Alternative Energy

Dec 22, 2011 at 20:00 | John Daly

Taiwan imports 99 percent of its energy, which is vital to its rapidly industrializing economy. The island nation’s electricity demand was recently growing at almost 5 percent per year, but…

Dec 21, 2011 at 11:59 | Tyler Hamilton

About seven million tonnes of grain corn was grown in Ontario in 2011, and by year’s end roughly 30 per cent of that is expected to go toward ethanol fuel…

Dec 20, 2011 at 12:47 | RFE/RL staff

Soaring fuel prices; electricity rationing; early snow -- it's enough to send people scurrying for alternative ways to heat their homes and cook their meals. In some parts of Central…

Dec 20, 2011 at 12:46 | James Burgess

According to Dr. Henning Wicht, director and principal analyst for photovoltaics at IHS (a global information and analysis provider), "propelled by residential and institutional investors who support green initiatives as…

Dec 19, 2011 at 19:32 | John Daly

South Korea currently has 21 nuclear power plants (NPPs). According to government statistics, atomic power produces about 40 percent of the country’s total electricity supply, roughly 18.5 gigawatts. South Korea’s…

Dec 19, 2011 at 19:27 | James Burgess

Renewable energy is considered the future. The best way for us to combat climate change, survive the decline of oil and generally provide cheap, safer, secure energy. However the industry…

Dec 19, 2011 at 19:20 | MasterResource

“Solar subsidies are a placebo which is giving the general public a sense of security about our energy future and is robbing the motivation of those entrepreneurs that could actually…

Dec 19, 2011 at 07:35 | Gary Hunt

“In the past few months, SOLON SE had engaged in intensive efforts to carry out a financial restructuring. It held talks with investors, the financing banks and the guarantors. Today,…

Dec 15, 2011 at 20:00 | John Daly

Looking towards the future, one of the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, China) is seriously investing in wind power. According to the Brazilian Association of Wind Energy ABEEolica, Brazil is already…

Dec 15, 2011 at 17:44 | Brian Westenhaus

New studies from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) conclude that small modular reactors may hold the key to the future of U.S. nuclear power…

Dec 14, 2011 at 17:35 | Tom Murphy

Now is the time on Do the Math when we scan the energy landscape for viable alternatives to fossil fuels. In this post, we’ll look at tidal power, which is…

Dec 13, 2011 at 17:32 | John Daly

Call it a post-Fukushima hangover. On 12 December French nuclear energy giant Areva SA, the world’s biggest supplier of nuclear fuel and services, asked that trading in its shares…

Dec 13, 2011 at 17:23 | Tyler Hamilton

For years the nuclear power lobby has muscled its way into international climate negotiations and asserted itself as a critical part of any serious effort to reduce global greenhouse-gas emissions.…

Dec 12, 2011 at 20:25 | John Daly

Japan’s 11 March Fukushima nuclear power disaster? No problem. Germany’s subsequent decision on 30 May, announced by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the aftermath of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster, that…

Dec 12, 2011 at 08:12 | John Daly

Economic South Asian superpower India has firmly embraced solar power, advancing the target date by five years for selling solar-generated electricity at the same rate as electricity generated by fossil…

Dec 12, 2011 at 08:01 | Bruce Krasting

Yesterday, First Solar (FSLR) announced that it had sold its interests in a big solar project called Topaz. The buyer was MidAmerican Energy Holdings, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. So…

Dec 12, 2011 at 07:51 | Environmental Finance

A global scarcity of rare earth metals over the next five years could be “a ticking timebomb” for renewables and clean-tech, according to consultancy PwC.Hybrid cars, rechargeable batteries…

Dec 12, 2011 at 07:49 | James Burgess

Dams are used to generate hydroelectricity, prevent floods, irrigate farms and supply water to cities. However they also wreck ecosystems and can destroy the livelihood of families and communities, who…

Dec 08, 2011 at 17:31 | John Daly

Since the 11 March disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daichi nuclear power complex, when an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale was followed by a tsunami that destroyed the facility,…

Dec 07, 2011 at 17:43 | Tom Murphy

For me, the most delightful turn of events in the ultimate nerd-song “Particle Man” by They Might Be Giants, is that after introducing (in order of complexity) particle-man, triangle-man,…