Innovation has many faces

Kara Gray of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, and Cheryl Harrington of NSTAR Electric & Gas write about an innovative approach to target low-income multifamily housing on the Electric Light & Power website. Using Vision and Data to Unlock Energy Efficiency Innovation has many faces. Depending on where you stand, it can look very different. Designing … Continue reading Innovation has many faces →

Personal investments in renewable energy on the rise in the UK

Rebecca O’Connor, editor for the Trillium Fund, provides a detailed account of the dynamics of personal investing in renewables in Britain on the Ecologist website. While this is a welcome sign, it will be interesting if we see the same activity for energy efficiency. Any information on this will be welcome. Small investors pile billions … Continue reading Personal investments in renewable energy on the rise in the UK →

US changes stance on funding coal-fired power plants

The World Bank has often been criticised for funding large-scale energy projects – from large hydropower dams to coal-fired power plants – that can have serious environmental consequences and certainly not in the realm of sustainable energy. Michael Shear writes in the New York Times that its largest funder, the US, has now taken a … Continue reading US changes stance on funding coal-fired power plants →

Keep on truckin’

This week the French government was forced to back down on an “ecotax” on trucks larger than 3.5 tonnes. John Litchfield gives a good account in the Independent. What he does not say is that the revenue to the French budget was to be about €1 billion per year and that already €800 million had … Continue reading Keep on truckin’ →

Green financing for industry still a problem in the UK

OILFIREDUP writes about a recent business survey that shows the difficulties that companies are having in accessing financing to invest in green technologies. It would be good to know if there are similar surveys or similar problems in other European countries. British Business Struggling To Access Green Finance A survey undertaken recently by the … Continue reading Green financing for industry still a problem in the UK →

Link of the week

A simple idea – to link up communities and individuals with Renewable Energy Projects and make it possible for everyone to share in the benefits of clean energy production. In 2011 Abundance Generation was launched creating the first regulated investment company that revolutionises the way people invest for their long term future. They call it … Continue reading Link of the week →

Where is all the money going?

UK’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, is determined to cut the green taxes that end up on energy bills because there is a growing backlash to the large increases announced by many of the major energy companies. According to the Guardian the total is £114 (€135), government figures show that £50 (€59) goes on the energy … Continue reading Where is all the money going? →

Texas starting to make big effort in energy efficiency

Texas is known for its oil that has been a major driving force of its economy for many decades. While it did promote wind energy in the past, and possibly still does, it is a state that certainly isn’t known for its efforts on energy efficiency. Jim Malewitz writes in the New York Times about … Continue reading Texas starting to make big effort in energy efficiency →

Company in the news – SUSI Partners AG

SUSI Partners AG is a socially and ecologically responsible Swiss investment advisor which offers together with Sustainable SàRL Luxembourg sustainable investment funds to qualified investors seeking to diversify their portfolio. The funds advised by SUSI Partners AG finance renewable energy infrastructure, energy efficiency retrofits as well as electricity storage and distribution capacity in Europe. In … Continue reading Company in the news – SUSI Partners AG →

New books you need to read

There are two excellent new books that have come across the EiD desk this week. These are authored or co-authored by friends of EiD and should definitely be of interest for those involved in various aspects of sustainable energy Energy Efficiency: The Definitive Guide to the Cheapest, Cleanest, Fastest Source of Energy by Steven Fawkes … Continue reading New books you need to read →