海角大神

听written by Monitor energy editor David J. Unger.

Sub-Saharan: In 2013, President Obama pledged $7 billion to spread electricity to 60 million homes and business across sub-Saharan Africa, 70 percent of which is without access to modern energy. As the president returns to Africa two years later, the Power Africa program has little to show for its efforts. Private funds may push ahead, but听. Meanwhile, blackouts continue to derail everyday life across much of the continent. 鈥淚t鈥檚 frustrating,鈥� Anike Juliet, a salon owner in Abuja, Nigeria, told The New York Times.听

Maritime: In disputed East China Sea territory,听China is building oil rigs too close for Japan's comfort. In the strategically sensitive South China Sea,听it's literally building islands. Photos and a map published by the Japanese government purportedly show听from the Japanese side of a de facto maritime border between the two countries. The expansion into resource rich waters is putting just about everyone in the region on edge, but China maintains it has peaceful intentions and legal authority.

Fennica:听, but the company will have to move blow-out containment equipment in place before it starts. The decision is largely a win for the company, which has already spent $7 billion on its Arctic program without yielding a drop of oil or gas. Meanwhile,听听after a听shallow shoal ripped a 39-inch gash into its hull.听

In the pipeline

• Tuesday, July 28: WASHINGTON 鈥� Secretary of State John Kerry, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz听.
• Tuesday, July 28 to Friday, July 31: MAUI, HAWAII 鈥� Negotiators from 12 Pacific nations meet to听.
• Saturday, August 1: ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 鈥撎�听in an effort to boost state finances.

听

Drill deeper

[The Boston Globe]
This piece has everything we鈥檝e come to expect from a profile of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. Self-aware discussion of the secretary鈥檚 hair? Check. Debate听over proper surname pronunciation? Check. Arguments for why Mr. Moniz was the secret weapon in Iran nuclear talks? Check. Still, the Boston Globe鈥檚 Neil Swidey goes beyond the cliches, giving us a telling look into the personal life 鈥� and the soccer moves 鈥� of the country鈥檚 top energy official.

[CityLab]
Recent studies have outlined how cities and states across the US might rely entirely on renewable energy sooner rather than later. But if the ultimate goal is to lower carbon emissions, it鈥檚 not entirely clear why it would be worth spending a significant amount of capital (not to mention land) to swap nuclear power plants out for solar panels, wind turbines, and the like.

听[InsideClimate News]
In 2009, wealthy nations promised to raise $100 billion in private and public climate financing per year for sustainable development in poorer countries. They established the Green Climate Fund to corral a sizeable chunk of that financing, but so far the fund has only $10 billion in pledges. That does not bode well for a climate agreement in Paris, since developing nations have indicated they would not sign off unless significant financing was involved.

Energy sources

• : "During January鈥揓une, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 1.53掳F (0.85掳C) above the 20th century average. This was the highest for January鈥揓une in the 1880鈥�2015 record, surpassing the previous record of 2010 by 0.16掳F (0.09掳C)."
• : "The number of companies with commitments to [Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC)]听has almost tripled since 2012. Importantly, this list now also includes smaller, non-[International听Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM)] companies鈥攁 promising development that again highlights wider acceptance of FPIC within the industry. However, this trend masks a number of issues. First, the oil and gas sector is clearly lagging in adopting FPIC policies, with no public commitments from any of the companies included in this report. Second, although policy commitments to FPIC are increasing, these lack detailed implementation guidance, and some companies have reservations relating to the core right to withhold consent."
• : "Deregulating fuel prices will help decrease fuel consumption and preserve natural resources for future generations. It will also encourage individuals to adopt fuel-efficient vehicles, including the use of electric and hybrid cars."

Unplug

鈥撎�

听written by Monitor energy editor David J. Unger.