Energy
Transitioning to a world powered by renewable energy is key to tackling climate change. Here you can find the latest good news related to our clean energy transition, covering wind, solar, green hydrogen, hydropower, and more.
Using solar power to turn saltwater into drinkable water
Fresh drinking water is increasingly precious. That’s why worldwide hundreds of desalination plants are planned or under way. However, most of them are powered by fossil fuels. At the giant Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park under construction near Dubai, a desalination facility goes Read More...
Key climate solutions advance considerably faster than anyone expected
This is music to the ears of readers of The Optimist Daily. An analysis by a long-time renewable energy expert argues with detailed data that key climate solutions have been advancing considerably faster than anyone expected just a few years ago. Just last week, as we reported, a Saudi-backed Read More...
Schools, offices in India to bank on solar energy to meet power demand
This could be the way forward for many institutions in the state. In a bid to tap the solar energy to meet its electricity requirements, the Kozhikode District Panchayat is gearing up for a `6.64 crore solar power project. The 10 mega watt project, to be implemented in collaboration with the Kerala Read More...
Nissan reuses EV batteries for home energy storage
Nissan has revealed a new home energy storage product created from recycled batteries sourced from the company’s electric vehicle offerings, according to recent reports. The move means that Nissan has now joined Tesla and Daimler (Mercedes) in the offering of home energy storage systems in Read More...
Morocco to host first solar farm in €400bn renewables network
Morocco has been chosen as the first location for a German-led, €400bn project to build a vast network of solar and windfarms across North Africa and the Middle East to provide 15% of Europe's electricity supply by 2050. The Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII), a coalition of companies Read More...
Germany sets new renewable energy record: It had to pay people to use electricity
Last Sunday was a sunny and windy day in Germany allowing the country to set a new renewable energy generation record. Early afternoon Germany’s solar, wind, hydro and biomass plants were supplying about 55 GW of the 63 GW being consumed, or 87 percent. For several hours power prices went Read More...
Peer pressure determines whether solar is going viral
Seeing solar panels on your neighbor's roof means you're more likely to get them yourself. There are plenty of logical reasons to get solar panels on your home, including saving money in the long term, reducing your carbon footprint, and helping homes break free from the electric grid. But The Read More...
French oil firm Total bets on renewable energy with near €1bn bid for battery maker Saft
French oil giant Total is buying high-tech battery maker Saft for €950m (£749m) as it seeks to expand its electricity and renewable energy business. The offer values Saft's shares at €36.50 apiece, a 38pc premium to the company's share price on Read More...
California utility-scale solar energy surpasses wind energy for 1st time
2015 saw a shift in the balance of utility-scale renewable energy power in California. A recent report notes that utility-scale solar energy jumped past wind for the first time within the state. Vaisala notes public records from the California Independent Systems Operations (CAISO) show California Read More...
‘Only solar energy can fight pollution in India’
Adoption of solar power over fossil fuels would be the only solution to India’s increasing pollution, the head of a Supreme Court-appointed panel on environmental protection said on Friday. Bhure Lal, the chairperson of the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA), said that India Read More...