Cleantech

Germany is still adding a lot of solar PV capacity

To GreenTech Media : ” Germany installed more than 2 gigawatts of solar in the month of December alone. (…) Installations for the full year will be nearly 7 gigawatts according to the German Solar Industry Association (BSW).” The article goes further : ” According to the BSW, solar power contributes approximately three percent of the German electricity […]

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The triple crisis, two years on

One of my very first post in 2010 was about what I was calling the triple crisis. As I noted back then ” our economies are crumbling, our climate is warming and our energy supplies are getting scarcer. “ You would think that after two years, we would have started to do something about them.

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Hawaii could be entirely powered by geothermal

Could Hawaii be entirely powered by geothermal, just like Iceland ? To Industry Intelligence : ” Hawaii Island has geothermal potential of 500 to 700 MW, enough to easily exceed its energy demand of 90 to 185 MW “ You think this would be a  senseless move ? Think again, to the report carried out

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China unveils huge wind energy plans

Here are some great news for climate and quite bad news for America and Europe : China unveiled last week massive wind energy plans. The People’s Republic is willing to seriously expand the renewable energy industry. Indeed from the current 40 GW of capacity, it is planning to reach ” 200 GW, 400 GW and

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The international year of sustainable energy for all

Here is why cleantech will be a buzzword all throughout 2012 : the United Nations declared this year will be the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. As Catherine Banet notes on her blog : ” (the) aim is twofold: increase awareness and find solutions on access to energy (with the objective of universal

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China to increase – again – its efforts

The situation is critical in the People’s Republic of China as everyday it is becoming more and more evident than business-as-usual scenario would doom the country, and the world. As the air pollution in Beijing is reaching truly horrifing levels the local government has called to ” reduce emissions of “major pollutants” by as much

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Toward super efficient solar panels

I came across two news today that could revolutionize solar panels by drastically increasing their efficiency. Given the current potential of this energy source with today’s technology, tomorrow will be bright for solar ! To the MIT Technology Review :” Replacing flat panels with three dimensional structures (see left) can significantly change the economics of

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Mixed feelings about the Durban climate talks

As you sure know, the Durban Climate talks ended Sunday. There are some good news, but they are mostly bad. Good news first : The Kyoto Protocol has been extended until 2017. Another good news : the Durban agreement was the first ever to bind all countries to act on climate change. Sure, this is

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How Africa is embracing cleantech

I have recently noted that cleantech is booming globally, but what does it mean for Africa ? In today’s post I will try to give a few answers to this crucial question as still 600 million Africans have no access to electricity. To a study titled Mega Trends in Africa: A bright vision for the

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One trillion dollars has been invested in cleantech

According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, a trillion dollars – that’s a thousand billion, or 748 billion euros – has been invested in renewable energies, energy efficiency and smart energy technologies since 2004. As stated in the article : ” Annual clean energy investment has risen nearly five-fold, from $52bn (39 billion euros) in 2004

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