Solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation has grown rapidly, from less than 1 gigawatt (GW) in 2000 to about 300 GW worldwide in 2017. Solar PV’s competitiveness against other sources of electricity has also continued evolving.
To track these crucial market trends, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has developed Cost and Competitiveness Indicators for rooftop solar PV, based on the trends witnessed in key electricity markets.
Informal economic activities across much of sub-Saharan Africa provide crucial cash income and employment for both rural and urban populations. Governing the informal economy is recognised as a key policy challenge due to its contribution to local livelihoods and its common association with illegality, tax evasion and negative environmental impacts. In addition, because of the increasingly globalised trade in commodities, parts of the informal economy can also be supported by global sources of capital. This ‘globalised’ rural informal economy urgently calls for innovative policies, which maximise the benefits of global capital flowing directly to rural populations, while minimising the negative impacts associated with the environment, revenue losses and resource governance.
The production of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) from organic waste for use as a vehicle fuel is an emerging strategy that businesses, states, and municipalities in the United States are pursuing to make use of waste-derived methane and lower the carbon footprint of vehicle fleets.
The Production and Use of Renewable Natural Gas as a Climate Strategy in the United States explores RNG’s potential as a climate-change strategy in the U.S., including the conditions under which it can achieve large greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions compared to fossil fuels used to power vehicles.