The industry created more than 500 000 new jobs globally in 2017, with the total number of people employed in renewables (including large hydropower) surpassing 10 million for the first time. Renewable Energy and Jobs, presents the status of employment, both by technology and in selected countries, over the past year.

Spurred by innovation, increased competition, and policy support in a growing number of countries, renewable energy technologies have achieved massive technological advances and sharp cost reductions. Renewables have come to the forefront of the global energy transition, with nearly every country adopting a renewable energy target.

This paper first reviews the effects of biodiesel on emissions of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter in conventional vehicles. It compares the effects of using palm biodiesel and other biodiesel feedstocks, such as soy and rapeseed oils.

The Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018 report, published by UN Environment, the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre, and Bloomberg New Energy Finance, finds that falling costs for solar electricity, and to some extent wind power, is continuing to drive deployment.

The Government of Haryana has formulated Haryana Bio-energy Policy 2018 to promote generation of energy from the surplus biomass in the State. Biomass energy is replenishable over a cycle that may vary from months to years.

This briefing paper reviews evidence on the environmental risks of growing lignocellulosic energy crops for biofuel production. The sustainability of energy crops such as Miscanthus, switchgrass, and short rotation poplar is a growing concern as the European Union (EU) considers ambitious targets for advanced biofuels.

The introduction of the first generation of biofuels made from food crops has been controversial largely due to concerns over competition for land with food crops, thus raising global crop prices and generating induced land-use change (ILUC).

Rainforest Foundation Norway and Cerulogy launched a report, ‘Driving deforestation’, looking at the impact of expanding palm oil use due to biofuel policies around the world. The report goes directly into the heated debate in Europe and the rest of the world about the use of palm oil for biofuels.