The sun stands to play a major role in the world’s shift away from climate-warming fossil fuels.

In fact, global investments in solar energy hit a whopping $300 billion in 2022—but those dollars didn’t flow in an equitable way.

That’s according to the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an intergovernmental organization headquartered in India that started in 2015 as part of a global effort to fulfill the Paris Agreement’s pledges. Today, the ISA has about 120 signatory countries, including the US, as it works to boost solar adoption worldwide, particularly in the Global South.

In October, the ISA announced some $35 million in funding for solar projects, including mini-grids and rooftop installations, primarily in Africa, the Associated Press reported.

Tech Brew recently caught up with Ajay Mathur, director general of the ISA. Mathur previously served as director general of the Energy and Resources Institute and as a member of the Prime Minister of India’s Council on Climate Change. He served as co-chair of the global Energy Transitions Commission and the Clean Cooling Initiatives of the One Planet Summit; led the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency; was a climate change negotiator at the Paris climate negotiations; and was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Tell me about the International Solar Alliance and what your primary focus is.

The International Solar Alliance is a grouping of 120 countries which aims at enhancing solarization across the world. And this means solar policies, this means money for solar, this means developing human capacity, changing rules and regulations—whatever it takes to bring solar energy into the energy mix of countries.

It’s about comparing best practices. It is about providing training. It’s about enabling money to flow—the entire gamut of activities that it takes to make solar the energy source of choice.

How would you characterize the landscape in terms of solar adoption around the world right now?

There’s one number which says this very well: Last year, something like $300 billion was invested in solar globally. This is great; it compares with the peak of investment in fossil fuels two decades ago. However, 74% of this investment went to OECD countries and China. The rest of the world got the remaining; all of Africa got 3% of the investment.

Keep reading here.—JG

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As France prepares for an influx of Olympic athletes and tourists, the country’s communications networks are also gearing up for an uptick in traffic.

According to a report from digital services firm Cloudflare, which has monitored visits to Olympics-related websites since January, there have been “multiple spikes associated with specific Olympic events or ticket sales” as the extravaganza draws closer.

The most online interest, perhaps unsurprisingly, is coming from the games’ host country: 24% of Domain Name System (DNS) requests have originated in the republic. The other countries showing the keenest interest in Olympics content are the United Kingdom and the United States, which have respectively generated 20% and 17% of DNS requests, Cloudflare found.

The games, which began last week, are slated to run through August 11, showcasing some 32 sports in more than 300 events that range from breakdancing (a newcomer this year) to track and field foot races (a staple hailing from the ancient Greeks).

According to Cloudflare, online activity spiked last month as key event venues began operations and as IMAX theaters began selling tickets for live event viewing in the US.

Keep reading here.—KG

A robocall that cloned President Joe Biden’s voice in January is one of the latest examples establishing that artificial dupes of real people’s voices and images can—and will—be used to trick members of the public.

In a new survey, identity verification platform Jumio found that the phenomenon is never far from the public’s consciousness, especially when it comes to politics.

Of the more than 8,000 adults queried across the US, UK, Mexico, and Singapore, 72% reported worrying about deepfakes on a daily basis. Of the countries surveyed, Americans worried the least—just over half reported that deepfakes were a constant concern. Mexicans reported worrying the most; 89% of respondents said it’s always on their mind.

More than half of the respondents also agreed that their governments don’t do enough to regulate artificial intelligence, while 43% expressed “faith” in their government’s ability to do so.

The pervasiveness of AI also extends to perceived election integrity. Three-fourths of respondents across the world said they “worry about the potential for AI and deepfakes to influence upcoming elections,” including 72% of American participants.

While 60% of respondents expressed bravado about their ability to spot deepfakes—with young men communicating the highest confidence that they could detect AI manipulation—that assurance declined in the context of elections.

Keep reading here.—KG

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