The Canadian province of Ontario is heading to the polls on June 7th, and the fate of the province’s energy transition hangs in the balance. If the opposition party wins, popular energy efficiency programs could be cut and housing emissions will remain too high, says Niall Williams.
And by the time you read this, Puerto Rico and several other Caribbean Islands will have been without electricity for that long. A German study from 2010 investigated the matter for Europe, just months before Fukushima. Craig Morris retells the tale.
Volvo’s shift towards electric vehicles is not likely to signal the end of combustion engines. Only some serious investments in infrastructure can do that; but in the meantime, hybrid and hydrogen-powered vehicles are still relevant, says Jim Saker.
President Barack Obama discusses the long-term potential of renewable energies and sees the global energy transition as irreversible. Now more than ever, the world needs to embrace the opportunity of clean energy and cooperate on its climate goals.
After strong growth in 2015, there were only minor changes in the share of renewables last year. In fact, the most surprising thing is the change in natural gas. Craig Morris takes a look.
Meeting South Africa’s household energy needs is not just about having access to the grid, or a suite of renewable technologies on hand. It requires tackling the roots of poverty in one of the most unequal societies in the world, writes Leonie Joubert.
Over the last ten years, Belgium has seen the share of renewables in its final energy consumption grow from 2% in 2005 to 8% in 2014. The country is still on track to meet its 2020 objective of 13%. However, because of political bad blood between the different regional and federal authorities, some doubts arise about whether or not Belgium can reach its overall goal. Michel Huart calls for an inter-federal energy vision and an effective collaboration between its different competent authorities.
India is poised to show the value of renewable energies to developing economies. Its new targets, government programs, alongside other factors, seem to be moving India into a renewable energy age. Srinivas Krishnaswamy takes an in-depth perspective.
The Hawaiian legislature aims to switch to 100% renewable energy by 2045. Jake Richardson investigates how the state plans on incentivizing solar power to take advantage of the island’s natural sunny climate.
As the largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, how much coal China is burning is of global interest. According to the country’s National Bureau of Statistics, the tonnage of coal has fallen for the second year in the row. Nevertheless, there is one scenario in which coal use could easily go back up again: high oil and natural gas prices. Valeria J. Karplus explains.
