Keeping the Lights on in DRC

One small island in Denmark is technically 100 percent powered by sustainable sources of energy, giving the island total energy independence.

A new report from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council tracks where consumers will get the most out of renewable installations. By providing information tailored to each state, the council hopes to motivate more Americans to use solar.

Phone lines in Africa and South Asia would never have gotten to the poor - but these places have leapfrogged over last-century technology and gone straight to mobile phones. Now the same thing is happening with off-grid solar power: the fastest -- perhaps the only – way to power the poor.

Electricity is hard to come by in much of Africa. Now, skipping over the fossil fuel age, solar panels are bringing a cheap form of electricity to the continent.

Access to electricity in India takes a huge economic, educational, and health-related toll. A small company called Husk Power Systems has created an innovative system that is turning rice husks into electricity and illuminating India’s poorest state.

Alaska has created a way for residents to financially benefit from the state's dependence on oil revenues. By giving residents a yearly portion of the revenue, the state has been able to see positive effects from an often conflict-ridden industry.

The breakdown of the ozone layer is one of the most well-known effects of climate change. Citizens enact different ways to protect the atmosphere from a build up of methane gas.

Great solutions to common problems often already exist and have been implemented elsewhere. By crowdsourcing ideas and broadening the pool from which contractors are selected, cities across the world are improving their cities.

Solar lighting will revolutionize Africa - but access infrastructure is a difficult thing to build. Three different, innovative business models get lights into the hands of the people who need them most.

A follow-up article on Husk Power Systems, which has created a scalable system to turn rice husks into electricity that is reliable, eco-friendly and affordable for families in India. The company bases their business model around local involvement, grassroots systems that cater to the immediate community, and continual accountability. This article fills in some information gaps from the initial piece, "Fixes: A Light in India."