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Transportation

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Illustration of a line chart, with two lines climbing suddenly upward, and two airplanes at the end of each line. The chart is on graph paper with faint blue lines and the paper is faintly yellow. — Sustainable aviation fuel gets off the ground
Production of sustainable aviation fuel is beginning to take off in the United States — but cleaner fuels still comprise a tiny slice of the overall fuel used in airplanes. Data Dives
Bill Spindle 2 min read

An illustration of someone on an electric motorcycle riding up a street toward a building with solar panels on the roof, and there's a South African flag on waving next to the road. There are also palm trees and a green overlay. Delicate white circles highlight the electric motorcycle and the solar panels. — Side-stepping, not leapfrogging: Africa’s cleantech innovation paradox
People in Africa are finding creative ways to embrace clean technologies while bypassing traditional infrastructure issues. But these quick wins need to be woven into a broader strategy for long-term development. Voices
Rose Mutiso & Joel Nana 4 min read

A collage of many illustrations with a thin blue overlay and — Rounding up the best of Cipher in 2024
This was a big year for the energy transition and a busy year for Cipher. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite articles from 2024 and offer them to you here for easy reading. Latest News
Cipher Staff 4 min read

An illustration with a red background shows a plane taking off, leaving two white trails of gas behind it. A giant hand with an eraser is erasing the white trails of gas behind the plane. — Reducing contrails could be a surprisingly effective climate solution
Not all opportunities to address climate change are created equal. Contrails may be the low-hanging fruit of the aviation industry. Voices
Ian McKay & Ken Caldeira 3 min read

Majority of top states for jobs from new clean energy projects are GOP, battleground

Politically conservative and battleground states are leading the way in jobs created by new clean energy projects announced since President Biden’s signature climate law passed two years ago. Data Dives

Cat Clifford < 1

Illustration of a bar chart on top of an outline of the United States map with a black and white photo of wind turbines inside.

Mapping clean energy on the highway

The very same roads that have fueled our car culture, and carbon emissions, could ultimately play a vital role powering our national grid with clean energy. Voices

Allie Kelly & Pat Cummens 3 min read

An aerial view of a highway with solar panels next to it, with a map of the highway intersection superimposed on top of it.

Electric vehicle prices remain higher than traditional cars everywhere but China

Electric vehicle prices plunged below those of traditional, petrol-fueled cars in China over the past five years but remain higher than the price of traditional cars in the United States. Data Dives

Bill Spindle 2 min read

Illustration where the lines from a line chart hover over a dark drawing of a car.

Singapore seeks leading role in clean energy

Southeast Asia doesn't have a regional capital to act as organizer and promoter of its clean energy efforts. Singapore is trying to step into that role. Latest News

Bill Spindle 4 min read

Singapore's skyline at sunset, dotted by spectacular tall buildings.

China makes most of the world’s batteries

The energy transition depends on batteries and right now, China dominates almost every stage of the process of making them, a recent report makes clear. Data Dives

Cat Clifford < 1

This is a screenshot of the chart with the numbers removed.

Cleaner burning aviation fuels poised for takeoff

Production of cleaner burning sustainable aviation fuels in the U.S. is set to surge in the next 10 years with the help of policy incentives, airline demand and available feedstocks. Data Dives

Amena H. Saiyid 2 min read

Line Graph showing the surge in SAF production in the United States.

Europe’s wind ambitions require a makeover for the ports

Ports are an often-overlooked yet crucial part of the wind industry. They need to expand to move around parts for increasingly bigger wind turbines. Latest News

Anca Gurzu 6 min read

Illustration with a blue background showing photos of offshore wind turbines being installed and a large ship docked at a port surrounded by tall cranes.

US, Europe struggle to keep up with China’s EV growth

Nearly two-thirds of all forecasted electric vehicle (EV) sales this year will likely be in China. Data Dives

Anca Gurzu < 1

Amid news of slowdown, electric car sales set to keep growing

Electric-car sales grew at a rapid clip last year in the United States and are set to keep growing in the years ahead. Data Dives

Amy Harder 2 min read

A line chart with a line in green that then branches into a line in a lighter green and a blue line below it.

Airports face an energy “perfect storm” — but there’s a way out

The traditional energy infrastructure airport operators have relied on for the past half century may not be able to keep pace with ballooning power requirements. For many airports, it’s time to think outside the grid. Voices

Juan Macias 3 min read

Collage image of airport symbols and clean energy highlighted in green on a blue background.

In India, battery swapping fuels electric market for 2 and 3 wheels

India’s 2- and 3-wheeler market has taken up battery swapping, and new business models. Latest News

Bill Spindle 4 min read

A man drives a three-wheeled auto rickshaw through the streets of Rajasthan, India. The auto rickshaw is yellow and green and the background is black and white. A woman wearing yellow sits in the backseat, her dupatta covering her face.

African energy leader calls for reality check on minerals extraction

The world is failing to pay sufficient attention to the energy-intensive practice of mineral extraction, which takes place under questionable human rights and working conditions in many low- and middle-income countries, Amani Abou-Zeid told Cipher. Latest News

Anca Gurzu 2 min read

Amani Abou-Zeid speaks on a panel at an energy conference.

Decarbonizing maritime transport with low-carbon fuels

Many think a bridge fuel, like liquefied natural gas (LNG), will be a necessary yet temporary solution as the maritime sector decarbonizes. But LNG is not a viable bridge fuel for commercial ships because it still emits a lot of greenhouse gases compared to alternatives. Voices

David Hume 3 min read

Green cargo ships on a black background.

Massive cleantech deployment needed to reach net zero

Countries need to “dramatically” increase the scale and speed of clean energy technology deployment for a chance to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century, the International Energy Agency (IEA) found in a new report. Data Dives

Anca Gurzu 2 min read

Graph of global deployment of clean energy techonologies

Low-carbon power and electric vehicle investments drive path to net zero

The world needs to nearly triple investments in low-carbon electricity and carbon capture technologies in the power sector for a chance to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, according to a new report by BloombergNEF. Data Dives

Anca Gurzu < 1

Graph of Global investment needs in the energy sector by 2050

Clean jet fuel could take off with new climate law

The U.S. government is for the first time in history singling out and subsidizing cleaner aviation fuel. Such a move is poised to help clean up one of the most high-profile ways our society contributes to climate change. Harder Line

Amy Harder 4 min read

EU electric charging points booming but not across the board

The European Union’s public electric charging infrastructure has been growing quickly, but the adoption rate varies greatly across member states. Data Dives

Anca Gurzu < 1

Geopolitics lurk in EU’s bet on green hydrogen in energy transition

The European Union is working hard to rid itself of Russian natural gas, and in the process the 27-member bloc is betting on a different gas as a clean alternative: green hydrogen. Latest News

Anca Gurzu 4 min read

Visualizing the deployment gap in cars, carbon and more

The climate provisions of the Build Back Better bill would give a boost of anywhere between 39% and 75% in key clean energy technologies, according to data by Rhodium Group. Data Dives

Amy Harder < 1