Vauban is an exemplary sustainable town, the greenest town in Europe. A “zero-emission” district in Freiburg, Germany, most energy for buildings in Vauban is sourced from rooftop solar panels.
Energy for Vauban is also supplied by a local municipal bio-natural gas cogeneration plant. Vauban's electricity is supplied by renewable energy sources, and district heating for Vauban is supplied by their cogeneration plant. [click thumbnail image to read more…]
Updating Infrastructure for Developing Renewable Energy in Cities | People-centered smart cities are cropping up worldwide. They only account for 2% of the world's landmass but are home to most of its population, energy use, and economic activity. Cities are adopting modern clean energy technologies to become smarter, and one crucial aspect is renewable energy. […]
NDCs and Net Zero Pledges | At COP21, commonly referred to as the Paris Climate Accord, nations sent representatives to pledge greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) reduction targets (also known as Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs). At the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), national dignitaries […]
Onshore Wind Farms - Cheap and Clean Energy | Onshore wind farms now provide the least expensive form of energy, renewable or non-renewable, once the wind farm is fully constructed and operational. Among energy sources used to power a municipal grid, wind farms also have the lowest greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), and the lowest carbon […]
Is the World Going to Meet its Climate Targets? There is a substantial shortfall between GHG emission reduction pledges that almost 200 countries have made, and global climate reality. Worldwide, almost 200 countries have set climate targets - independently, and internationally all member-nations of the UNFCCC* have recommended targets. The international pledges are known as […]
Solar - the most abundant renewable energy on the planet | Recently there have been dramatic breakthroughs in solar energy that will help advance the mainstream use of photovoltaic (PV) technology, as well as solar thermal technologies (CSP towers, solar parabolics, solar water heaters). Breakthroughs in solar are bringing solar PV down to a more […]
Economic growth does not have to come at the expense of the environment. Sustainable technologies (such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable mass transit, electric vehicles) are also extremely beneficial to the economy. For example, the renewable energy industry employs over 500,000 people in the United States. The coal industry is responsible for under 90,000 […]
Defining effective carbon taxes | A carbon tax is a levy in countries and regions on: fossil fuel power plants, oil refineries, and/or industries, and/or companies; that use fossil fuels (tax applies directly), or on those that consume energy-intensive goods and services that depend on fossil fuel energy generation (the tax applies indirectly); and emit […]