News

Democrats in the US House of Representatives neared an agreement on a climate-change bill on Tuesday and said they expected to approve it soon.

"Our goal is to finish this bill by the close of business next week on the House floor," Representative Edward Markey, chairman of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, told reporters.

Power generation from renewable sources such as wind turbines, solar cells and biomass plays a small but important part in satisfying total electricity demand around the world, and is growing at an exponential rate thanks to generous public subsidies and government support.

Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday vowed to push for major changes to a climate change bill that could move through a key committee next week, including a proposal to count nuclear power as a clean energy alternative.

The Karnataka Energy Department plans to set up at least one lakh solar roofs in the next five years to emerge as the number one in the country in terms of renewable energy usage.

About 450 biogas units, based on dung of buffaloes and cows have been installed in the country, which will fulfil the needs of an average family of up to eight members in far-flung rural areas of the country.

E.ON UK, Dong Energy and Masdar have agreed to push ahead with the London Array wind farm, giving a boost to the UK plan to build up massive offshore wind farms to meet its carbon reduction target.

A lack of project funding threatens to undermine the solar industry's already fragile growth prospects, two of the sector's biggest players said on Tuesday, reporting profits that missed market forecasts.

China is considering investing a more than 3 trillion yuan (US$440 billion) in the renewable energy sector by 2020, an official with the National Energy Administration said on Tuesday.

Energy experts believe Sri Lanka should now tap all possible renewable energy sources to cut down on the use of fossil fuels which comes to the country at a high price.

"Our economy will fall behind if we continue spending on foreign oil and coal every year," said Executive Director Energy Forum Ashoka Abeygunawardane at a recent workshop in Colombo.

Every household in Britain should by 2020 be able to cut its energy bills and carbon footprint using "smart meters" and handheld devices to control energy use closely, the government said on Monday.