05
Oct
Stephentown, New York, is set to become home to the world’s first grid-scale flywheel energy storage plant, expected to provide approximately 10% of New York State’s total energy needs on a typical day. Read more
New York Spins its Way to a World First in Sustainable Energy
30
Sep
The notion of working together for a better outcome will be familiar to anyone that has worked in the construction industry over the last 15 years. But the challenge of producing green, low carbon buildings requires even closer collaboration. Read more
The famous sewers of Paris, masterminded in the 1850s and described by Victor Hugo as a whole other city with its own streets and squares, have been awarded a new function: heating buildings. Read more
Early efforts by the African National Congress to provide housing for millions of shack dwellers were flawed. And newer efforts, designed to bring the poor closer to urban centres, have been similarly unsuccessful. What went wrong? Read more
South African Energy Minister Dipuo Peters has confirmed plans to build a 5GW solar power station – the world’s largest to date – in the Northern Cape. And it’s a good place for it. This region is one of the sunniest in the world.
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08
Sep
Behind closed doors in cities around the world lies a great untapped resource: unused space. But not, perhaps, for long. Every day, thousands of spare rooms, flats and even entire houses are put online for travellers and tourists to rent on an informal, short-term basis. Read more
05
Sep
Community Land Trusts are non-profit organisations, run by volunteers, which develop housing at permanently affordable levels for long-term community benefit. But governments need to realise the value of such schemes if their true potential is to be realised. Read more
South Africa has an enviable modal split between public and private transport – but how can it stay that way while making transport options greener, more efficient and more equitable? Investing in rail may just provide the solution. Read more