China is shaping up to be the first real test of Big Tech’s ambitions in the world of carmaking, with giants from Huawei Technologies Co. to Baidu Inc. plowing almost $19 billion into electric and self-driving vehicle ventures widely seen as the future of transport.

Solar electric and wind power systems have been in use for decades, but only now has the idea of turning windows into solar panels become a reality, through companies such as ClearVue. Their patented technology and ClearVue PV product offer the first truly clear solar glass on the market, and available to purchase now, which promises to fill cities with buildings that actively reduce energy usage while also generating electricity to contribute to building running costs.

Engineers from South America have developed WaterLight -- a handheld device that can provide light and electricity with just two cups of saltwater. The saltwater reacts with the magnesium in the WaterLight that causes a simple chemical reaction that generates electricity.  Two cups of water give the WaterLight enough juice to be powered for around 45 days.

State-owned electricity company PLN has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050 with a plan to phase out fossil fuel-fired power plants and use more renewable energy in its networks.

107 million smart meters are estimated to have been installed in the US by the end of 2020, the Institute for Electric Innovation has reported.

Since 2007, professors at the TU Delft have been researching ways to harvest energy from the wind using a kite. The robotic kite looks set to make its debut in the energy sector, but often inventions are used in unexpected ways.

EVs will be vital in reducing air pollution and meeting climate change goals. To achieve this, the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that global EV stock will need to grow by 36% a year, reaching 245 million vehicles in 2030.

If the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing, how do we access power from renewable sources? The key is to store energy produced when renewable generation capacity is high, so we can use it later when we need it. With the world’s renewable energy capacity reaching record levels, four storage technologies are fundamental to smoothing out peaks and dips in energy demand without resorting to fossil fuels.

A team of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) received a nearly $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to create renewable fuel from sewage sludge, a byproduct of wastewater treatment that creates greenhouse gases and water pollution when dumped into landfills.

Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, struck a note of urgency in telling world leaders that climate change must be “fully integrated” with national security. President Biden committed the United States to cutting emissions by half by the end of the decade at a virtual Earth Day summit.

The pylons and wires that make up the world’s electricity grids are set to play an even more important part in providing power as the world moves to use zero-carbon energy. Immense change is coming, in which transmission lines will deliver electricity from remote solar and wind projects to energy consumers.

Global energy transition has crossed many milestones over the past decade, surpassing most expectations. Thanks to technological innovation, entrepreneurship and risk-taking by policymakers and businesses, installed capacity has grown sevenfold for solar PV, and threefold for onshore wind since 2010.