IEA praises Canada clean energy transition efforts

Canada’s electricity system is amongst the cleanest in the world, thanks to hydro and nuclear power, a policy review by the International Energy Agency (IEA) has found. Launching the report on 13 January, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol praised Canada’s leadership in the development of small modular reactors (SMRs) and expressed the agency’s support for the Canadian government’s “ambitious” clean energy transition.

The IEA regularly conducts in-depth peer reviews of its member countries’ energy policies, a process the agency says supports energy policy development and encourages the exchange of international best practices and experiences. Canada 2022: Energy Policy Review was drafted following a virtual in-depth review which took place in February 2021, when the IEA’s team met with Canadian government officials, energy companies, interest groups, research institutions, and other organisations and stakeholders, with information on subsequent policy developments gathered from government and private sector sources. Continue reading “IEA praises Canada clean energy transition efforts”

More than 80% of energy companies are investing in hydrogen or considering entering the market

HydrogenPoll of energy industry ‘decision-makers’ — from oil & gas, power and renewables and investment firms — also questioned respondents on their concerns about the H2 sector. A survey of 170 energy industry “decision-makers” — including those in oil & gas, power and renewables, and investment firms — has found that 81% are investing in hydrogen, planning to enter the market, or considering doing so.

According to US/UK law firm Womble Bond Dickinson’s 2022 Energy Transition Outlook Survey Report, 31% of respondents said they were already actively operating, investing in or researching blue or green H2, 29% were considering entering the market in the next one to five years, with 21% planning to move into the sector in the coming year. Only 19% said they were neither active nor currently considering hydrogen investments. Continue reading “More than 80% of energy companies are investing in hydrogen or considering entering the market”

How to tackle COVID-19 jobs crisis and climate change? Invest in clean energy


‘As the world grapples with rising heat and more extreme weather, as well as an employment squeeze, going green offers the chance to tackle both problems at once.’

  • A report from the WRI has shown that renewables create more jobs than fossil fuels.
  • These jobs must be accompanied by fair wages and work though warns the WRI.
  • But recovery and stimulus packages continue to support fossil fuels.

Investing in clean energy can help economies recover from the slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as it will add more jobs than backing fossil fuels, researchers said. Continue reading “How to tackle COVID-19 jobs crisis and climate change? Invest in clean energy”

Philippines’ Clean Energy Ecosystem

Philippines’ Clean Energy EcosystemThe Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. Sea level rise is three to four times faster in this island nation than the global average, and it gets hit with an average of 20 typhoons a year. Energy equity is also a major concern as 10 percent of the Philippine population still lives in rural areas without access to electricity, and those that have electricity deal with frequent outages.

Fortunately, a small but mighty group of startups is helping the Philippines forge a clean energy future. According to research by New Energy Nexus (NEN), a founding partner of Third Derivative, and RMI, 15 young companies are helping transform the climate crisis—and close the region’s energy access gap—with renewable energy and clean-tech solutions. Continue reading “Philippines’ Clean Energy Ecosystem”

Renewable energy investment in India beats Covid-19 lull

India will need a further $500 billion in investment in wind and solar infrastructure, energy storage and grid expansion to reach 450GW capacity target by 2030.

Investments in the renewable energy sector in India are seeing growth again following the slowdown in the previous financial year due to the onset of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, a recent study by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) found.

Between April and July this year, investment in the Indian renewable energy sector reached US$6.6 billion, surpassing the US$6.4 billion level record in the 2020-21 fiscal year. The findings in the study projected that and the investments have the potential to breach the US$8.4 billion milestones achieved in the 2019-20 financial year before the pandemic struck.

“Rebounding energy demand and a surge of commitments from banks and financial institutions to phase out fossil fuel financing are helping drive investment into Indian renewable energy infrastructure,” Vibhuti Garg, an energy economist at IEEFA, who co-authored the report, said.

Continue reading “Renewable energy investment in India beats Covid-19 lull”

Renewable energy investment hit record highs in first half of 2021

Investment into clean energy projects and companies swelled to $174bn in the first half of 2021, with record levels of public market financing offsetting a decline in renewable project investments.

That is the headline figure of new research from BloombergNEF, which found that the $174bn is the highest total ever recorded for the first half of a year. The financing levels are a 1.8% increase on the same time last year, although the second half of 2020 does dwarf this figure by 7% as nations ramped up clean energy investments as lockdowns began to ease temporarily.

The first half of the year did see a decline in investment into new renewables projects, however. Investment into wind projects totalled $58bn, matching levels recorded in 2018 and 2019, but well below the $85bn invested in the first half of 2020 ahead of subsidies closing or lapsing in nations such as China and the US. Continue reading “Renewable energy investment hit record highs in first half of 2021”

The top five countries for renewable energy investment

A number of the largest economies are now looking towards clean energy sources to help reduce their reliance on high-polluting fossil fuels amid the energy transition

Top countries renewable energy investment
IHS Markit has tracked the attractiveness for investment for non-hydro renewables – offshore wind, onshore wind and solar. Clean energy technologies have grown at a rapid pace in recent years – but which countries top the charts for renewable energy investment?

A number of the largest economies are now looking towards cleaner sources to help reduce their reliance on high-polluting fossil fuels amid the energy transition, making them more attractive landing spots for renewables investment. Continue reading “The top five countries for renewable energy investment”

The Biden Plan to Build a Modern, Sustainable Infrastructure

At this moment of profound crisis, we have the opportunity to build a more resilient, sustainable economy – one that will put the United States on an irreversible path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050. Joe Biden will seize that opportunity and, in the process, create millions of good-paying jobs that provide workers with the choice to join a union and bargain collectively with their employers.

President Trump has a devastating pattern of denying science and leaving our country unprepared and vulnerable. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, he ignored public health experts, praised the Chinese government, and failed to take the actions needed to protect the American people. And as the crisis accelerated, Trump rolled back environmental standards that protect public health — adding to the 100 similar environmental and public health protections he has rolled back since taking office — even though early data suggests a link between exposure to pollution and serious negative health impacts from the virus. Continue reading “The Biden Plan to Build a Modern, Sustainable Infrastructure”

NASA research into the development of clean energy

Clean Energy

Researchers at NASA Ames are conducting cutting-edge research in the development of clean energy technologies for NASA mission needs in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and the Science Mission Directorate. Our renewable energy focus is on advancing biofuels, solar, and wind technologies that also help reduce our nation’s dependence on petroleum-based fuels. By advancing clean energy technologies, NASA Ames hopes to help our nation reduce its generation of greenhouse gases and create a sustainable future here on Earth.

View online video archives of the Council on Competitiveness Western Energy Summit, courtesy of Clean Skies TV. The event was held at NASA Ames Research Center on July 30, 2009. Here’s the press release. Continue reading “NASA research into the development of clean energy”

Sustainable investment funds surpass $1 trillion for the first time

Assets under management in funds that abide by environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles have surpassed $1 trillion for the first time on record, according to data compiled by Morningstar.

It comes after net inflows of $71.1 billion between April of June this year, driven by growing investor interest in sustainable investment funds in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Governments around the world have been stepping up their support for green projects in recent years, both through regulation and through fiscal spending,” analysts at UBS said in a research note published on Tuesday. Continue reading “Sustainable investment funds surpass $1 trillion for the first time”