Feature Article

The global photovoltaic (PV) power industry is experiencing dramatic technology advances and market growth. Over the past 20 years, manufacturing output has grown by a factor of 200, reaching 5 gigawatts (GW) in 2008. The total accumulated installed capacity is now around 15 GW.

The proposal to generate nearly 20,000 megawatts of power by building new power plants on a narrow strip of the Konkan coast is a recipe for an ecological and social disaster. The government should learn from the past experience of such coal-based power plants, reassess the true demands for energy and encourage ecologically sustainable planning, which will also benefit the local people.

The biggest threat to global stability is the potential for food crises in poor countries to cause government collapse.

This paper reviews the literature concerning the energy savings that can be achieved through optimized building shape and form, improved building envelopes, improved efficiencies of individual energyusing devices, alternative energy using systems in buildings, and through enlightened occupant behavior and operation of building systems. Cost information is also provided.

Tens of thousands of Japanese homes and businesses are preparing to put new solar panels on their roofs, spurred by a subsidy plan going into effect this month. It is a step towards regaining Japan's once-dominant position in solar energy, something that has become a matter of pride for the country's policy-makers.

A recent letter from US Trade Representative Ron Kirk downplays the notion that the Obama Administration would implement a border tax on imports from large developing countries to help domestic industry under a cap-and-trade scheme.

How do you choose between a wilderness and a power station? The tough choices associated with large-scale renewable energy projects are dividing the green movement.

Selling permits to emit carbon dioxide is fine in theory, but there's a fatal flaw that means it can never avert climate catastrophe.

Everybody agrees that tomorrow's electrical grid must incorporate wind and solar power seamlessly. But solving the reliability issue won't be easy.

There is widespread interest in biofuel crops as a solution to the world's energy needs, particularly in light of concerns over greenhouse-gas emissions.