New study on development co-benefits of climate action in Mexico

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Feb 062020
 

We are very excited to announce that our report Crunching Numbers: Quantifying the sustainable development co-benefits of Mexico’s climate commitments has been published. This study quantifies – and offers concrete evidence of – the co-benefits that can be obtained by implementing the climate agenda in coordination with the sustainable development agenda in Mexico. It measures six priority co-benefits resulting from the implementation of three current and two potential Mexican NDC commitments.

The selected climate commitments include targets for renewables, EVs, industrial efficiency, wastewater, and forests. The selected development benefits are: Livelihoods and community resilience; public health; food security; water resources quality; employment; and energy security.

Raising climate ambition through long-term energy sector plans and sound participatory processes

 academic article/report  Comments Off on Raising climate ambition through long-term energy sector plans and sound participatory processes
Dec 032018
 

Concept idea by SD Strategies (Alexander Ochs, Ieva Indriunaite) and the Ministry of Energy (Fiona Bello Smith), Chile, for the NDC Support Cluster of the German Ministry of the Environment

Introduction: The approach proposes that long-term climate-compatible sectoral strategies and action plans should be designed and implemented to achieve mitigation and adaptation goals in line with both the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Agenda 2030. Beyond their immediate impact in the short- and mid-term, these climate-compatible sectoral policy instruments can serve as a vehicle for increasing climate ambition over time. While the NDC provides a broader goal and sectoral or economy wide activities, the design of specific policies and measures, including programmes and individual projects, is required to put the high-level commitments into practice. (…)

Conclusion/next steps: The development of a long-term climate-compatible energy sector plan can deliver wide-ranging benefits to support NDC implementation. It can mobilise the broader society behind climate action, providing a strong mandate for the government to maintain a coherent climate-compatible approach in its short-term policy planning and laying the ground work for increased climate ambition over time. To close the ambition raising policy formulation cycle, the key next step is to move beyond the field of energy. Other sectors should take over the baton, building on the momentum created to develop their own long-term NDC-compatible strategies through participatory policy making. The forthcoming NDC review process can act as a new window of opportunity in taking the approach to other sectors. The goal is to support the emergence of new “champion” sectors – next to or even in parallel to the early pioneers. With a bar set high, where several sectors compete, the planet wins.

Please find the full paper here: [NDC Cluster]

Local Ownership and Engagement for NDC Implementation

 academic article/report  Comments Off on Local Ownership and Engagement for NDC Implementation
Dec 032018
 

Concept idea by SD Strategies (Alexander Ochs, Ieva Indriunaite) and the Ministry of Energy (Esther Wangombe), Kenya, for the NDC Support Cluster of the German Ministry of the Environment

Introduction: The approach proposes a holistic multi-level process for the development of an NDC action plan, which strengthens local-level engagement to connect high-level policy commitments and concrete project implementation. The underlying aim of the local ownership and engagement approach is to provide a way for incorporating community concerns, knowledge, expertise and capacity into the national climate policy formulation and implementation processes (…)

Conclusion/next steps: There is a growing recognition that locally-driven participatory approaches can strengthen the design of climate policy and measures as well as their implementation. A policy, action plan or a project that is designed through the collaboration at all levels of government and that takes the perspectives, knowledge and capacities from local communities into consideration during the formulation stage is more likely to succeed and have a higher impact than traditional approaches that know only one way: top-down. The local ownership and engagement approach outlined in this concept paper offers a promising way towards achieving this goal. Its application in a particular country needs to be well thought through and adjusted to the local circumstances and capacities. It is important to ensure that lessons from pioneer countries such as Kenya are captured and fed back into the global pool of knowledge.

