Can we trust the silver bullet of technology to fix climate change? The prime minister seems to think so. In a speech due soon, he is expected to pledge his faith in offshore wind power, solar, carbon capture, hydrogen, clean cars, and zero-emission aviation. Clean technologies are clearly a huge part of any solution. But
Michael Mann, one of the world’s most eminent climate experts, says Earth’s future ‘is in the hands of American citizens’ This article is published as part of Covering Climate Now, a collaboration of 400-plus news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story. The Guardian is the lead partner of CCN. Michael Mann, one of
IMAGINE a world where you arrive home from work and plug your electric vehicle in to its charger, which is programmed to start only when energy is cheapest. You turn on your TV, heating and cooker, which are all powered by the energy produced by your solar panels and stored in your car battery. You
Suppliers have reported growth in the uptake of their Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) tariffs despite challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Phil Steele, Octopus Energy’s future technologies evangelist, told Solar Power Portal that the supplier has seen “great success so far” with the tariff, with “thousands of customers” signed up. “During the past few months,
Alternative fuel strategies are dominating the fleet agenda, with electric vehicles (EVs) being adopted in ever greater numbers. But, with record electric registrations in the UK and across Europe, the fleet and leasing industry is keeping a close eye on whether supply can continue to meet demand. “The big challenge for all leasing companies and
The CBI is calling on the government to accelerate the electric vehicle (EV) and heat pump rollouts and offer greater policy guidance for net zero. Citing delays to the energy white paper and the National Infrastructure Strategy, the CBI stated how “we still lack clear policy frameworks”. With its members viewing the recovery from the
A switch to an electric car and rooftop solar by ex-oil engineer Larry Narraway has zero emissions and zero downside, he says. In an interview with Tasmanian reporter Rose Grant, on behalf of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) and sustainability magazine Renew’s Sustainable House Day, Larry describes how he is re-evaluating his carbon impact,
THE Government agency tasked with improving Britain's environment has admitted running a fleet of nearly 3,000 diesel cars and vans. The Environment Agency - which claims to put the climate emergency "at the heart of everything we do" - has just 94 pure electric vehicles among its 5,000-plus vans, cars, 4x4s and HGVs. The quango's
Electric cars are one of the fastest growing sectors of the automotive industry. Record sales are being made despite the economic crisis posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Seven years ago, there were only 3500 plug-in cars in the UK – there are now 300,000. Almost 120,000 of them run purely on battery power. Many view
Charging an electric vehicle (EV) is much cheaper than filling a petrol car. For example, the cost of charging a Renault ZOE 52kWh is around £8 so if you get a range of 200 miles out of it then the cost per mile is about 4p. A Renault Clio, however, uses fuel at around