Alternative Outlook

The agave plant, from which tequila is derived, may be the answer to Australia’s thirst for fuel.

IT FUELS MEXICO’S ECONOMY and fills the world’s shot glasses, but the succulent agave plant – from which tequila is distilled – could also help quenc… Continue Reading Sun rises on tequila plant harvesting for biofuel

In 2010 the UK proudly announced that it would be the first country in the world to create a bank dedicated to investing in greening the economy.

How France and Germany operate their green banks, by Ursula Hartenberger and James Rowlands

Althou… Continue Reading UK Green Investment Bank: Lessons to be learnt from our neighbours

Surging demand for Chateau Lafite and other French trophy labels, especially from Asia, has pushed both prices at auction and wine futures to records. Not all wine dealers are happy.

The prices for some of the most expensive bottles are startin… Continue Reading Billionaires’ Wine Thirst Quelled by Record Bordeaux Futures, Sale Prices

• Join The Guardian for an interactive online discussion to explore the renewable energy agenda beyond changes to feed-in tariffs
• Thursday 4 August from 2-4pm (BST)

For organisations looking to reduce their impact, decisions around energy a… Continue Reading Live discussion: Feed-in tariffs and large scale investment in renewables

It has become one of the City’s biggest talking points: how much further has the gold price got to go? It is up more than sixfold since former chancellor Gordon Brown sold off more than half of Britain’s reserves in 1999.

Gold has breached a reco… Continue Reading Gold price continues its dizzying climb as economies come under threat

Investors are being given the opportunity to back a boom in British wind power.

It is a long-term punt that demand for alternative energy will deliver on the hype and, in the short-term, that the wind keeps blowing.
The management at investment… Continue Reading Can investing in wind really pay you 10 per cent a year?