Selco

California utility Pacific Gas and Electric Co on Wednesday announced an expanded agreement with solar thermal power company BrightSource Energy Inc for more than 1.3 gigawatts (GW) of clean, solar energy.

Power generation from renewable sources such as wind turbines, solar cells and biomass plays a small but important part in satisfying total electricity demand around the world, and is growing at an exponential rate thanks to generous public subsidies and government support.

The Karnataka Energy Department plans to set up at least one lakh solar roofs in the next five years to emerge as the number one in the country in terms of renewable energy usage.

About 450 biogas units, based on dung of buffaloes and cows have been installed in the country, which will fulfil the needs of an average family of up to eight members in far-flung rural areas of the country.

A lack of project funding threatens to undermine the solar industry's already fragile growth prospects, two of the sector's biggest players said on Tuesday, reporting profits that missed market forecasts.

China is considering investing a more than 3 trillion yuan (US$440 billion) in the renewable energy sector by 2020, an official with the National Energy Administration said on Tuesday.

Energy experts believe Sri Lanka should now tap all possible renewable energy sources to cut down on the use of fossil fuels which comes to the country at a high price.

"Our economy will fall behind if we continue spending on foreign oil and coal every year," said Executive Director Energy Forum Ashoka Abeygunawardane at a recent workshop in Colombo.

Every household in Britain should by 2020 be able to cut its energy bills and carbon footprint using "smart meters" and handheld devices to control energy use closely, the government said on Monday.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has launched its first project in Turkey, providing a 45 million euro (US$29 million) loan to build the country's largest wind farm, the bank said on Monday.