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Newsletter (copy 39)
Kenya's off-grid solar boom
Happy Wednesday, dear reader.
Some good news to kick things off:
In June, half (49.9%) of all new cars sold in China — the world’s largest automobile market — were plug-in models, CleanTechnica reports.
The Spanish government has approved 300 new renewable power projects with a total capacity of 28 gigawatts, as part of its plans to get to 81% renewable electricity by 2030.
In July, 94.3% of new cars sold in Norway were electric, according to CleanTechnica.
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Nick Hedley
Editor, The Progress Playbook
Until recently, the only source of lighting in Maurice Kamau’s home was a single kerosene lantern, which flickered with every breath of wind and cast ghostly shadows across his mud-walled shack in Nakuru County, Kenya.
Power lines are 3 kilometres from Kamau’s village, which means electrifying his house the usual way would be prohibitively expensive.
“That meant my family had to do with no TV, no proper lighting, and none of those conveniences that come with electricity,” the 76-year-old Kamau recalls. “Even charging a phone meant traveling long distances to reach a power source.”
Everything changed two years ago when a company offered Kamau and his neighbours a hire purchase plan for off-grid solar equipment, removing the hefty upfront cost burden.
- Read the full story here.
“There are no longer any so-called hard-to-abate sectors,” says Michael Liebreich, chief executive officer of Liebreich Associates and managing partner of EcoPragma Capital.
- Read the full story here.
Copenhagen is rewarding visitors who make “conscious green choices” by giving them free meals, tickets to museums, guided tours, and other experiences over its summer high season.
- Read the full story here.
In the picturesque Bavarian city of Augsburg, 500 homes will soon be kept warm using excess heat from a nearby Rolls Royce Solutions factory. In Leipzig, a similar project involving a TotalEnergies refinery received federal funding last month.
- Read the full article here.
The number of rhinos killed in South Africa has fallen sharply in recent months thanks to a de-horning programme in a game park that’s long been targeted by poachers.
- Read the full article here.
Other articles you might find interesting:
The UK has made huge progress in freeing its beaches of plastic bags
Renewables meet 82% of Portugal’s electricity needs in first half of 2024
Renewables climb to 65% of German power production in second quarter as coal hits fresh low
Coal’s share of China’s power mix slumps to 53% in May amid clean energy surge — report
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Thanks in part to their ambitious renewable energy programmes, Denmark and Estonia are the world leaders in climate action, a recent assessment by a group of non-profit researchers has found.
Both countries aim to complete the transition to 100% renewable electricity by 2030, notes the 2024 Climate Change Performance Index, which was complied by Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute, and the Climate Action Network.
Denmark is well on its way, with renewables comprising 88% of its electricity mix in 2023, according to data collated by Ember. Estonia has more work to do, but the share of renewables in its electricity system has surged from 16% to 44% in just five years.
- Read the full story here.
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