Germany’s once booming solar power industry is declining at an alarming rate, with 20,000 jobs being lost in 2011 alone. Germany once had the biggest solar industry in the world, providing around 150,000 jobs by 2010, but that bubble seems to be starting to burst, as demand for solar technology drops, government subsidies are cut and competition from cheaper Asian … Read More
The main problem with wind turbines
32,000 new turbines are planned, but how many understand the major flaw with the UK’s most popular renewable energy source? It seems at first glance to be the perfect solution to an ever-growing problem. Like the sun, the wind never ‘runs out’, and each turbine we build in the UK provides a little bit more energy to meet our needs. … Read More
COP17: Durban Platform means Kyoto II in 2015
After weeks of stalling climate talks, 194 countries finally managed to agree to sign up to Kyoto II in 2015, after agreeing a new text known as the ‘Durban Platform’. A week ago it looked likely that talks would fall apart as they did in Copenhagen , seemingly with China, India and the US all at loggerheads over signing the … Read More
China, India & the US still at loggerheads after a week at 2011 Durban Climate Conference
Representatives from 194 countries around the world have been at COP17 in climate talks for the past week trying to get Kyoto II signed, but the US, China & India are barely even talking. With global carbon emissions higher than ever before, the UNFCCC is pushing hard for a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, but the two fastest growing economies … Read More
Carbon emissions up as Chinese economy booms
Global carbon emissions are up 6 per cent to 33.5 billion tonnes – the largest increase in a single year, despite low growth in developed nations. According to new figures released by the US Department of Energy, China is now the largest polluter in the world, taking the crown that the USA has worn for decades. China now accounts for … Read More
CBI warns UK of green energy failure
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned that the UK is failing to attract low-carbon investment The CBI warned today that Britain is failing to attract enough the investment required to build a low-carbon energy infrastructure. They claim that the energy sector will require £150bn of private investment alone over the next 20 years, to replace the third of … Read More