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TO INSPIRE & TO ACT – WORKING TOGETHER FOR A BETTER WORLD

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The Newsroom

The Newsroom has 195 articles published.

Permaculture removes a village from poverty in Morocco

in Permaculture by
brachoua-permaculture-maroc

In Brachoua, Morocco the locals just wanted to meet their food needs but, in the end, they did much more than that: a wonderful example of collective will which inspired photojournalist Stéphane Ferrer Yulianti. Read more

Italian scientist brings climate adaptation solution to pasta production in West Africa

in Agriculture by
Olam

In the extreme heat conditions of Senegal, Mauritania and Mali, three countries affected by famine, an Italian scientist got a ‘crazy idea’ which has made it possible to cultivate durum wheat. It could thus increase the incomes of 1 million farming families, and has therefore won the US $ 50,000 2017 Olam Prize for Innovation for Food Security. Read more

A French engineer created a 100% biodegradable plastic

in Innovation by
moufflet

In an article last year, we featured a young Icelandic who produced a bottle of biodegradable water from seaweed. We can now say he is not alone as in France Nicolas Moufflet, is the first person in the world to launch the concept of bottles made from sugar cane or even olive kernels. Thanks to a secret process, these bottles are biodegradable and compostable. Read more

Los Angeles is painting its streets white to guard against climate change

in Environment by
la-street-white

And if it were enough to paint the roads in white to limit the extreme heat in the city? This is what the city of Los Angeles is experiencing, where temperatures are around 40 ° C in summer. This simple technique requires very little investment for an immediate result. The city of the Angels is one of the first megacities in the world to test what are called “cool pavements” or “fresh pavements”. The principle is simple: apply a clear special coating and avoid reflections. Armed with perch rollers, the technical services of the municipality began to repaint the bitumen throughout the city at the beginning of August. Read more

Argilus replaces over-polluting cement with green concrete

in Sustainable development by
Argilus

The founders of Argilus are persuaded that they invented the “concrete of tomorrow”. When current concrete requires the use of expensive marine sands, their High Performance Alkaline Activation (HP2A) technology makes it possible to produce concrete from desert sands or from deconstruction of buildings. Above all, this technology would significantly reduce the carbon footprint associated with cement manufacturing. The first stone of the new production site was laid in the region of Vendée in France. Argilus, based in Chaillée-sous-les-Ormeaux, has as objective to market the first products at the beginning of 2018. Read more

Plastic bottles as air conditioner in Bangladesh

in Innovation by

Bangladesh has a warm, rainy and humid tropical climate with temperatures climbing up to 45 degrees Celsius (113ºF) in summer. Most of the rural population of Bangladesh lives in corrugated iron huts that can become dangerously hot under the burning sun. Many homes have no electricity to operate affordable cooling devices, such as ceiling fans. A new social enterprise has had a simple idea to offer an inexpensive solution to the problem. Gray Dhaka, the Bangladeshi branch of the Gray advertising agency based in New York, and Grameen Intel Social Business, a social business information technology company created in 2009 by Grameen Trust and Intel, the ‘Eco-Cooler’. Read more

Bujumbura streets illuminated by solar lighting

in Renewable Energy by
Burundi solar light

More than 95% of the 10 million Burundians do not have access to electricity. The mayor of Bujumbura Fredy Mbonimpa and Gigawatt Global, the pioneer in solar energy, recently signed a partnership for solar public lighting in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi.

Gigawatt Global, a pioneering company in the field of solar energy, is expanding its green energy offer in Africa. Indeed, Bujumbura’s downtown is lit up by an innovative partnership between Mayor Freddy Mbonimpa and Gigawatt Global, a founding member of the “Beyond the Grid” program of the US Power Africa electrification plan. This initiative of the USAID has as principle objective to enable electricity access by adding 60 million new electricity connections and 30,000 MW of new and cleaner power generation.