Please find the full paper here: [NDC Cluster]

New internship position available at SD Strategies

 job announcement  Comments Off on New internship position available at SD Strategies
Nov 222018
 

SD Strategies GmbH is currently seeking a highly motivated individual to assist in projects including but not limited to the areas of:

• Renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transport policies and markets across Africa, Asia, and Latin America & the Caribbean
• Development risks and benefits (SDGs) of climate policies (NDCs)
• Rural electrification, mini-grids and SHS business models and finance structuring
• Policies and measures to “derisk” sustainable energy investments
• Modelling of renewable energy and electric transport systems

For more, check: https://sd-strategies.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Internship_Offer_SDS_20181112.pdf

Employment Effects of Renewable Energy Development Assistance, the  first SD Strategies brief for EUEIPDF has been published

 academic article/report  Comments Off on Employment Effects of Renewable Energy Development Assistance, the  first SD Strategies brief for EUEIPDF has been published
Nov 202017
 

http://www.euei-pdf.org/sites/default/files/field_publication_file/euei_policy_brief_-_1_-_employment_potential_of_energy_oda_0.pdf

KEY FINDINGS
 Renewable energy investments generate significant direct employment opportunities, and these
are far greater than those of conventional energy sources. This proven benefit is in addition to
climate, environment and health benefits.
 Indirect and induced employment effects of renewable energy investments often only become
visible over time. Their measurement is more complicated and contentious than that of direct
employment effects, and there are important limitations to their assessment.
 If the employment effects of renewable energy ODA are to be measured, their monitoring should
be integrated early on into project and programme design. A common methodology is urgently
required. And employment effects should be only one of multiple funding decisions.
 Cooperation with educational institutions and skills development are essential for harnessing the
full local employment potential of renewable energy investments. Other labour market institutions
also need to be developed to ensure the growth of local capacities, skills and knowledge are
matched to the demands and opportunities of jobs in renewable energy.
 Electrification is only the first step towards generating jobs, and additional measures to encourage
productive use are required.

euei_policy_brief_-_1_-_employment_potential_of_energy_oda_0

 

INTERVIEW: CARICOM ENERGY CHIEF DEVON GARDNER ON THE CARIBBEAN ENERGY FUTURE

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Nov 242016
 

WW Color Logo_Green BlueWorldwatch’s Alexander Ochs met with Dr. Devon Gardner during the Renewable Energy and Efficiency Week 2016 in Berlin, Germany. Devon is Programme Manager for Energy and Head of the Energy Unit at the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). He is also a member of the preparatory team of the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE). In this interview, Devon gives us an update on where the Caribbean region stands one year after the release of Worldwatch’s pivotal Caribbean Sustainable Energy Roadmap and Strategy (C-SERMS) Baseline Report and Assessment.

Thank you for taking the time during busy days here in Berlin. You have an important job. What gets you out of bed each morning?

What gets me out of bed is that I want to see a better quality of life for Caribbean people. Every day, I work to bring us incrementally closer to improving the energy situation in the region so that it can build the basis for improved economic resilience and better opportunities for social advancement. Continue reading »

Caribbean Sustainable Energy Profiles

 presentation  Comments Off on Caribbean Sustainable Energy Profiles
Nov 022016
 

How Portugal went 107 hours on only renewable energy

 newspaper article, online article  Comments Off on How Portugal went 107 hours on only renewable energy
May 182016
 

CSM_LogoProving its leadership in renewable energy, Portugal powered all of its electricity with only renewable energy for four days.

By Story Hinckley, CSM

From the morning of May 7 to the afternoon of May 11, Portugal’s electricity consumption was fully covered by renewable sources. For 107 hours, Portugal powered all of its electricity from biofuels, hydropower plants, wind turbines, solar panels, and geothermal heat. But this is not the first time that Portugal has boasted an impressive energy statistic. (…)

“How did Portugal assume such impressive leadership in the clean energy transition?” asks WorldWatch Institute. “The key, as usual, lies in ambitious supportive policies.”

Feed-in tariffs, which provide renewable electricity producers with a guaranteed price for each megawatt-hour of energy fed into the country’s power grid, were first introduced in 1988 and have continued to develop, according to WorldWatch. Also, host municipalities of renewable energy receive payments of 2.5 percent of revenue. And the government bought transmission lines from private power companies at the turn of the century, refitting the grid infrastructure to better connect with small electricity generators such as domestic solar panels.  (…)

Find the full article [here].

