With the world's attention focused on what will be agreed at Copenhagen, the reality is that unless there is a massive rethink about how a transition to a low-carbon economy is to be financed, whatever is agreed will not be achievable.

Take solar: the economies of solar mean that putting a panel on one's roof is a huge upfront investment, only at the moment recoupable in about 40 years. No wonder solar, an energy source with limitless potential, has not yet realised its ambitions. Which is why I was really interested to learn about the $200m sale, the other day, of the startup solar company – SunEdison.

Source: The Guardian

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