Benjamin Sovacool

Many people assume solar PV degrades quickly. Long-term evidence suggests otherwise.

This paper in EES Solar uses rare multi-decade field data to show that PV systems can retain a high share of their initial performance after 30 years, with lower degradation than often assumed.

Link in comments.

Stories - The Bennett Institute Award-winning SPRU MSc student Rafael Lopez joined the Bennett for a dissertation on sustainable macroeconomic strategies in small island economies.

'Bridging academia & practice showed me how policy research can drive real-world impact' 🌍 MSc in Sustainable Development student Rafael joined us as a Research Assistant whilst at @sussexunibusiness.bsky.social - a highlight of his degree & defining chapter of his journey tinyurl.com/w3wte9jk

Stories - The Bennett Institute

@sovacool.bsky.social breaks down what the latest @ipcc.bsky.social findings really mean: energy transition is achievable, but only if we tackle political barriers & centre communities. Brighton & Hove Energy Services Co-op shows how local action can accelerate climate goals.
tinyurl.com/2s46tmby

Accelerating global city commitments and actions on climate change As national-focused orthodoxy in climate policy has proven insufficient to address the climate crisis, a shift to a multilevel framework is needed, ce…

In this new analysis, Ben Leffel + @sovacool.bsky.social argue that, "as national-focused orthodoxy in climate policy has proven insufficient to address the climate crisis, a shift is needed, centering cities as pivotal actors in global climate mitigation" -- and I COULD NOT AGREE MORE.

Read here:

RSVP: Wind Energy and Birds Join ABC and the Climate Institute's webinar on 1/29

FREE webinar Thursday 🐦 Discover strategies to develop wind energy with birds in mind. IGS Director @sovacool.bsky.social & other experts in wildlife conservation and renewable energy will discuss real experiences from successful wind energy projects in South America.
abcbirds.org/wind-webinar

Cities need an integrated and holistic approach to health adaptation in climate planning - Nature Cities Most cities lack comprehensive health adaptation strategies in climate planning, with no global plans achieving fully integrated holistic approaches. City climate adaptation plans show the awareness o...

Climate change is a growing health threat, yet only 6 of 55 cities meaningfully include health in climate plans. Research calls for stronger, clearer and more equitable health‑adaptation strategies. tinyurl.com/2t7aw2a2
doi.org/10.1038/s44284-025-00364-1 @sovacool.bsky.social

Looking forward to speaking at @bennett-innovate.bsky.social 2026 symposium on economics & energy - looks like it will be a lively debate!

Register: bennettinstitutesussex.org/stories/2026...

@sovacool.bsky.social

From waste to fuel: Uncovering the drivers of garbage and plastic burning in Northwest Nigeria Anecdotal evidence indicates that energy-poor households in regions lacking formal waste management systems often resort to burning garbage, including…

Our descriptive analysis on the use of garbage and plastic as household fuel in NW Nigeria

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

@sovacool.bsky.social @efdinitiative.bsky.social

#plastic #energy

Era of ‘global water bankruptcy’ is here, UN report says Overuse and pollution must end urgently as no one knows when whole system might collapse, says expert

Era of ‘global water bankruptcy’ is here, UN report says
Overuse and pollution must end urgently as no one knows when whole system might collapse
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Brink Bites: BU Expert to Help Lead UN Climate Report, Undergraduates Study Secrets of the Universe Other research news, stories, and tidbits from around BU, including prestigious physics and health awards for researchers

Spotted in this month's "Brink Bites" research roundup: The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has selected IGS Director Benjamin Sovacool (@sovacool.bsky.social) to help lead its next report. Learn more & get involved ⬇️

Stories - The Bennett Institute Announcing the Bennett Institute's 2026 Symposium, register now

The 2026 Bennett Institute Annual Symposium will be held on 19 February at Bramber House.

Staff and students are welcome, and the event is free!

Learn more and Register here: https://bit.ly/4qEZrv8

#BennettSymposium #NetZero #EnergyPolicy #SussexResearch

Welcome to Kenya’s Great Carbon Valley: a bold new gamble to fight climate change One project aims to harness local geothermal resources to pull CO2 from the air. Will it prove that carbon removal can really help our warming planet?

Direct Air Capture (DAC) has immense potential, but it's also expensive and unproven at scale.

“If we’re able to do DAC at scale, it could be the next huge energy transition," @sovacool.bsky.social tells @technologyreview.com regarding an ambitious new #DAC project in Kenya.

When women lead,
☮️Peace lasts 10-25 years longer

www.unwomen.org/en/news-stor...

4 pillars
align gender equality & peace

1 Prevent conflict

2 Protect rights/safety
of women & girls

3 Participate
All decisions re: peace & security, from local to intl,
include women

4 Relief/recovery

When people argue that renewable energy sources are too expensive, remember that we don’t invade countries to seize wind farms and there are no solar cartels. Fossil fuels have enormous geopolitical, public health, and climate externalities.

