Power cuts
I was woken abruptly at 5.30 am today by the shrieking of next door’s burglar alarm. This had been triggered by a power cut I realised when I saw the flashing light on our clock radio. Sunshine was...
View ArticleBack to School
Today my daughter starts 6th Form. A fully fledged, almost grown up, teenager with great ambitions for the future, a pragmatic approach to school work and a huge capacity for friendship. I am a very...
View ArticleSCORE stove success at Kathmandu University
Today I had the privilege of receiving an email from a very excited University Professor at Kathmandu University in Nepal, Professor Bim Prasad Shrestha, regarding the start of the SCORE stove in their...
View ArticleThe Great Peruvian Bake Off!
If, like me, you’re filled with excitement at the thought of tonight’s final of The Great British Bake Off, I think you’ll enjoy this story of how the fortunes of Peruvian baker Luz Marina Cusci...
View ArticleAccess to energy, climate change, weird weather, renewables and technology...
Access to energy, climate change, weird weather, renewables and technology justice Listening to the news last night 4 out of 5 of my list were covered –fierce floods, devastating droughts in the USA,...
View ArticleIs ‘Energy Literacy’ vital for poor communities?
Energy literacy is a relatively new term being used to describe knowledge of the basics of energy. It has strong associations with sustainability and the efficient use of energy by consumers. Every...
View Article“Roasted, toasted, fried and grilled”
No, this isn’t a recipe index, but a warning about the effects of climate change. “ …..unless action was taken to combat global warming, the next generation would be “roasted, toasted, fried and...
View ArticleWhatever happened to the hydrogen economy?
One of the questions that was asked the other day was whatever happened to the hydrogen economy? It was a popular subject about a decade ago when it was thought that we would all be powering industry...
View ArticleMeeting the energy needs of the poor
How many PhD students does it take to change a lightbulb? I don’t know but I heard plenty of suggestions last week! Attending the Micro perspectives for decentralized energy supply conference, I...
View ArticleLPG A Clean Energy Source in North Darfur
On 25th March 2013 Practical Action Sudan launched a new report titled ‘Poor People’s Energy Outlook (PPEO) 2013’. The third edition of the publication of the PPEO series prioritises energy issues from...
View ArticleKiller kerosene
A million deaths each year are attributable to the kerosene lamp. I had no idea just how dangerous a simple lighting device could be! But, as a mother, I quickly learned that the close proximity of...
View ArticleWhat’s cooking in the stoves sector?
“We have reached a tipping point” – so says Radha Mutiaha, Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. What she means is that stoves and cooking are finally on the radar, attracting...
View ArticleEnergy: transforming lives
There are still more than 1.3 billion people living without access to any form of electricity, and 2.7 billion people cooking on open fires, exposing themselves and their families to potentially deadly...
View ArticleNew York and the future of Global Development
Last week in New York the United Nations General Assembly came to an important agreement about how global development will be shaped in years up to 2030. It was agreed that there will be a ‘single...
View ArticleMeeting Godfrey Dongaronga
Last week Practical Action and ZERO hosted a workshop in Harare on the UN’s Sustainable Energy For All initiative. I had some reservations about spending three sunny days in a conference room but my...
View ArticleJust because we can exploit nature, doesn’t mean we should
Were you horrified by Simon’s blog on the World Energy Congress? I was! The energy industry is putting forward two scenarios, the first seeing a 30% increase in global energy consumption, the second an...
View ArticleBiogas in Viet Nam –”All good…..no bad!”
On a recent trip to Viet Nam I had the chance to visit the house of Mrs Le Thoa, about half an hour from the capital city, Hanoi. She had had a household biogas digester installed in about 2001 by a...
View ArticleWhat’s cooking in India?
Yesterday I attended a workshop in Delhi, on clean household cooking in India – the first of its kind – attended by a range of organisations and hosted by the Minister of New and Renewable Energy...
View ArticleFighting myths and competitions
Launch of coalition to bolster public support for renewable energy I attended the 4th annual assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi today. IRENA is a relatively new...
View ArticleInnocent abroad
I love going to meetings at the innocent drinks’ offices. Apart the from the funky surroundings (hanging basket chairs, fake grass, table tennis tables in the kitchen) where else do you get given a...
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