Petrol from air at first glance from this week's headlines, claiming scientists have turned fresh air into petrol, looked as if this was yet another over the top claim about a killer solution to solve the environmental crisis and specter of global warming.

A man parks his electric powered car at a charging station in Sofia. Bulgaria's car-packed capital has recently set a EU example in the fight against greenhouse gas emissions by installing its first state-of-the-art solar power charger for electric cars, officials said.

To ensure energy security for sustainable development and build green, environmentally friendly industries, as well as to reduce the production cost and enhance the competitiveness of businesses to build a green economy, Vietnam is promoting renewable energy development, energy efficiency and conservation.

As an agricultural country, Vietnam has great potential of biomass energy. Especially with vast rice fields, the Mekong Delta has abundant resources of rice husk and straw that can be used as types of biomass fuel.

To improve rural living standards and to popularize biogas energy among people, especially women, at the same time implementing the programme for energy efficiency and waste treatment, Ninh Binh Women Federation has initiated the project “Households using biogas to save energy” in the whole province.

A team of elephant researchers from Stanford University has transformed a remote corner of southern Africa into a high-tech field camp run entirely on sunlight.

After three months of the pilot project on using energy efficiently, Ben Tre Centre for Industry Promotion and Development Consultancy has so far received application forms from 35 households who wish to take part in this program.

Under the guidance of the Northern Power Corporation in the official letter no. 3281/EVNNPC-KDDN dated 07 September 2012 on the development of “power saving family” movement in the Power Companies, Dien Bien Power Company launched “Power saving family 2012” movement, the households commit to save at least 10% of power use and get power use results of October 2012 as a landmark for comparing to November and December 2012.

To implement promote agricultural development via the application of high technology innovations, many private companies, state businesses as well as foreign companies in recent years have invested in plant multiplication and growth in agricultural production using lighting technology.

After the campaign for electricity and energy saving programs in 2012 recently launched in Hanoi, about 100,000 typical households have adopted energy and money saving measures.

Positive electricity saving results last year has encouraged Vietnam to continue with a new target this year to save at least one percent of commercial electricity output, to reduce electricity/GDP elasticity coefficient, and to save 10 percent on electricity use in manufacture and 10 percent of consumer electricity from now to 2015.

The project includes an 11,340Wp solar power system, a solar LED lighting pole and a 600-liter solar water heating system.

On 12 October, 2012, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade signed the Decision number 6061/QD-BCT on the designation of a laboratory which will be employed to test energy output for equipment engaging in the Energy labeling program.

South Africa has unveiled first solar power plant, situated at the environmentally friendly OR Tambo Precinct, produces about 200 kW of electricity through 860 PV (photovoltaic) solar panels on 2,500 m² of land.

Chiều ngày 13/10/2012, Trung tâm Tiết kiệm năng lượng Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh (ECC-HCMC) đã trao tặng 20 bộ đèn năng lượng mặt trời (NLMT) cho 20 hộ dân nghèo chưa có điện tại ấp An Hòa, xã An Ngãi Tây, huyện Ba Tri,

Các chuyên gia của Đại học Công nghệ và Kinh tế Budapest (Hungary) đã tham gia vào dự án có tên là “Odooproject” và cuối cùng cho ra đời một mẫu nhà tiền chế có tính năng sử dụng hoàn toàn năng lượng mặt trời và điều quan trọng hơn là ngôi nhà có thể sản xuất khối lượng điện năng gấp đôi mức điện năng cần tiêu thụ.

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee recently approved the Green Energy Program for the 2011-2015 period, which emphasized the goal of clean power development, with new renewable energies accounting for more than one percent of the whole city's power consumption, equivalent to 48MW. However, to make this a reality will not be easy.

Vietnam won an Energy Globe Award 2012 from experts representing the United Nations, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), World Bank (WB), European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) and Seibersdorf Research Center, for its project on hybrid power system to supply power for Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands and the DK1 marine defense platform in the East Sea.

In response to the National Energy Efficiency Program, Vinh Phuc Province aims to save at least 10 percent of their current annual electricity consumption.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade will promote the consumption of biofuel by providing more information on the economic and environmental advantages of the vegetable–derived petrol alternative.