Electricity consumption from the manufacture of artificial intelligence (AI) chips has soared by more than 350 percent worldwide between 2023 and 2024, according to new research from Greenpeace East Asia. In East Asia, the global hub for AI semiconductor production, growing electricity demand from AI chipmaking has been met primarily …
Rwanda is set to generate extra 56 MegaWatt of electricity after Symbion Power established a $200 million energy plant on the shores of Lake Kivu. According to the agreement signed with government on Friday, the investor will start generating the electricity in the next 14 months. Unlike most infrastructure investments, …
The transition to renewable energy could result in cheaper, cleaner and more reliable electricity supply for SA, according to a new study. The study, which is part of the Southern Africa — Towards Inclusive Economic Development (SA-TIED) programme undertaken by the University of Cape Town’s Energy Research Centre (ERC), highlights …
China will be able to build six to eight nuclear reactors a year if project approval processes return to normal as expected in the near future, the chairman of the state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) told Reuters on Monday. "That should be enough to meet our country's 2030 development …
Venezuela was hit by a new blackout on Sunday morning that knocked out power nearly nationwide. Twitter users reported power outages in at least 20 of the country's 23 states, including the capital Caracas. Venezuela's Communication and Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said officials decided to extend the suspension of classes …
The European Union's use of renewable energy—such as hydropower, wind and solar—reached 17.5 percent in 2017, keeping it on track for a target of 20 percent by 2020. Each member state has its own renewable energy goal, based on its situation and potential, ranging from 10 to 49 percent. While …
Increased use of renewable energy, combined with intensified electrification, could prove decisive for the world to meet key climate goals by 2050. This study from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) highlights immediately deployable, cost-effective options for countries to fulfil climate commitments and limit the rise of global temperatures. The …
Energy transition is a part of a much wider Grand Transition, which is not all about energy. Energy transition cannot be achieved all at once or by any one actor. Relying only on better energy modelling and forecasting to guide successful transition will be fatal, even in a data-rich era. …
Switching subsides from kerosene to off-grid solar would benefit the millions of Indian households that suffer frequent blackouts or that cannot afford grid electricity. A range of off-grid solar products is now cheaper than kerosene over the lifespan of the technology. Surveys also indicate that people strongly prefer off-grid solar …
Rwanda will construct 18 new electricity substations with the aim of reinforcing the country's energy sector to ensure sufficient and reliable energy access, Rwandan Minister of Infrastructure Claver Gatete said Thursday. "We aim to increase the number of power stations in the country from 27 substations and to 45 by …
America has officially entered the “coal cost crossover,” according to a new report by environmental firm Energy Innovation, which finds that local wind and solar could replace approximately 74% of the United States’ current fleet of coal-fired power plants at an immediate cost savings to consumers — a figure which …
The African Development Bank's board has approved a $20 million facility to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to support renewable-based, mini-grid solutions to the off-grid cities of Isiro, Bumba and Genema. According to the development bank, the green mini-grid programme will serve as the pilot to an innovative private-led …
Eskom's pollution has been linked to premature deaths in Mpumalanga and Gauteng, an environmental organisation has charged. Data from Greenpeace suggests that pollution caused by Eskom's coal power plants in Mpumalanga is linked to 2 100 premature deaths every year. Greenpeace released two reports on Wednesday, March 20: An updated …
The lack of access to affordable, reliable energy is a barrier to development, whether that be powering autoclaves and centrifuges in rural clinics to improve health indicators or powering local agricultural processing to retain more of the value of production locally. The African Development Bank estimates that 645 million Africans, …
Botswana is critically considering solar energy as an alternative source of energy as man-made emissions have skyrocketed, thus affecting the environment, a senior official said Tuesday. Themba Modise, the director of the Department of Energy in Botswana's Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, said Botswana is now …
One of SA’s newest power plants, designed to supply the grid during peak-use periods, is defective and has been limited to operate at lower capacity. The deepest power cuts in more than a decade this month, imposed by cash-strapped, state-owned Eskom, reduced the chances of the continent’s most-industrialised economy posting …
The number of coal-fired power plants being developed around the world has collapsed in the last three years, according to a report. The number of plants on which construction has begun each year has fallen by 84% since 2015, and 39% in 2018 alone, while the number of completed plants …
Solar Nigeria for the People Limited (Solar Nigeria FTP), the Nigerian subsidiary of Solar Philippines has signed a Community Agreement with Ode Omi Community to invest about half a million dollars to build Nigeria's largest rural minigrid. Signing the agreement, the Country Director of Solar Nigeria FTP, Dr. Tobi A. …
The African Development Bank and German's KfW Development Bank will be partnering to accelerate implementation of recommendations contained in the 2018 Electricity Regulators Index (ERI) report for Ivory Coast's energy sector. This partnership arrangement between both institutions was announced during a technical workshop hosted by the African Development Bank in …
The Pretoria high court has thrown out a bid by the Coal Transporters Forum, which had the support of corruption-accused former Eskom CEO Matshela Koko, to stop the power utility from signing agreements with green power producers. The judgment, handed down by judge Pieter Meyer on Tuesday, dismissed the application …
Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has, on behalf of the government of India, extended three lines of credit totaling $83.11 million to the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The credit will be used to finance the installation of three solar PV power projects with a …
