Community-based reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment plants provide an interim solution for producing safe drinking water for the endemic areas of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) in the rural dry zone of Sri Lanka. RO-treated groundwater diminishes the progression of CKDu;...

One of the most effective strategies to mitigate water shortages worldwide is to reuse the treated wastewater for freshwater production employing reverse osmosis (RO) technology. This strategy is appropriate in urban areas of arid or semi-arid regions as it can provide a sustainable and reliable...

We study the determinants of households' choices of lighting fuels in Kenya, including the option of using solar home systems (SHSs). The paper adds new evidence on the factors that influence the introduction and adoption of decentralized and less carbon-intensive energy sources in developing...

This article constitutes a new contribution to the analysis of overlapping instruments to cover the same emission sources. Using both an analytical and a numerical model, we show that when the risk that the CO2 price drops to zero and the political unavailability of a CO2 tax (at least in the...

Several top deals already closed, a still highly fragmented industry and strong pressure for further consolidation following the financial crisis - renewable energy certainly has become a red-hot topic in M&A. Surveying 220 companies in the solar photovoltaic, utility and financial sector as...

This report approaches current domains of development and tension within China. It was elaborated by students in the frame of a 'Task Force Seminar' in cooperation with the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). It addresses the issues of...

Rising energy prices for fossil fuels, the unreliable supply of energy imports during the last winters and - concerning the 12 new members states (NMS) - the demand by the European Union (EU) for developing National Renewable Energy Action Plans have stimulated the national discussion and...

So far, the cumulative number of renewable energy systems such as Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) irrigation pumps in the agriculture sector in India is far below their theoretical potential despite government subsidy programmes. One of the major barriers are the high costs of investments in these...

Promoting the use of renewable energy sources is a central goal of most industrialized countries. Up to today, fixed feed in tariffs are a commonly used support scheme. However, these have major disadvantages concerning market integration. Thus, more market-conforming solutions come into focus....