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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Storage solutions for renewable energy in UAE

Renewable energy is a big business in the UAE, its solar-power sector is growing really fast. It was forecasted that the industry would add 1,000 jobs over the coming two years. Still, a major difficulty remains in how to store the electricity the sector generates for the times when it is needed most.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Héla Cheikhrouhou: the Green Climate Fund goal is to support low-emission, climate-resilient development

This statement was made by Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund in her speech, given on the occasion of World Water Week held in Stockholm, Sweden at the end of last month. GCF is the only international financing institution set up with the sole goal of supporting the UNFCCC’s objective of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Unanimous adoption of the historic global New Sustainable Development Agenda

A new global agenda to end poverty by 2030 and pursue a sustainable future was unanimously adopted by the 193 UN Member States. It happened on September 25th at the start of a three-day Summit on Sustainable Development in UN Headquarter in New York. The new agenda includes 17 global goals at its core and commits every country to take an array of actions that would not only address the root causes of poverty, but would also increase economic growth and prosperity and meet people’s health, education and social needs, while protecting the environment.

Friday, September 25, 2015

GRACE satellites: humankind is running out of water

Twin GRACE satellites, launched by NASA in 2002, provided data for a study of the world's 37 largest aquifers, which  found that more than a third of them are being used at unsustainable rates — they are being drained far faster than natural processes can restore them. 13 of the 37 aquifers, from California to the Middle East to China, are running out of water.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Graphene to improve cars' energy efficiency

Scientists from The University of Manchester working with European Thermodynamics Ltd have increased the potential for low cost thermoelectric materials to be used more widely in the automotive industry. Adding a small amount of graphene to the base oxide thermoelectric materials, operating temperatures of which can be around 700 degrees Celsius, can reduce the thermal operating window to room temperature which offers a huge range of potential for applications.

Monday, September 21, 2015

First dedicated sub-Saharan African renewable energy fund is now fully capitalized

The African Renewable Energy Fund (AREF), a renewable energy fund focused on sub-Saharan Africa successfully reached USD200 million of committed capital to support small to medium scale projects, with investment at the final close from European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund (GEEREF).

Friday, September 18, 2015

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: climate change is a real threat

According to The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development document climate change is no longer a distant or abstract threat.  The annual losses from natural disasters now average U.S. $250 billion to U.S. $300billion

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Long-term corporate purchase commitments for renewable power already have topped 1500 MW of installed capacity

Recently 13 of America’s largest companies visited the White House to endorse a strong outcome in the Paris climate negotiations. The companies also pledged at least $140 billion in new low-carbon investment and more than 1,600 megawatts of new renewable energy.