UN/DESA Activities Supporting Increased use of Renewable energy and Energy Effic

Johannesburg plan of Implementation (JPOI) with its strong emphasis on renewable energy calls for action at all levels which is reflected in Para 20 (e) - “with a sense of urgency, substantially increase the global share of renewable energy sources with the objective of increasing its contribution to total energy supply, recognizing the role of national and voluntary regional targets as well as initiatives, where they exist, …….to this end”.  JPOI has also placed strong emphasis, inter alia, on improving energy efficiency in all stages of energy production, transportation, transmission and end use.

For a number of years, DESA has been supporting a range of activities aimed at promoting renewable energy utilization on a wider scale. These include technical cooperation activities and exchange of experiences and knowledge through international seminars, study tours and technical publications. As part of its efforts to follow up CSD recommendations, and JPOI, DESA technical cooperation activities in renewable energy focus on   

• Development of strategies to increase the contribution of RE  in the overall energy mix
• Commercialization strategies for diffusion of RE systems through market-oriented approaches
• Provision of sustainable rural energy services through wider choice of delivery mechanisms – e.g., NGO, entrepreneur, ESCO and community-based models

Technical cooperation activities

 Highlights of DESA-executed projects that employ these approaches are given below

China- Capacity building for Rapid Commercialization of Renewable Energy

This project ($139.3 million) in China is funded by UNDP-GEF and the governments of Australia and The Netherlands and is executed by DESA. The project is strengthening the capacity to promote the widespread adoption of renewable energy technologies (RETs) in China. It is also assisting the government in elaborating the appropriate policy framework to encourage market based initiatives that can contribute to rapid commercialization of RET’s. The project is supporting pilot demonstration projects  for five promising renewable energy technologies, namely: (i) rural village electrification by solar and wind hybrids; (ii) wind farm development; (iii) industrial scale biogas production; (iv) bagasse cogeneration; and (v) solar-water heaters. Among the key outputs of the project thus far are:

·        Preparation of Renewable Energy Law that was passed by China’s National People’s Congress in  February 2005

·        Establishment of the China Renewable Energy Industry Association

·        Development of an Investment Opportunity Facility to make available to the national and international industries and financing agencies  a set of bankable renewable energy projects

·        A Village Power Development Guidebook for China based on the two successful hybrid village power demonstrations in remote areas

·        Wind resource assessment at 10  sites, each of them have potential to develop a 100MW wind farm and has been incorporated in the National Wind Development Programme

·        Development of a National Action Plan for Industrial Biogas Development that was incorporated as the cornerstone of the National Programme; and

·        Establishment of the national solar water heating programme that includes a set of technical standards, three testing centres in different climate regions and a national certification centre in Beijing

China-Integration of Solar Water Heater (SWH)  in Residential Building

The project (US$1.8 million) is one of the largest energy and climate change projects supported by UNF. It aims to expand the use of solar energy for heating water to mitigate environment pollution associated with combustion of coal in China. The project focuses on the development of high-quality and attractive-looking model designs of integrating solar water heater into buildings, which will result in the strengthened capacity in both solar thermal and building industries and a series of design and construction standards and codes for the integration of solar water heating technology into new residential construction. The project has employed a participatory approach to involve key players within the two industries including architect design groups, manufacturers of solar hot water systems and building materials/components, construction companies, real estate developers, and responsible government agencies.  The major achievements so far include:

• Preparation and promulgation of a set of national regulations, standards and building codes that are specifically for the integration of SWH into building
• Construction of SWH integrated buildings at 12 locations for a total area of 387,900 m² with 12,000 m² solar panels installed and RMB Yuan 680 million (US$82 million equivalent) leveraged from the real estate industry
• Development of training curriculum and computer software to strengthen the technical capacity of the solar water heating and construction industries; and
• Enhancement of public awareness about the environmental, economic and social benefits of SWH buildings and as a result, the inclusion of SWH application into the national energy development programme

China-Utilization of Landfill Methane

The project (US$5.4 million) is financed by UNDP/GEF for reduction of landfill methane emission and improvement of management of municipal solid wastes at Chinese cities.  It has demonstrated appropriate technologies for waste-to-energy and their economic viability. The project has also formulated a national action plan for landfill gas recovery and utilization for dissemination of this environmental sound practice. The outcomes of project implementation include:

• Completion of three demonstration projects that developed technologies respectively to use landfill gas for electric power generation, incineration of medical wastes and vehicle fuels
• Development of a national action plan for the recovery and utilization of landfill methane, and
• Establishment of a national training centre to disseminate waste-to-energy technologies and best practices