Innovative Tools for Advancing Low-Emission and Climate-Resilient Energy Planning in Asia

 webinar  Comments Off on Innovative Tools for Advancing Low-Emission and Climate-Resilient Energy Planning in Asia
Apr 182016
 

LEDS_GP_logo*Join us for our Second Webinar in our Webinar Series*

Hosted by the Asia LEDS Partnership and Energy Working Group of the LEDS Global Partnership

Session 2:  Assessing Renewable Energy Potential Using the Geospatial Toolkit (GsT): Applications in Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa Province

Date:                                April 21, 2016
Time:                               10:00 AM Indochina Time (ICT)

Speakers
Jon Duckworth, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Donna Heimiller, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Khanh Nguyen, USAID Low Emission Asian Development (LEAD) Program Country Coordinator

Moderators
Sandra Khananusit, Asia LEDS Partnership Secretariat
Alexander Ochs, LEDS GP Energy Working Group

Register here.

Check the time of the webinar according to your location here. Continue reading »

Living Planet: Fukushima – 5 years on [Radio Interview]

 radio interview  Comments Off on Living Planet: Fukushima – 5 years on [Radio Interview]
Mar 102016
 

DW.ImageFive years ago, the world was shocked by the news that a massive earthquake had triggered a devastating tsunami along the coast of Japan. Entire villages were destroyed and the nuclear plant at Fukushima went into meltdown. What does the region look like today and where are we at with the push for renewable energy?

Permalink: http://dw.com/p/1IAXb

Presentation next week: Energizing successful economies: How renewables are outperforming fossil fuels

 presentation  Comments Off on Presentation next week: Energizing successful economies: How renewables are outperforming fossil fuels
Feb 122016
 

Jamaica’s Climate Change Fight Fuels Investments in Renewables

 blog, newspaper article  Comments Off on Jamaica’s Climate Change Fight Fuels Investments in Renewables
Jan 292016
 

By Zadie Neufvillelogo-IPS

KINGSTON, Jan 18 2016 (IPS) – By year’s end, Jamaica will add 115 mega watts (MW) of renewable capacity to the power grid, in its quest to reduce energy costs and diversify the energy mix in electricity generation to 30 per cent by 2030. With 90 per cent of its electricity coming from fossil fuels, the government is committed to reducing the country’s carbon emissions by increasing the amount of electricity generated from renewables from 9 per cent now, to 15 per cent by 2020. (…)

WorldWatch Institute’s Sustainable Energy Roadmap for Jamaica 2013 stated that increasing the number of households using solar water heaters, could save an additional 75 to 100 GWh of electricity per year. It concluded that there was a need to create a “smooth transition” to a sustainable and economically viable energy system. (…)

Alexander Ochs, Worldwatch’s Director of Climate and Energy confirmed the report’s findings, noting that Jamaica’s “entire electricity demand could be met with renewable resources” from solar and wind energy. The public sector has already begun its own programme of retrofitting and energy reduction strategies that is said to be saving millions of dollar in expenditure at government agencies and institutions.

Worldwatch noted that investments of roughly 6 billion dollars could increase the contribution of renewables to Jamaica’s electricity production to 93 per cent by 2030, while significantly slashing energy costs. So armed with feasibility studies that points to the possibility for hydropower development along six rivers, Robinson is setting his sights on the road ahead, and another 26MW of power in the very near future.

Find full article here: Jamaica’s Climate Change Fight Fuels Investments in Renewables _ Inter Press Service

Advancing Low Carbon Development in the West African Region

 online article  Comments Off on Advancing Low Carbon Development in the West African Region
Dec 092015
 

IISD_ReportingServices

COP 21 Panel, 8 December 2015, African Pavilion. Presented by: The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE). This panel discussed advancing low carbon development in West Africa and was moderated by Youba Sokona, Special Advisor on Sustainable Development, South Centre.

Alexander Ochs, Director of Climate and Energy, Worldwatch Institute, said there will be no sustainable economic growth or social development if Africa’s main energy source is fossil fuels. He said centralized fossil fuel based energy systems are not going to solve the problem of climate change or increase access to energy because they are too expensive, and he therefore recommended decentralized systems and renewable energy. He said Africa is not starting from scratch and that there have already been some “enormous advances” in technology and policy development.

