Every night, more than a billion people live in the dark when the sun goes down. They experience a different world than that of people in developed countries. Their only source of light, where available, comes from kerosene – a fuel that is expensive, dirty and potentially dangerous. Consequently, their immediate environment is often filled with smoke and fire, thereby making it difficult to even see properly.

Ten years ago, alternatives to kerosene were hard to find. Today is a very…

This November 8 will mark the one-year anniversary of Typhoon Yolanda, the devastating storm that claimed at least 6,300 lives and displaced millions more. In Tacloban, one of the hardest-hit areas southeast of Manila, the destruction is still evident: A cement house lies partially submerged in the ocean. Large ships are grounded right next to the main street. Debris fills abandoned shops that have not yet reopened. Permanent housing and general reconstruction are a work in progress, with a…

Loan guarantees have been around since at least the 1940s, when the U.S. government backed loans for homes, farms and businesses for World War II veterans. More recently, the U.S. government has used loan guarantee programs to support the development of clean energy. Projects including the large Ivanpah solar facility in California’s Mojave Desert, a large…

National Geographic helped advance the cause of sustainable energy for off-grid communities by crowning the winners of the Terra Watt Prize — the first competition of its kind — on June 11 in Washington, D.C. As torchbearers for cleaner, safer, and cheaper energy alternatives for the global poor, co-champions Mera Gao Micro Grid Power (MGP) and…