Renewable energy investment predicted to surge

Countries are realising the cost of their dependence on oil and coal, says International Energy Agency

Between the tropics and probably as far as the 33rd parallel, the sun could soon be a major source of energy for households and businesses alike.

Countries such as Mexico and Indonesia, long dependent on cheap home-produced oil and coal, are realising that a solar panel on every roof can reduce poverty by lowering energy costs as well as minimising the destabilising weather effects from higher CO2 emissions.