China is keen to halt growth in its greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible, but lifting tens of millions out of poverty must remain its primary goal, the country's climate change ambassador said on Wednesday.

Investment in clean energy technologies in developing countries is a key component of achieving global commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. One mechanism to promote investment in energy efficiency technologies is through energy performance contracting (EPC) undertaken by Energy Service Companies (ESCOs).

The report, "Environmental and Energy Sustainability: An Approach for India", identified clean power and energy-efficiency measures as having the largest potential impact on emissions, with the capability to reduce CO2 output 28 to 34 per cent by 2030.

The assessment of energy and greenhouse gas balances is part of a larger effort by UN-Energy to provide decision making tools and aids to Governments and others involved in the planning and implementation of bioenergy development.

U.S. start-up Joule Biotechnologies hopes to make commercial amounts of motor fuel by feeding engineered organisms high concentrations of carbon dioxide and sunlight, its top executive said.

The United States could save about $600 billion in energy costs by 2020 if it hiked annual efficiency spending about five-fold, business consultants McKinsey and Co said in a report on Wednesday.

The U.S. electric grid is outdated and needs a major overhaul if it is to carry electricity generated by renewable energy sources, a senior official with Southern California Edison told Congress on Thursday.

Alternative energy jobs can provide vocations across many sectors of the economy but policy to spark them can take years to develop, U.S. governors told a Senate committee on Tuesday.

China has launched an unprecedented plan to offer hefty subsidies to independent solar power projects, a move that sparked a rally in the sector on Tuesday.

Shares of Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd soared 9 percent, Yingli Green Energy Holding Co Ltd climbed 10 percent, Trina Solar Ltd rose nearly 9 percent and JA Solar Holdings Co Ltd was trading nearly 8 percent higher.

Africa's Lake Kivu contains vast quantities of gas, which makes it both dangerous and valuable. Anjali Nayar asks whether it is possible to tap the gas without causing a disaster.

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