COP21_Panel_AfricanPavilon

Mahama Kappiah, Executive Director, ECREEE, outlined that of the 334 million people in the ECOWAS region only 42% have access to energy and that the energy used mostly comes from fossil fuels and biomass. He said the ECOWAS Energy Strategy for 2030 aims to provide 100% of the region’s population with access to clean cooking energy by 2030 and increase the share of renewable energy in the overall electricity mix to 35% by 2020. He noted another aim to improve the electrification rate from 34% to 88%, an increase equivalent to 60 million households gaining access to electricity between 2015 and 2030. Continue reading »

What to expect after the Paris climate talks: A quick survey

 online interview  Comments Off on What to expect after the Paris climate talks: A quick survey
Nov 272015
 

ICSU.logo

Claudia Delpero
Road To Paris – Science for Smart Policy

 

From 30 November to 11 December, representatives of over 190 countries gather in Paris to reach a global agreement on how to deal with climate change after the expiry of Kyoto Protocol. The talks take place in a city that has been shaken by the Nov 13 terrorist attacks, under a state of emergency, and high security detail for a COP. (…)

We asked experts from a variety of sectors what they expected to see after COP21. We’ll continue to update this from the conference in the next two weeks. (…)

Alexander Ochs, Director Climate and Energy Program, Worldwatch Institute. Washington – Berlin:

“We will continue helping individual countries and municipalities transform their energy systems, including in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Why the focus on developing countries? Because this is where the development needs are the strongest and the pressure not to embark on a development path dependent on fossil fuels is the greatest. In Haiti, for example, 10% of Gross Domestic Product is squandered on fossil fuels while two thirds of the populations still do not have reliable energy access. In at least four out of five countries worldwide there is now a clear economic argument to move from conventional fuels to renewables and to boost efficiency. There are challenges also in North America and Europe, but the most suffering from today’s unjust, unaffordable, and unsustainable energy system is in the regions less developed.”

Full text [here]

Against the Odds, Caribbean Doubles Down for 1.5 Degree Deal in Paris

 online article  Comments Off on Against the Odds, Caribbean Doubles Down for 1.5 Degree Deal in Paris
Nov 242015
 

By Zadie Neufville

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Nov 23 2015 (IPS) – Negotiators from the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are intent on striking a deal to keep the global temperature rise at 1.5 degrees of pre-industrial levels, but many fear that a 10-year-old agreement to buy cheap petroleum from Venezuela puts their discussions in jeopardy. (…)

While agreeing that PetroCaribe could be a disincentive for investments in domestic renewable energy, Alexander Ochs, Director of Climate and Energy at WorldWatch Institute noted, “Caribbean governments are increasingly aware of the enormous financial, environmental and social costs associated with continued dependence on fossil fuels.” (…)

“Even if the problem of global warming did not exist, and the burning of fossil fuels did not result in extensive local air and water pollution, CARICOM would still have to mandate to transition away from these fuels as swiftly as possible for reasons of social opportunity, economic competitiveness and national security, ”said Ochs, one of the authors of the new Caribbean Sustainable Energy Roadmap and Strategy (C-SERMS) Baseline Report and Assessment, launched on October 28. (…)

Continue reading »

CARICOM Celebrates Energy Week, Energy Centre Inauguration

 academic article/report, online report  Comments Off on CARICOM Celebrates Energy Week, Energy Centre Inauguration
Nov 142015
 

IISD Reporting Service, 14 NovemberCARICOM.logo

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) hosted the fifth CARICOM Energy Week (CEW) under the theme ‘EmPOWERING Our Sustainable Development.’ The annual awareness-raising event highlights the importance of energy for economic development in the region. To mark CEW, the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) was inaugurated, and a baseline report for the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Roadmap and Strategy (C-SERMS) was released.

CEW was held 8-14 November 2015, with CARICOM member States hosting events, such as panel discussions, site visits to renewable energy projects, the Electric Mobility Show and Conference, and activities with local schools. The Week also featured contests, such as a radio pop quiz with prizes, kilo-walk, energy app competition, video competition, and photo and art competition.

In conjunction with the Centre’s inauguration, the Worldwatch Institute launched the C-SERMS Baseline Report and Assessment, which analyzes the region’s current energy policy framework, evaluates renewable energy and energy efficiency potential, and suggests regional short-, medium- and long-term targets for the energy sector. Among the recommended targets are achieving 48% of electricity generation from renewable energy by 2027 and a 33% reduction in the region’s energy intensity.

