6 and Olkaria IV power plants each with a capacity of 140 megawatts. (Ramadhan Rajab, All Africa)
Tanzania: Rusumo Power Project Explained - Rusumo hydropower project Manager Abdula Kabirdin has called on Ngara district residents, who would be affected by the project, to be patient while preparations for compensation were being made. (Moses Matthew, All Africa)
Energy Efficiency
Small hydropower producers in Sri Lanka save billions for the government - They say they help the government save close to Rs. 17 billion annually in power generation. (Sri Lanka Internet Newspaper)
More research on renewable energy is need of the hour - Research and development has an important role to play in increasing the renewable energy capacity in the country, Farooq Abdullah, Union minister for new and renewable energy said on Thursday. (The Times of India)
Sustainable energy policy
Minority business and civic leaders push offshore wind bill in General Assembly’s final days - Minority business owners want the Maryland legislature to use its final days pass a measure to develop offshore wind energy. (Associated Press, Washington Post)
China regulates management of green power subsidy - China has made a detailed plan for subsidy management of on-grid power generated from renewable energy sources, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said. (Xinhua, China Daily