Governments are increasingly legislating for the building of new net-zero housing. But improving the green credentials of the existing housing stock is a much more difficult path to navigate. Now communities are being empowered to clean up their homes through collective action
Community-powered clean energy or electrification is increasingly fuelling emissions cuts in cities. Neighbours are able to club together for efficiencies and economies of scale, help with financing and—importantly—basic education on the benefits
CLUB TOGETHER Groups of organised and climate-conscious households can uncover savings for solar panels when ordered en masse
RETRO REFURBISHMENT Initiatives are underway that source and install retrofit energy efficiency solutions for housing on a larger scale to cut costs
KEY QUOTE We want a retrofit to be as easy as buying a new kitchen from IKEA ...
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India’s energy system can improve by incorporating more load-side distributed clean solutions. To achieve that, regulators will have to develop suitable evaluation and incentive structures for the country’s distribution companies (discoms), says Rasika Athawale from the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)
Without a European grid up to the task of not only meeting more demand for electricity, but also assimilating it from distributed renewables, green electrification of heating and transport is stymied from the start. Decarbonisation requires new infrastructure, yet the public is having none of it.
Thousands of buildings across Europe will need to be renovated on an unprecedented scale if climate and greenhouse gas reduction targets are to be met. Lawmakers’ minds are turning to how best to undertake the Herculean task
Special report - Electricity Storage part 5/5: The uptake of renewable energy does not increase the need for storage capacity, but stored power can help grid operators flexibly operate power systems, provided it can pay its way
Solar photovoltaic has clear potential to help decarbonise cooling and, in some climates, contribute significantly to the energy transition in heating
Political and physical barriers will make it difficult for US Democrats to turn proposals for a Green New Deal in to reality
Case study: As renewable energy, particularly rooftop solar, continues to be rapidly adopted across Australia, power system operators are having to find new ways of managing electricity generation and supply as the level of complexity increases. Digital solutions are coming into their own
As technology costs come down and microgrids become increasingly “smart” using more advanced digital tools, their role in integrating distributed energy resources is set to expand. By providing flexibility to the local distribution system and deferring the need for expensive transmission upgrades, microgrids are facilitating the electrification and decarbonisation of the energy networks