Global South
Synchronizing Agriculture and Distributed Energy Can Reduce Nigeria’s Oil Dependency
What if it was possible to boost both national and local economies while increasing energy access and saving rural residents money? That is exactly the opportunity in Nigeria, where COVID-19 impacts and the ensuing oil price collapse have made foreign exchange scarce, threatening an economy that relies heavily on…
Agriculture, Rural Electrification, and Community Resilience in Ethiopia
Amid the widespread global disruptions caused by COVID-19, Ethiopia has also been facing the worst desert locust infestation in over 25 years. The economic implications of these crises on the most populous country in the Horn of Africa have taken many forms. External international trade disruptions have already started…
Staying Connected when Everything Is Forcing Us Apart
The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic has swiftly changed the world in which we live by drastically altering how we work and where we socialize. In just a few short weeks, it has transformed complex social systems, which were based on physical proximity and interaction, to ones based on remote…
Beyond 60 Minutes: The Caribbean, Center Stage for the Soft Energy Pathway
In 1976, RMI co-founder Amory Lovins wrote “Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?”, which outlined his proposal for a “soft energy pathway” for global security. In an era defined by large centralized electricity generation—primarily powered by coal and nuclear energy in the United States—where power was transmitted hundreds of miles…
Implementing Puerto Rico’s Energy Transformation
Just a couple of months ago, deadly earthquakes in Puerto Rico’s south coast destroyed homes and public buildings and damaged a major power plant. This, coming after the 2017 devastating hurricane season, highlights the continued challenges of the island’s current grid and difficulty of planning for the future. Fortunately, early…
