New Zealand is quietly becoming an alternative energy powerhouse. Industrial Info, a provider of global industrial market intelligence, currently tracks 25 local renewable energy projects in the planning and engineering phase that are scheduled to begin construction from 2012 onward. The projects total more than US$4.87 billion in investment value and (more…)

The tsunami that devastated Japan in March 2011, and which was followed by a tragic nuclear power accident at Fukushima, was the second biggest tragedy the country ever faced. The biggest was Hiroshima. Last year, 19,000 people died. In Hiroshima the death toll was 80,000 people on the day of the bombing. (more…)

China installed a record 18,000 megawatts of new wind energy in 2011, boosting its total capacity to nearly 63,000 megawatts and widening its lead in the global wind energy sector, according to the Earth Policy Institute (EPI).

The U.S., which was passed by China for total wind (more…)

The power unit of the India-based Tata Group conglomerate has said it will favor solar and wind projects over coal-fired plants in future global energy investments, citing the increasing difficulty of developing coal projects.

In an interview with Bloomberg News, Tata Power Executive Director S. Padmanabhan said coal (more…)

In a webinar earlier this year, my colleague Kerry-Ann Adamson forecast that that governments will move toward a more prescriptive approach to energy policy. In other words, they will not simply set broad efficiency or emissions targets but will specifically identify the clean energy technologies to reach those targets. Examples are Australia, with its recommendations for distributed (more…)

Bowing to increasing public concern about poor air quality, the Chinese government has approved strict new air pollution standards, including tougher rules for ozone and for particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter.

The new rules, approved during an executive meeting (more…)

A coalition of scientists and environmental advocacy groups has developed a camera-equipped drone they say could become a key conservation tool for monitoring forest loss and endangered wildlife.

The coalition — which includes The Orangutan Conservancy, the Denver Zoo, and two Swiss (more…)

A delegation of water companies and reps from the Israeli Water Authority and the Standards Institute of Israel plans to travel to the Philippines – ahead of IWA’s Water Loss 2012 conference in Manila on February 26-29. The aim of their visit is to promote a better understanding of water loss reduction and smart water management – fields in which Israeli (more…)

Japan’s nuclear disaster last year was more than a large-scale tragedy: it was a wake-up call to the dangers of nuclear power. Germany responded swiftly and decided to pull the plug on its reactors. All over the world a new wave of anti-nuclear sentiment emerged.

Now a consortium of more than ten Japanese (more…)

In a previous post, I discussed the IP litigation in China between American Superconductor (AMSC) and Chinese wind energy system maker Sinovel.

The dispute centers on allegations that Sinovel misappropriated AMSC’s software code for controlling wind turbines and power converters. (more…)