India - Commercializing Renewable Energy in India

This project ($1 million) in India funded by the UN Foundation is aimed at strengthening local entrepreneurial capacity for sustained commercial operation of rural energy enterprises that harness renewable energy technologies to service productive use applications in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The primary emphasis is on creating opportunities for income generation activities in selected rural areas based on renewable energy applications. The project is developing and applying alternative models of rural renewable energy enterprises, financing packages and service chain linkages involving local private sector entities, NGOs, technology suppliers, local development institutions, and financing institutions. It is catalyzing market development for renewable energy systems for productive applications, providing information and training inputs, and interfacing with rural development activities at local levels. The primary beneficiaries of the project are the rural poor. Electric services delivered by the renewable energy enterprises supported under the project are capable of providing the rural poor with many benefits including increased freedom from time- and labor- intensive activities related to fetching water and fuel wood; improved health; enhanced educational opportunities; new employment options and economic empowerment; and improved access to credit for small loans.

Arab States- Capacity building in Arab States in renewable energy applications

A regional project involving fourteen Arab states was executed by DESA with UNDP funding support with the following outcomes. 

1)      Improved capacity to collect, analyze and report on renewable energy development and application

2)      Improved capacity to conduct diagnostic case studies intended to help remove barriers to commercialization of renewable energy technologies 

3)      Trained personnel including women in areas of decentralized rural electrification, biomass and small hydropower applications for rural development,  entrepreneurial activity for rural energy services, financing and credit mechanisms

4)      Inter-country cooperation in the adoption of standards and best engineering practices, sharing of testing and certification facilities

5)      Trained Renewable energy entrepreneurs

Pilot projects in small island developing states (SIDS)

The New and Renewable Source of Energy trust fund established with financial support from the Italian government is responsible for launching a number of projects providing access to energy in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). To date, projects are either underway or completed in the Solomon Islands, St. Lucia, Mauritius, Seychelles, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Fiji. These projects have elicited a great deal of interest by local communities and opened up prospects for further utilization of locally available energy resources. The projects focus on provision of renewable energy based electricity services such as solar PV lighting for homes, schools and hospitals, as well as for radio, TV, VCR and medicine refrigerators. Market potential for these technologies is substantial; however, constraints and barriers still exist.

Syria - Master Plan for renewable energy development in Syria

Working with national counterpart agency and with the involvement of different stakeholders, a master plan document was prepared which outlines plans and programs for time-bound implementation and corresponding resource outlays with respect to Research, Development and Demonstration projects for technology development, Pilot projects for technology demonstration as well as investment-worthy projects covering different forms of renewable energy. Data gaps have also been identified. The proposals made in the document were endorsed by the government of Syria. Steps have also been taken by the government to start the implementation of master plan proposals. 

Gambia - Water and Energy Services for Poverty Eradication in Rural Areas

The project ($1.5 million) funded by the Human Security Trust Fund is designed to encourage targeted and innovative efforts in reducing poverty in rural communities of The Gambia through income generating activities made possible by utilizing renewable energy technologies  for augmenting water and energy services. The focus will be to use water-energy services beyond their role of meeting the “basic needs” so that they generate economic opportunities to ensure long-term sustainability of investments made in both sectors. Decentralized management and market-based mechanisms (paying for and owning the services) are the two guiding principles to achieve this development objective. The project activities include:

·        Building capacity for using renewable energy to improve water and energy services to five selected rural communities on a sustainable basis.

·        Maximizing social and economic benefits from the development of water and energy resources by creating economic opportunities, including micro-enterprise development, aimed at income and employment generation.

·        Strengthening capacities of decentralized governance structures, local communities and service providers in development planning, provision of services, contract management, business counseling and management & development of enterprises.

Energy Efficiency

Activities in energy efficiency executed by DESA addresses energy/environment nexus, focusing on:

•         Integrated Resource Planning/Demand -side Management programs for electric utilities

•         Energy standards and labels for appliances/lighting

•         Energy efficient building codes

•         Transportation energy efficiency

Egypt: Energy Efficiency Improvement

•         Network loss reduction and load management

•         Energy efficiency market support

–        Promote ESCOs

–        Develop energy efficiency standards for equipment

–        Develop energy efficient building codes

–        Establish energy efficiency center

•         Support initiatives for co-generated power

UNF/DESA/Collaborative Appliance Labeling Standards Program- Global Project

•         Support for setting and enforcing standards.

•         Dissemination of tools:

            -  Energy standards Guidebook

            - Web-based information Toolkit

•         T/A activities in China,