How smart hot water heaters can help South Africa’s energy transition

An estimated 5.4 million electric water heaters in South African homes and public buildings use around 40 GWh of energy per day, requiring 12% of operational capacity from the electricity grid at peak times. MJ (Thinus) Booysen, Associate Professor at the Electrical & Electronic Engineering Department at Stellenbosch University explains the benefits of smart water … Continue reading How smart hot water heaters can help South Africa’s energy transition →

SMEs and the low carbon energy transition

While large businesses have more possibilities to make the low carbon energy transition, Ariel Edesess, Postdoctoral Researcher in Low Carbon Technology at Liverpool John Moores University explains in an article on The Conversation website about the difficulties facing SMEs to do the same. What are your views?   Why some green policies can actually harm … Continue reading SMEs and the low carbon energy transition →

Bushfires in Australia show we need a more systems approach to avoid collapse

Anthony Richardson, Tutor and Researcher, Centre for Urban Research at RMIT University writes on The Conversation website about the need for more systems thinking to address climate change. He uses examples from the recent bushfires in Australia.   No food, no fuel, no phones: bushfires showed we're only ever one step from system collapse This … Continue reading Bushfires in Australia show we need a more systems approach to avoid collapse →

German car manufacturer Daimler making huge investments in electromobility and autonomous transport as it seeks to dethrone US rival Tesla

More and more regularly now we are reading on the business or environment pages about the efforts to mainstream electric vehicles.  Nik Martin writes on the Deutsche Welle website about the plans outlined by Daimler’s new CEO.   Daimler doubles down on austerity as electric era beckons Daimler's new CEO has promised the luxury German … Continue reading German car manufacturer Daimler making huge investments in electromobility and autonomous transport as it seeks to dethrone US rival Tesla →

Why do so many climate change initiatives globally tend to get started, make some progress and then get stuck or even regress?

Matthew Hoffmann and Steven Bernstein, Professors of Political Science and Co-Directors at the  Environmental Governance Lab at the University of Toronto write about why so many actions on climate change starts well but then “gets stuck.” Have you experienced this?   Why action on climate change gets stuck and what to do about it Work … Continue reading Why do so many climate change initiatives globally tend to get started, make some progress and then get stuck or even regress? →

Start-up makes products from waste materials, then ensuring they’re recyclable when consumers have finished with them

Can you imagine that the gold medals at this year’s upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo will be made from e-waste?  Well, they will be.  Alex Lawson writes in the London Evening Standard about a business venture about closed loop manufacturing.  What are your views? The duo using waste to take the climate change fight upmarket … Continue reading Start-up makes products from waste materials, then ensuring they’re recyclable when consumers have finished with them →

Story map from the EEA on the worsening impacts of climate change over the next decades

Europe’s many regions are expected to face worsening impacts of climate change over the next decades. A compilation of several existing maps published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) today illustrates how drought, heavy rain and flooding, forest fires and sea-level rise could affect some selected regions in Europe, including Central Europe, the Iberian peninsula, … Continue reading Story map from the EEA on the worsening impacts of climate change over the next decades →

At Siemens’ recent annual shareholder meeting in Munich, climate change took center stage

If you have ever been to the Hannover Messe in Germany, you will realise what Siemens means to technologies for the industrial sector. So many of the technologies, if not all, extol their energy-efficient features as a major selling point. Last week, Siemens held its annual shareholder meeting.  Steven Beardsley explains in an article on … Continue reading At Siemens’ recent annual shareholder meeting in Munich, climate change took center stage →

Steps UK government needs to take to decarbonise cars by 2035

The UK government recently pledged to bring forward a ban on new diesel and petrol car sales from 2040, to 2035. Many are now concerned about how to achieve this. Ashley Fly, Lecturer in Vehicle Electrification at Loughborough University provides his views on The Conversation website on what it will take to reach the target. … Continue reading Steps UK government needs to take to decarbonise cars by 2035 →