Too soon?

A technician in a neon vest and hard hat wipes down a mirrored surface.

Two researchers converse. One holds an open notebook.

A new case study based in Sierra Leone highlights Mirrors for Earth’s Energy Rebalancing (MEER), a novel intervention to #ExtremeHeat. By IGS Director @sovacool.bsky.social:
spr.ly/63321Cui6f

Ecosystem of Systematic Reviews on Carbon Dioxide Removal We are thrilled to share that the first paper in the Ecosystem of Systematic Reviews on Carbon Dioxide Removal has just been published, focusing on Direct Air CO2 Capture and Storage (DACCS).

A new comprehensive review on direct air CO2 capture and storage is the result of more than 2.5 years of work by 29 international experts, including IGS Director @sovacool.bsky.social: spr.ly/63322Cu3Du

Don’t let US go to war over⛽️Oil…

Hmm, one more reason
to vote 🗳️🔵for #Climate

&
switch to #Solar

Headshot of Benjamin Sovacool.

Congrats IGS Director @sovacool.bsky.social on three major 2025 research citation honors!
Stanford's list of "World's Top 2%" scientists: spr.ly/63320CuXAO
ScholarGPS Highly Ranked Scholars: spr.ly/63323CuXAR
Clarivate's Highly Cited Researchers: spr.ly/63325CuXAT

A large group of climate scientists at the IPCC Lead Authors Meeting.

Over 600 top climate scholars from 100+ countries gathered in Paris to start the IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report (AR7), including IGS Director/Coordinating Lead Author @sovacool.bsky.social. AR7 findings start in 2028, with the final report in 2029. spr.ly/63325CuzXR

Guardians of the Wild | Windows to the Wild Host Willem Lange shares stories of people who have found incredible ways to protect nature. You'll meet a 15 year-old who save orangutans in the rainforest of Indonesia. We dive into the lakes of NH to salvage sunken wrecks, and then witness the efforts to restore oysters to Great Bay.

#DYK an oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water in a day? 🦪🌊 These ecosystem engineers help coastal environments thrive, but ~85% of the Earth's oyster reefs have been lost. More from @nhpbs.bsky.social feat. @wallyfulweiler.bsky.social: spr.ly/63321CMiuH

In new book, a Brookline author and professor calls out ads disguised as news - Brookline.News Brookline author Michelle Amazeen turns a critical eye in her new book to an increasingly common form of advertising that resembles news articles and can confuse readers.

📚@brooklinenews.bsky.social reports on our recent book talk with Michelle Amazeen (@commscholar.bsky.social). Her new boook "Content Confusion" offers a deep dive into the practice of native advertising and #climate #disinformation.

Read the full story ⬇️

📣 #IPCC is calling for the nominations of authors for the Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies, Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage!

Find out more 👉 https://www.ipcc.ch/2025/11/19/calltficdrccus/

Submissions close 12 December 2025

Headshot of Benjamin Sovacool with quote from article.

#AI helps track droughts and support disaster relief — but the same tools are now used by militaries for both climate solutions and as weapons. @foreignpolicy.com explores these blurred ethical lines, with insight from IGS Director @sovacool.bsky.social. More: spr.ly/6332372oyU

10 years ago hydrogen buses were hyped and many cities ordered them.

Today the picture is clear: electric buses rule, hydrogen buses whither.

Indigenous delegates prepare for COP30 with focus on justice, land and finance As the Brazilian city of Belém prepares for this year’s U.N. climate conference, COP30, Indigenous leaders worldwide say they’re getting ready to have their demands addressed. Dubbed the “nature COP”…

The 2025 U.N. climate conference, COP30, will run from Nov. 10-21 in Belém, Brazil, and is expected to host the largest participation of Indigenous peoples in the conference series’ history, with more than 3,000 Indigenous delegates registered.

Mongabay spoke with some about their objectives.

Ukraine war briefing: Russia deliberately ‘endangering nuclear safety in Europe’ says Kyiv Ukraine says drones are targeting substations that power the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear plants. What we know on day 1,355

Nuclear risk in an increasingly unstable world.
#Russia again targeting substations that power the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne #nuclear power plants in #Ukraine.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

New U.S. nuclear power boom begins with old, still-unsolved problem: What to do with radioactive waste As government and industry, from tech giants to utilities, commit to big nuclear power plants, there is still no clear solution for radioactive waste storage.

"New U.S. #nuclear boom begins with old, still-unsolved problem: Radioactive waste.
95,000 metric tons spent nuclear fuel (with a minority from weapons programs) sits temporarily stockpiled in water-filled pools or dry casks at 79 sites in 39 states."
www.cnbc.com/2025/11/09/n...