Will a bottom-up approach suffice for the UN's Sustainable Energy for All initiative, or does it need more formal support from Rio+20, asks Smriti Mallapaty?

Can a new network of African energy researchers lead the way on solar power for the continent? Christine Ottery finds out.

SciDev.Net speaks to UN Environment Programme executive director Achim Steiner at the Eye on Earth Summit (12-15 December) about next year's Rio+20.

SciDev.Net reporters from around the world tell us which countries are set on developing nuclear energy despite the Fukushima accident.

Nearly forty years since its inception, India's Barefoot College has trained 15,000 women in a range of poverty-stemming skills.

As Japan's nuclear accidents send shockwaves round the world, Alex Abutu explores whether Africa is ready to provide safe nuclear power.

Rwanda hopes to secure its future with solar power, but it currently accounts for just 0.1 per cent of energy production.

Solar power could help alleviate rural poverty. David J. Grimshaw and Sian Lewis shine a light on its progress, potential and pitfalls.

Solar power can light the homes of the off-grid poor, but how can people buy the equipment? Pinaki Roy and Katherine Nightingale report.

Indian researchers propose using a type of algae as a source of biofuel — which could then be 'milked' from specially-designed solar panels.

Jatropha will not be saving the world anytime soon, say researchers, but it could work in local biofuel projects in developing countries.

The continent may have plenty of sun, but some African countries are looking to wind power to meet their energy needs.

Using low-soot stoves in Africa and Asia would cut levels of black carbon, which warms the atmosphere.

Yvo de Boer, the UN climate chief, speaks to SciDev.Net about getting clean technology into the developing world.

Poor rural communities in Laos are feeling the benefits of green energy, thanks to the efforts of a local energy company.

Vietnamese researchers are expanding the use of biogas as a sustainable energy source for the country's small businesses.

Small-scale solar power is taking off in Kenya due to its ease and cost-effectiveness — a welcome change from costly, unreliable electricity.

Brazil's successful sugarcane ethanol industry owes much to massive investment in infrastructure and research, reports Carla Almeida.

Biofuel holds promise for Africa but research is not yet in place to fully reap the rewards, or analyse the pitfalls, reports Kimani Chege.