A month ago, “light islands” began to appear in the busy central bus station and on the nearby market, extending the hours of operation while improving safety. “The City of Bujumbura is very pleased to be working with Gigawatt Global on this important solar street lighting project,” said Mayor Freddy Mbonimpa. “This project will strengthen security and provide opportunities for economic development for the citizens of Bujumbura. All of us in this project have the hope and desire to see this initiative spread throughout the city and to other cities in Burundi in the near future. ”

All the countries in which we develop commercial solar fields will be able to benefit from additional advantages such as light islands and rural electrification through mini-networks.

Gigawatt Global is now considering expanding the program of solar ” light islands ” in the city and other major cities in Burundi. “We are grateful and happy to work with the City of Bujumbura and the Honourable Mayor Freddy Mbonimpa to take this first important step in solar street lighting,” said Michael Fichtenberg, General Manager of Gigawatt Global in Burundi. “We intend to expand the program throughout the capital and other locations as part of our extensive green electrification program in Burundi. Forty “light islands” are planned in the first phase of the program, “added Fichtenberg. “All the countries in which we develop commercial solar fields will be able to benefit from additional advantages such as light islands and rural electrification through mini-networks. ”

Burundi solar

Gigawatt Global, which fully finances its projects, is a pioneer in the field of commercial solar power plants in sub-Saharan Africa, having launched the first power plant in Rwanda in 2014, which currently supplies 6% of the country’s production capacity. It will complete a solar field with a capacity of 7.5 MW in the Gitega region of Burundi in less than 6 months, with a view to supplying 15% of the East African country’s production capacity. Similar projects are being developed in 10 African countries, including Liberia and South Sudan.

Gigawatt Global is honoured to contribute to advancing economic and social development through green energy in Burundi, “said Yosef Abramowitz, CEO of Gigawatt Global. “By expanding our investments in large-scale commercial projects to include off-grid solutions, we hope to have a positive impact on the lives of millions of people in Burundi and throughout Africa and become a green project force across the continent.”

A team of local members executed the project including Patrick Nzintunga, Regional Coordinator of Gigawatt Global, and Deo Hugere, Engineer at Gigawatt Global. The engineering, procurement and construction components of this project were provided by Asantys System. The pilot program is supported by the Energy and Environmental Partnership (“EEP”), an initiative of the British, Austrian and Finnish governments, and the key investment of entrepreneur Alex Goldberg. “In Bujumbura, we have found a place for innovation and economic development.”

Gigawatt Global is also very committed in helping the society by financing some projects under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Center at the Polytechnic University of Gitega was fully sponsored and built by Mark Gelfand, one of the company’s investors.

Indian Railways launch India’s first solar train

in Renewable Energy by

India is the third polluter of the planet behind China and the United States of America. Its coal plants still generate 60% of its electricity production. Like its neighbour China, the country is obliged to begin a forced energy transition, since in many cities the air is polluted on average four times higher than national standards levels. Thus, on July 14, 2017, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first solar train of the country. The project initiated by Indian Railways is in its early stages: if the tests are successful, it is expected that 50 other train carriage of this type will be built. Read more

SolarGaps, the solar blind capable of producing energy

in Renewable Energy by

For many of us, energy is an important issue. Whether it is for saving money or protecting the environment, we are trying to do something in one way or another. Solar energy is an easy but often costly and impractical move. Exploiting the light rays entering your home to lighten your electricity bill is the concept of solar panels. And those who have neither the budget nor the possibility of installing them on the roof of their house will soon be able to call on the SolarGaps’ start-up. Zoom on this new ecological and economical home equipment! Read more

CityTree cleans as much pollution as 275 trees

in Environment by

Designed by the start-up Green City Solutions, the CityTree project aims to reduce pollution in cities by using foam lined on walls 4 metres high and 3 metres wide and 60 centimetres thick. Purpose: to purify the surrounding air, making pollution a nutritional source.

Read more

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