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2008 Micropower Database: How Distributed Renewables and Cogeneration are Beating Nuclear Power Stations — Supporting Data, Methodology, and Graphs
The 2008 Micropower Database assesses global capacity and electrical output for micropower—defined as all renewables excluding large hydro, plus cogeneration—using bottom-up equipment counts from suppliers and operators cross-checked with governmental agencies. It provides historical data from 1990 to 2005 or 2006 and forecasts through 2010, covering annual capacity additions, output, cumulative capacity, and capacity factors.
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Document type: Report
Profitable solutions for oil, climate, and proliferation
The author contends that energy efficiency and decentralized renewables are more profitable and faster to deploy than traditional energy sources. By increasing energy productivity and adopting 'micropower', the U.S. and other nations can eliminate oil dependence and reduce carbon emissions without relying on costly subsidies or mandates. Furthermore, the author suggests that the economic failure of nuclear power will naturally hinder nuclear proliferation by reducing the availability of civilian nuclear materials.
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Document type: Research paper
Nuclear Power and Climate Change
The document is a series of exchange entries between Amory Lovins, Peter Bradford, and R. Stephen Berry. Lovins argues that nuclear power is a 'market loser' and that 'negawatts' (energy efficiency) and micropower are faster, cheaper, and more effective climate solutions. Bradford supports this view, highlighting the high financial risks, the need for massive taxpayer subsidies, and proliferation concerns. Conversely, Berry argues that energy efficiency alone cannot meet the growing energy demands of developing nations like China and India, and that nuclear power is a necessary, reliable, and potentially cost-competitive option if carbon costs are internalized.
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Document type: Report
What can we do to fix the climate problem?
The author contends that climate solutions are profitable rather than costly, as saving fuel is cheaper than purchasing it. By increasing global energy productivity to approximately 3% per year and removing market barriers to energy efficiency, carbon emissions can be stabilized. The text highlights 'micropower' and 'negawatts' as economically superior alternatives to nuclear power and traditional centralized electricity, suggesting that a transition away from oil and toward a diverse, renewable system is driven by business logic and market forces.
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Document type: Research paper
How innovative technologies, business strategies, and policies can dramatically enhance energy security and prosperity
The document outlines a strategy for U.S. energy independence based on three pillars: resilient infrastructure, phasing out unreliable fuel sources, and eliminating oil reliance. It advocates for decentralized 'micropower' over nuclear power to reduce proliferation risks and suggests that oil use can be eliminated by the 2040s through tripled-efficiency vehicles and advanced biofuels at a fraction of the current market price of oil.
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Document type: Briefing
THE GREAT REINVENTION OF THE ELECTRIC UTILITY
The report examines the 'death spiral' facing traditional U.S. electric utilities caused by falling costs of renewables, energy efficiency, and declining demand. It proposes a regulatory shift by Public Utilities Commissions (PUCs) toward 'performance-based regulation,' where utilities are rewarded for meeting reliability, affordability, and environmental goals rather than the volume of electricity sold. The author suggests that utilities, given their infrastructure and market reach, are the ideal vehicles for decarbonization if incentivized to prioritize system optimization over electron supply.
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Document type: Report
Building energy resilience in Western Cape wastewater treatment works
The Hartenbos wastewater treatment works (WWTW) in the Western Cape has implemented a hybrid microgrid consisting of solar PV and battery energy storage (BESS) to ensure operational continuity during loadshedding. The system, completed in September 2025 with a cost between R100 million and R112 million, allows the facility to island from the grid, reduce diesel reliance, and export surplus power. The project serves as a model for other municipalities to stabilize critical services and lower energy expenditures through embedded renewable energy.
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Document type: Case study
Climate Change Risks and Resilience Options for Canadas Built Infrastructure
The document outlines the vulnerabilities of Canada's built infrastructure—including wastewater, stormwater, buildings, water supply, transportation, and energy/communications systems—to climate hazards such as extreme heat, permafrost degradation, and storm surges. It provides a matrix of resilience options, ranging from nature-based solutions like urban forests and salt marshes to engineering adaptations such as heat-tolerant pavement, microgrids, and the burial of electrical lines.
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Document type: Fact sheet
ENERGY WITHIN REACH
The proposal outlines a strategy to provide electricity to millions in sub-Saharan Africa and India using a modular 'solar energy ladder' that progresses from lanterns to microgrids. It aims to prevent carbon emissions and coal plant expansion while stimulating economic growth through standardized design, large-scale procurement, and innovative financing.
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Document type: Report
A Roadmap to the Next Level of Performance Phase One Report Next Generation Energy Management
The report identifies nine key drivers—including energy cost savings, stakeholder demand, and smart building technology—that enable corporations to move beyond incremental sustainability gains toward higher energy performance and net-zero buildings.
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Document type: Report
ARE MEMBERS AT A GLANCE Capacity Building
The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) provides capacity building through two primary channels: Investment Academies, which help small and medium enterprises secure finance through modules on business planning and pitching, and the CORE Initiative, which offers technical training on DRE systems like mini-grids and solar thermal energy. These programs have trained 3,050 practitioners and 210 trainers across 15 countries, targeting the development of bankable projects and the transfer of engineering skills to enhance energy access and security in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Women Entrepreneurs as Key Drivers in the Decentralised Renewable Energy Sector
The document establishes a business case for gender equality in the decentralised renewable energy (DRE) sector, asserting that women-led businesses are often as profitable as or more profitable than those led by men. It provides a framework of recommendations for DRE companies, civil society organisations (CSOs), and investors to improve gender equality at the community, organisational, and investor levels. The report includes 17 case studies from various global regions demonstrating the impact of gender-sensitive interventions, such as solar kiosks in Togo, feminist microgrid development in Haiti, and technical training for women in Brazil.
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Document type: Report
Impacts of Small-Scale Electricity Systems: A Study of Rural Communities in India and Nepal
The study examines how different electricity supply systems—microgrids, solar home systems (SHS), and the national grid—impact rural households and small businesses in India and Nepal. While general electricity access reduces kerosene use and increases women's time for income-generation, the specific type of system influences outcomes: SHS are most effective at reducing kerosene use, while the national grid correlates with higher appliance ownership. The report suggests that improving developmental impacts requires supply standards, policy support for productive use investments, and further cost-effectiveness research.
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Document type: Research paper