The government has been making a push for renewable energy. This week, it was announced that the Government is launching a new call-for-offers scheme for installations that generate electricity from renewable energy sources.

More than 40MW of renewable energy capacity will be available under the 2025 Invitation to Bid (ITB) process, with 20-year contracts offering a premium payment per kWh. This follows a record year in which 30MW of PV systems are set to be installed through signed contracts, it said.

In addition, plans are in play for offshore renewable energy production. In December, a public call to develop Malta's first offshore renewable energy project, located 12 nautical miles off the Maltese coast within the country's Exclusive Economic Zone.

Meanwhile, the government has received 16 offers for the development of Malta's first large-scale utility battery energy storage systems. Two are planned, but it is likely that in the future more will be needed.

All this while private individuals continue to install solar panels on their homes.

Renewable energy is the cleanest form of energy, after all it harnesses sunlight, wind or ever waves. Some technology is more advanced than others, but improvements are being made. As time goes on, they will become even more efficient at energy generation. Storing that energy, through batteries, is also important, in order to ensure that energy can be used at times when it is not generated.

Hopefully in the future a far higher percentage of energy generated in Malta would come from renewable energy sources, which could further bring down energy prices.

But going green is not just about energy generation.

Transport is a major concern, as congestion is pollution. The government had plans to ban the importation of new petrol and diesel cars in the future, but first electric vehicle charging infrastructure needs to be heavily improved as there are far too few charging points, especially for those who don't own a garage, and more incentives for people to purchase electric vehicles are needed.

Perhaps even more important than that is the need to reduce the number of vehicles on the road by enticing people to use other means of transport. This newsroom has written countless editorials on this, but one must emphasise that this is a problem which continues to grow.

When it comes to construction and development, the need to incorporate sustainability must be emphasised. When designing buildings, doing so in a way that would reduce the requirement for air conditioners to be switched on for large amounts of time by using innovative cooling techniques, for instance, is a way forward. Ensuring that large projects have green areas where people can breathe, so to speak, should also be a must.

The government has been undertaking urban greening projects, but in Malta's most densely populated areas, such as St Paul's Bay, Sliema, St Julian's, far more is needed.

Aiming for a greener Malta, in all aspects, would be something that future generations will thank us for.