A sunny day always brightens me up- and this week in conference at the TED Global 2011 event in Edinburgh the Scottish weather has been kind enough that I have managed a sunny 20 minute walk to the venue twice in a row! This sunny start gives a kind of power- an optimism that helps kick start the day in the right way.

Solar power applied in a different way helps run a remarkable college in India where the incredible ingenuity of folk knowledge is collected and nurtured- The Barefoot College, indeed the only college in the world powered solely by solar power.

Inside the auditorium of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, delegates to TED Global 2011 grapple with concepts such as ‘Emerging Order’, ‘Living Systems’ and ‘Everyday Rebellions’. Philosophers, historians, chemists and performers recruited from the interlinked fields of Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) then brainstorm these key phrases gracefully into conversations and challenges- these will then continue to resonate within the relationships that we are all building within the TED universe.

In preparation for the 2011 TEDGlobal conference- as conference sponsors- Alliance activities gather pace this weekend. We have come to Edinburgh to join what is one of the most prestigious conferences for thought-leaders and creative thinking.

Winning an award is always good news for a vehicle manufacturer. So does that mean that winning two important awards in the same year for the same car is twice as good? No, this year I think it's much more significant than that.

As we all know, the Nissan LEAF was voted European Car of the Year 2011 at the end of last year and this was followed, at the recent New York Motor Show, by the car being pronounced World Car of the Year.

100% electric Nissan LEAF and Renault Fluence Z.E. pick up awards.

ROLLE (May 27, 2011) - The Renault-Nissan Alliance’s 100% electric vehicles have emerged in triumph after a tough series of tests and evaluations in the annual Challenge Bibendum rally (18-22 May) in Berlin, demonstrating the efficiency of the Alliance’s zero-emission technology.

A Renault Fluence Z.E has taken first place on the podium in the 300 km inter-city Challenge Bibendum 2011 rally. In doing so it took the title not only from high-performance electric roadsters but also from hydrogen and fuel-cell vehicles.

Netherlands, April 22, 2011 - The Renault-Nissan Alliance today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the E-laad.nl Foundation, a consortium of Dutch grid operators, to jointly promote the spread of zero-emission vehicles in the Netherlands.

NEW YORK,  April 21 - At the New York International Auto Show, the 100-percent electric, zero-emission Nissan LEAF was named 2011 World Car of the Year, edging out the BMW 5-Series and the Audi A8 for the top spot. Today's award is the latest in a string of accolades for the world's first affordable mass-market, all-electric vehicle for the global market, which was also named European Car of the Year.

London was made for the Nissan LEAF. It’s a compact city with narrow streets that are perfect for an electric vehicle. What is more there is no congestion charge to pay because of the car’s zero emissions.

The LEAF is just the sort of car the Mayor of London should be driving, so we have handed one over for a trial run.

We gave the LEAF keys to London’s Mayor Boris Johnson just weeks ahead of the launch of the capital's first citywide electric vehicle membership scheme which is called Source London.