UNIVERSITI Teknologi Mara (UiTM) is now the country’s first and only varsity to own and operate large scale solar photovoltaic (LSSPV) plants. With the commencement of commercial operations of its second LSSPV plant in Pasir Gudang, Johor, last month, UiTM boasts of a combined renewable energy generation capacity of 75MWac (92.58 MWp). The new plant, known as UiTM Solar Park II (USP II), is built on over 45 hectares of land and is estimated to contribute towards the avoidance of 28,000 tonnes of carbon emission, generating 40,000 MWh of clean energy annually.

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing human suffering, destabilizing the global economy and upending the lives of billions of people in unprecedented ways. As we strive to ease the impacts of the crisis, we must also plan now how to recover better. It is projected that foreign direct investment flows into African countries will decline between 25 and 40 per cent in 2020 alone.

The battered oil and gas sector is coming to life in U.S. equity markets thanks to the announcement that multiple vaccines to Covid-19 may be widely available in the spring. Conditions are ripe for a sustained recovery in oil stocks, even if more volatility is likely to continue for the immediate future.

LONDON — The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Thursday cut its 2020 global oil demand forecast and said it does not expect the prospect of a coronavirus vaccine to significantly boost demand “until well into next year.” In its latest closely-watched monthly report, the IEA said it now expects world oil demand to contract by 8.8 million barrels per day this year. That reflects a downward revision of 0.4 million barrels from last month’s assessment.

In his Dec. 13 Outlook essay, “Five myths: The Paris climate agreement,” Paul Bledsoe claimed it is a myth that “existing technology can meet the Paris goals.” In fact, energy efficiency — reducing energy use in buildings, industry, transportation and electricity production — is not only cost-effective now but also absolutely doable with technologies we have today.

WASHINGTON — America’s greenhouse gas emissions from energy and industry plummeted more than 10 percent in 2020, reaching their lowest levels in at least three decades as the coronavirus pandemic slammed the brakes on the nation’s economy, according to an estimate published Tuesday by the Rhodium Group.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life on a massive scale, disrupting economies, communities and families. The distribution of the vaccine to every remote village, especially in low- and middle-income countries, has been recognized as a key issue of equity that would prevent 61 percent of subsequent deaths, compared to 33 percent of deaths avoided if the vaccine is distributed to high-income countries first.

Africa is increasingly becoming the new global hub for energy solutions, as it is an untapped market for renewable energy resources. The shift to sustainable clean energy solutions presents an enormous investment opportunity for domestic as well as international investors. Renewable energy also provides an opportunity for the African continent to address climate change and attain the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goals on affordable and clean energy.

Since the adoption of the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015, global momentum to tackle the climate crisis has been building. Progress has been made on almost every front, from bold corporate emissions-reduction targets and investors shifting away from coal to a surge of support for net-zero targets and a rising movement of youth activists from Uganda to India, culminating in Greta Thunberg being recognised as Time Magazine’s 2019 “Person of the Year.”

TOKYO -- The Japanese government will set up a fund worth 250 billion yen ($2.4 billion) to support Japanese companies' "smart-city" projects in Southeast Asia, in competition with Chinese, South Korean and other foreign rivals, and to help further decarbonization measures.

SINGAPORE: A trial which will see Singapore import electricity from Peninsular Malaysia will be a "useful first step" in preparation for further moves to connect to the regional power grid, said experts. Announced in late October, the trial will see Singapore import 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity from Malaysia for two years. This will make up about 1.5 per cent of Singapore’s peak electricity demand.

Researchers led by Oxford University have developed a strategy for creating jet fuel out of natural greenhouse gas, joining a growing list of firms and aviation organizations aiming to tackle mounting climate change concerns. Last week, the research team in Britain published a study on a novel scientific process that would transform carbon dioxide in the air into an alternative jet fuel that could power existing aircraft.