Chad Lipton
Growing a Solar Solution in West Africa
Posted by Chad Lipton on March 13, 2013 Less than 25 percent of the population has access to electricity in the small West African country of Benin (map). In rural areas, the rate is even lower. Without an alternative, locals use kerosene for lighting needs, which contributes to health problems and is very costly. Climate conditions create challenges for Benin as well. In…
Steven Chu on the Importance of Work Culture in Innovation
Posted by Chad Lipton on March 5, 2013 Progress in developing new energy technology typically has a longer time horizon than can be measured in little more than three years, but the ARPA-E program is already showing early signs of success. Created in 2007, ARPA-E began funding energy technology projects in 2009. By November 2012, ARPA-E’s total portfolio had reached $770 million, which…
In Tanzania, Expanding Electricity Access One Battery at a Time
Posted by Chad Lipton on October 9, 2012 Fewer than 16 percent of people in Tanzania have access to electricity from the grid. In rural areas, that figure drops below 3 percent. Yet most families deprived of electricity live within a short distance of the grid. MIT-educated physicist Jamie Yang has been working to address the electricity problem. Three years ago, he founded…
Harvesting Energy in Eastern Uganda
Posted by Chad Lipton on September 11, 2012 In recent years, farmers in eastern Uganda have had to endure dire conditions that have caused them to lose three to four harvesting seasons in a row. Severe drought in 2007 was followed by several periods of flooding. Large swaths of their land were deforested for political reasons and for providing cooking fuel to sustain…
Fueling Agricultural Change in Western Kenya
Posted by Chad Lipton on August 21, 2012 In recent years, the people of western Kenya have been feeling the painful effects of climate change and deforestation. As the practice of chopping down trees for fuel wood continued, “deforestation was getting worse,” says resident Salim Shaban. Removing trees compromises nutrient and water retention in soils, and nutrients lost in the runoff can pollute…
Calling on Humanities Thinkers to Change the Energy Discussion
Posted by Chad Lipton on May 17, 2012 “This is not an engineering discussion. It is a humanities one,” Bruce Oreck, U.S. Ambassador to Finland, told an auditorium full of engineers this week at the World Renewable Energy Forum in Denver. Paraphrasing great thinkers such as Aristotle, Einstein, and Newton, Oreck said, “Words don’t just describe what we think. They shape what we…
Top Environmental Scientists Sound a Call to Action
Posted by Chad Lipton on February 24, 2012 Earlier this week, top scientists released a paper urging governments to take restorative steps for the planet’s ecosystem. Faced with today’s challenges, “Society has no choice but to take dramatic action,” the authors write. They note the important role that energy –- and particularly reliance on fossil fuel — plays in climate change, biodiversity loss…
If You Don’t Speak Up, You’re Not Doing Your Job
Posted by Chad Lipton on August 22, 2011 In today’s polarized climate, it is not uncommon to hear opposition to anything labeled climate-friendly or green. But confronting inaccurate and unfair arguments requires constant effort, and the trend toward complacency is dangerous. According to Jigar Shah of the Carbon War Room at the American Renewable Energy Day (AREDAY) conference in Aspen last week, if…
