-
India to Boost Renewables by Over $800 Million in 2020
In India, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has been given an annual increase of 10.62% or INR 57.53 billion (approximately $806.65 million) in the country’s 2020 national budget.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- South Asia
-
Solar Energy Storage Faces a Battery of Challenges – How to Overpower Them
Diesel electricity generation is expensive, unsustainable and harmful to users' health and the environment. But it still dominates the energy mix in emerging markets. Why? According to Alec Macklis at Gridspan Energy, one reason is that solar energy is intermittent by nature, making it hard to incorporate into a reliable energy system. But though this problem can be solved by better energy storage, solar + storage solutions haven't gained major traction. He explores the reasons for this, and presents an innovative energy storage approach that could help.
- Categories
- Energy
-
Uganda’s Thirst for Hydropower Raises Fears for Environment
Last June, Bonang Power and Energy, a South African company, announced it had applied for a licence to build a 360MW hydro plant at Uhuru Falls – which is adjacent to Murchison Falls. It was a further blow to conservationists, already reeling from news that energy company Total E&P Uganda had been given approval to develop six oilfields in the park, to the north of Lake Albert.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
-
India’s $62 Billion Sanitation Economy Is Fueling Entrepreneurs in Renewable Energy
The crisis is fueling a growing number of companies and “sanipreneurs” to cash in by finding ways to turn human waste into valuable resources, including renewable energy.
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- renewable energy
-
Shedding Light on Women in Solar: How – And Why – Off-Grid Solar Companies Should Hire More Female Sales Agents
Off-grid solar companies need large sales forces to reach last-mile consumers. But though they often struggle to build these sales forces, and though there's a large pool of female candidates to choose from, only 35% of their salespeople are women. Scott A. Roy at Whitten & Roy Partnership discusses the false assumptions that keep solar companies from hiring women, and explores the reasons why female sales agents are actually better all-around performers than men.
- Categories
- Energy
-
Nomura Aims for More Sustainable Wall Street Role
Nomura's topsy-turvy history of trying to build a successful US investment bank has made it the butt of rivals' jokes. Now the Japanese group is taking another stab, buying renewable-energy boutique Greentech Capital Advisors.
- Tags
- renewable energy
-
Can an Integrated Energy Distribution Model Turn Around Africa’s Ailing Utilities?
Utilities in Sub-Saharan Africa are struggling to provide quality, cost-effective services at a profit. The reasons for this include their inability to access affordable capital, and their low revenue collection rates. According to Simon Meier at Konexa, this is one reason that electricity access in the region continues to lag behind other geographies. He explores an innovative solution Konexa is piloting: an integrated distribution model that could provide a recipe for systems change.
- Categories
- Energy
-
Viewpoint: Myanmar Solar: Lots of Potential, But a Cloudy Outlook for Solar Energy Development and Growth
Demand for energy has been growing fast, in parallel with the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member’s economy, and solar energy is competing against a variety of conventional, as well as alternative low- or zero-carbon, energy resources for its share of Myanmar’s energy mix.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- Asia Pacific
- Tags
- renewable energy