[Full article here]

 


 

WEBINAR RECORDING: Energy Low-Emissions Development Strategies: A Regional Overview of Africa and Experiences from Cape Verde and Kenya

 webinar  Comments Off on WEBINAR RECORDING: Energy Low-Emissions Development Strategies: A Regional Overview of Africa and Experiences from Cape Verde and Kenya
Jan 232015
 

LEDS_GP_logoRecording of the webinar from 22 January 2015:

webinar_image

 

 

 

 

 Introduction & Moderation

Alexander Ochs, Worldwatch Institute/EWG Chair

 Regional Overview: Low Emission Energy Development in Africa
John Yeboah, ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency/EWG co-Chair

 Learning from Cape Verde’s Renewable Energy Plan
Anildo Costa, Consultant to the Government of Cape Verde

 Learning from Kenya’s Renewable Energy Plan
Esther Wang’ombe, Government of Kenya

Q&A

 

Energy Low-Emissions Development Strategies: A Regional Overview of Africa and Experiences from Cape Verde and Kenya

 webinar  Comments Off on Energy Low-Emissions Development Strategies: A Regional Overview of Africa and Experiences from Cape Verde and Kenya
Jan 162015
 

LEDS_GP_logoDear Friends and Colleagues,

I am excited to announce the next webinar in our series on regional leaders in climate-compatible development and their innovative energy approaches from around the world.

Please join us on January 22 at 2 PM GMTfor an online sessionon Energy Low-Emissions Development Strategies: A Regional Overview of Africa and Experiences from Cape Verde and Kenya. Please register for free at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5131648729578459906.

Our regional leaders series is part of our work within the Low Emission Development Strategies – Global Partnership (LEDS-GP), an international initiative aiming to enhance information exchange and cooperation among countries, international programs and practitioners working to advance climate-compatible growth. Worldwatch, as host of the secretariat of the LEDS Energy Working Group (EWG), facilitates these webinars in cooperation with the LEDS Regional Platforms. Recordings of our previous sessions on Latin America/Caribbean and Asia, as well as other LEDS-EWG webinars, can be found here.

[Here] you can find a flyer. Please help us spread the news about this exciting series. Thank you!

Best,

Alexander Ochs
Director, Climate and Energy Program
Worldwatch Institute

Can clean energy trump chaotic politics?

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on Can clean energy trump chaotic politics?
Jan 132015
 

ClimateWire.Logo

Lisa Friedman, E&E reporter, Published: Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Five years after a catastrophic magnitude-7 earthquake rocked Haiti, killing 220,000 people and leaving the capital city of Port au Prince in ruins, clean energy experts say they are cautiously optimistic about progress despite the country’s political turmoil. A recent road map published by the Worldwatch Institute described the Caribbean island nation as being at an energy crossroads. Just a quarter of the country’s 10 million population has access to electricity, the lowest rate in the region, and the vast majority of those who do live in urban areas. Meanwhile, about 85 percent of the country’s electricity generation depends on imported oil. But, it finds, powering the country with 90 percent renewable energy is “a realistic option.” Doing so, the authors argue, can improve Haitians’ access to energy and create a low-carbon model of growth for other small island nations. But the effort won’t be without serious challenges. (…)

Alexander Ochs, director of climate and energy for the Worldwatch Institute, said “bottom-up” energy access work is where the most promise is in Haiti at the moment. “I think people are taking power, the electricity power, into their own hands now,” Ochs said. On a national level, he noted, “policies have not changed much” in Haiti, and said it’s up to the government to change the country’s course.

From a technical standpoint, according to the Worldwatch study, promise for developing an electricity sector based on renewable energy in Haiti abounds. In outlining several scenarios for expanding clean power, researchers conclude that achieving a 90 percent share of renewable energy would call for investing in 120 megawatts of natural gas capacity by 2030 while adding about 1,900 MW of renewables to its existing hydropower capacity. Yet wariness from investors because of political instability and policy confusion remains a major problem. (…)