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The document identifies off-grid renewable energy, batteries, and ICT as transformative technologies capable of increasing agricultural productivity and sustainability. It focuses on solar-powered irrigation, noting that while falling costs of solar PV and lithium-ion batteries make these systems more accessible, high upfront costs remain a barrier. The brief warns of risks such as groundwater over-extraction and price depression due to increased yields, and provides eight policy recommendations for governments and financial institutions to ensure an inclusive and sustainable transition.

The document provides a guide for businesses in South Africa to evaluate waste-to-energy (WtE) options, categorising technologies into anaerobic digestion, thermal processes, and biofuels. It outlines the regulatory landscape, including the National Environmental Management: Waste Act and NERSA regulations, and highlights upcoming policy shifts such as organic waste landfill bans in the Western Cape. The brief emphasizes a structured project development process—from scoping and pre-feasibility to execution—to ensure financial and technical viability.

This report examines how disruptive technologies, specifically renewable energy and ICT, can address global food security, environmental degradation, and economic vulnerability in low- and middle-income countries, with a specific case study on solar-powered electric cookers in Kenya.

The report examines the potential of solar PV, batteries, and ICT to transform agriculture in low- and middle-income countries. It highlights applications such as solar-powered irrigation, precision agriculture, and indoor farming, noting that while these technologies can reduce environmental harm and increase yields, they face barriers like high upfront costs and data privacy risks. The authors recommend government interventions in regulation, financing, and capacity-building to ensure inclusive and sustainable adoption.

The document outlines a collaborative project involving the Stockholm Environment Institute, Skogforsk, Einride, and various forest industry stakeholders to identify viable fossil-free transport alternatives for Swedish forest biomass and products. It highlights that forest transport accounts for approximately 25% of heavy truck work on Swedish roads, often utilizing vehicles weighing 64 tons or more. The project focuses on assessing novel battery-electric HGVs against state-of-the-art biofuel solutions, such as HVO100 and liquified biogas (LBG), across three primary use cases: direct transport from forests to industry, trans-shipment logistics, and internal industrial site movements. The evaluation will consider technological fit, full implementation costs, and lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions to recommend solutions for future piloting and demonstration.

The document examines the South African energy storage market, highlighting the shift toward hybrid solar PV and battery systems to mitigate the economic impact of record load shedding. It identifies Lithium-ion (specifically Lithium Iron Phosphate) and Lead Acid as the dominant technologies, while noting that Vanadium Redox Flow and Hydrogen storage face barriers due to limited market penetration and the need for specific use-case analysis. The brief provides cost benchmarks for Li-ion systems and models a hybrid solar PV and storage scenario where the return on investment is estimated at 8-12 years, noting that this period could be reduced if business continuity benefits are factored in.

The document examines the use of distributed ledger technologies (DLT) and blockchain in the mineral sector to address conflict minerals and improve supply chain management. While blockchain offers a tamper-proof record of transactions and origin, the authors argue that it cannot guarantee socially or environmentally responsible practices on its own and must be coupled with rigorous due diligence. The brief highlights the risk of digital exclusion for artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) and the potential for private data ownership to marginalize upstream actors. It recommends that blockchain initiatives integrate recognized responsible mining standards, ensure data transparency, and design inclusive protocols for mining communities.

The report advocates for the development and deployment of zero-carbon hydrogen and ammonia to address sectors that are difficult to electrify. It details production methods such as steam methane reforming with carbon capture and storage (SMR+CCS) and electrolysis, while highlighting the scalability of ammonia due to existing global infrastructure. The document examines applications in heavy-duty transport, marine shipping, and grid-balancing, and calls for coordinated public-private initiatives to manage safety risks and establish supportive policy frameworks.

The report argues that ecosystem management, particularly regarding 'wicked problems' like toxic algal blooms, is hindered by lagging scientific adoption of mature commercial technologies. It proposes a 'fintech gearbox' approach, combining the Internet of Things (IoT) for real-time data collection, big data for managing volume and variety, artificial intelligence (AI) for revealing hidden patterns, and blockchain for ensuring data integrity and trust. The author emphasizes that while these technologies offer significant potential for predictive modeling and sustainable supply chains, their success depends on overcoming cultural barriers in academia and government regarding open data sharing.

