2018 has already been unofficially declared as the year of the electric car. The next 12 months are likely to bring us closer to the dawn of a new era of renewable energy, when electric batteries will power many of the world’s cars, homes, and indeed entire communities. So how will this year play out for renewables? We will likely see the levelized cost of building and operating solar or wind power become cheaper than the operating costs of coal-fired power generation. We can also expect more and more lithium-ion batteries in homes (both on-and off-grid) and in the power grid itself. I predict that more coal power plant projects will be abandoned, as the underlying economics of renewable energy makes it a more attractive option. Investing in clean technology is set to take off amid new benchmark and price records in solar power, batteries, electric vehicles, and energy efficiency. — blog.adb.org/blogs