Corporate sourcing of renewable electricity is seen in more than 75 countries

IRENA reviewed over 2 400 companies, identifying drivers, achievements and barriers, and providing recommendations to strengthen the momentum in corporate sourcing of renewables. Agency's report show that companies  consumed about 465 terawatt-hours (TWh) of renewable electricity in 2017.
About 200 companies reported that more than half of the electricity they consumed was sourced from renewables; 50 companies reported a share of 100%. 

U.S. cleaner energy industry's revenue is comparable now with pharmaceutical industry

With $200 billion in revenue, advanced energy industry is among U.S. economy leaders, says report published by AEE, a national trade association of businesses working on cleaner and smarter energy. AEE includes in advanced energy the following sectors: building efficiency, electricity generation, delivery and management, advanced transportation, fuel production and delivery, combined heat and power, advanced manufacturing processes, etc.

Acceleration of energy efficiency implementation in industry as solution to climate and competitiveness challenges

The world's manufacturing industry is responsible for about one-third of total GHG emissions and includes the highest carbon-emitting sectors - the production of iron and steel, aluminum, chemicals and cement. A report published by The World Bank Group A Greener Path to Competitiveness provides recommendations and guidance on how companies and countries can stay competitive while implementing more climate-friendly technologies and strategies.

Average price for carbon offsets looks like a good deal for companies trying to reduce their climate risk

A new report by Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace “Buying in: Taking Stock of the Role of Carbon Offsets in Corporate Carbon Strategies” found that companies buy carbon offsets to accelerate their deep economic transformation, rather than just to create a good environmental reputation.

Scarcer water creates new challenges for energy

Water scarcity challenges industries around the world. The report Water-Energy Nexus: Business Risks and Rewards looks at three regions where industries that face risks related to water and energy supply are finding emerging solutions to address their reliance on scarce resources - the Middle East and North Africa, China and the United States.

Exxon Mobil under climate related investigation

The New York attorney general’s office opened an investigation of Exxon Mobil  to determine whether the company lied to the public about the risks of climate change or to investors about how such risks might hurt the oil business. Many oil companies have funded lobbying efforts and research on climate change, and resisted pressure for years from environmental groups to warn investors of the risks that stricter limits on carbon emissions could have on their businesses.  

After spending $7 billion Shell quit drilling in the Arctic

Royal Dutch Shell announced it will indefinitely suspend its Arctic drilling off the Alaska coast after finding insufficient oil and gas in one of its exploratory wells to justify costly development.

New energy efficiency business model with no upfront costs

Historically upfront costs were the greatest barrier to energy efficiency upgrades. The Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program in California created the ability to use energy cost savings as a source of cash.

Bill Gates claims to have invested $1bn in renewable technologies

Microsoft founder and billionaire  has called for international Governments to triple R&D funding for renewable technologies in order to find a 'magic solution' to climate change.

Energy efficiency financing in Europe – governmental vs utility programs

Well known German economist Prof. Dr. Peter Hennicke, who 30 years ago co-authored the book "The Energy Revolution Is Possible", now is concerned about his country’s insufficient progress in energy efficiency, comparing to other EU countries. Germany, the continent's largest user of energy, ranks now 18th in terms of final energy intensity out of 28 E.U. countries. It has been overtaken by number of other European countries, including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France, and dropped down now even below the E.U. average level.

25 Cents Per Watt for Solar Panel?!

In January 2015, Saudi Arabian company ACWA Power surprised industry analysts when it won a bid to build a 200-megawatt solar power plant in Dubai that will be able to produce electricity for 6 cents per kilowatt-hour. The price was less than the cost of electricity from natural gas or coal power plants, a first for a solar installation. Electricity from new natural gas and coal plants would cost an estimated 6.4 cents and 9.6 cents per kilowatt-hour, respectively, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency. Technological advances, including photovoltaics that can convert higher percentages of sunlight into energy, have made solar panels more efficient. At the same time economies of scale have driven down their costs.  Read more at http://www.climatecentral.org/

By 2050, Most Energy Will Come From Renewables

Recently,  DNV GL, an international energy consulting company, asked 1,600 people who actually work in the field — at equipment manufacturers, power producers, utilities, policy-making agencies, energy retailers, regulators, and equity investment firms — about the future of renewables. One of the main questions: How quickly will renewables be generating 70 percent of the energy in the markets you work with? Almost half of the survey respondents said they could see that happening by 2030. And almost all of them — about 80 percent — thought renewables would dominate by 2050.  Read more at http://nymag.com

Google's new investment in renewable energy

Google Inc. is making its largest bet yet on renewable energy, a $300 million investment to support at least 25,000 SolarCity Corp. rooftop power plants. Google has now committed more than $1.8 billion to renewable energy projects, including wind and solar farms on three continents. This deal may have a return as high as 8 percent it is structured as a tax-equity transaction, meaning the web search developer gets tax breaks that flow from solar systems financed by the fund.  Read more at www.bloomberg.com