The BONUS RETURN project launched the Nutrients and Carbon Reuse Challenge in December 2017 to identify eco-technologies capable of transforming nutrients and carbon into benefits. Out of 13 applications, three winners—Biophree, TerraNovaUltra, and Ravita—were selected based on criteria including relevance, sustainability, and market potential. These technologies focus on recovering phosphorus and carbon from wastewater and agricultural sectors to support the Baltic Sea Region's environmental goals.

The report examines the use of biometrics in digital financial services, distinguishing between identification (1:N) and verification (1:1). It concludes that while biometrics are valuable for strong authentication and customer verification—particularly via smartphones for the mass market—they are often too costly and complex for primary customer identification (KYC) at scale. The document evaluates several technologies, including fingerprints, facial recognition, and vein patterns, noting that the choice of biometric depends on the required balance between security, convenience, and transaction speed.

The report examines the application of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) to improve fund transfers in emerging markets, distinguishing between public DLT (like Bitcoin) for consumer remittances and private DLT for inter-institutional clearing and settlement. It argues that while public DLT can bypass traditional intermediaries, it faces hurdles in liquidity and 'costs at the edge'. Conversely, private DLT offers a more secure and scalable model for financial institutions to settle obligations domestically or internationally, potentially reducing entry barriers and enhancing KYC/AML processes.

The document identifies 17 'champion' climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies for Nepal, categorised by agro-ecological region (high-hills, mid-hills, and Terai). It argues that scaling up these technologies is a non-linear process requiring multi-sectoral collaboration and proposes three specific models for diffusion: knowledge-transfer, commercial business, and policy incidence. The brief highlights a gap between Nepal's policy intentions and actual implementation, noting that limited evidence-based knowledge and weak institutional coordination hinder the adoption of climate-resilient farming practices.

The report argues that electrifying heavy-duty vehicles in California can significantly reduce hazardous air pollutants and global warming emissions while creating economic opportunities. It finds that battery and fuel cell electric buses have substantially lower life cycle emissions than diesel or CNG alternatives. The authors highlight that low-income communities and people of color are disproportionately exposed to heavy-duty vehicle pollution. While the sector offers growth in manufacturing, infrastructure, and maintenance, the report emphasizes the need for targeted electrical skills training to make these jobs accessible to underserved populations.

The report argues that electricity systems can transition to near-total renewable energy at a cost competitive with gas-based systems, provided a portfolio of flexibility resources is deployed. It identifies six types of flexibility needs—ranging from instantaneous reserves to seasonal balancing—and evaluates technologies such as batteries, demand-side management, and hydroelectric power. Regional analysis shows that while most areas are well-positioned for the next decade, long-term needs for intraday and interday balancing will require significant investment and market redesign to avoid costly lock-in of fossil fuel assets.

The report assesses 13 'champion' climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies in Nepal, including plastic houses, drip irrigation, and solar-based irrigation. It identifies systemic barriers to scaling, such as a lack of skilled service providers, inadequate scientific evidence for diverse agro-ecological zones, and a reliance on project-based rather than sustainable implementation. The document proposes three scaling models—knowledge-transfer, commercial business, and policy-push—and recommends transitioning from scheme-based to performance-based subsidies to better support poor smallholder farmers.

The document argues that electrifying heavy-duty vehicles in California can significantly reduce air pollution and global warming emissions while creating job opportunities for underserved communities. It provides a life cycle emissions analysis comparing battery and fuel cell electric buses to diesel and CNG alternatives, finds that current EV technology meets many urban operational needs, and recommends targeted workforce training and financial incentives to ensure an equitable transition.

The report identifies natural gas-driven pneumatic controllers as the second-largest source of methane emissions in the US oil and gas industry. It concludes that mature, cost-effective zero-emission technologies are available and currently in use in the United States and Canada, with some jurisdictions in both countries implementing regulations to mandate their installation.

The report details the expansion of solar energy in the U.S., focusing on rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems, large-scale PV, and concentrating solar power (CSP). It highlights significant cost reductions, the role of state and federal incentives, and the environmental benefits of transitioning from fossil fuels to solar, while addressing grid integration challenges and land-use impacts.

Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles account for 20 percent of U.S. transportation fuel consumption despite being only 4 percent of vehicles. The document outlines how hybrid-electric, battery electric, and fuel cell technologies, along with external power systems and battery-powered auxiliary units, can reduce fuel costs and oil dependency.