Launch of the Energy Toolkit 2.0

 online report, presentation  Comments Off on Launch of the Energy Toolkit 2.0
Dec 082016
 

Proud to be a Lead Editor of this toolkit which has become such a popular reference guide. We had more people trying to sign in today than was the maximum capacity of the online platform. Apologies to those who were unable to sign in!

Here are…

The description:
“The second iteration of the Energy Toolkit, a collection of leading instruments and methodologies for climate-compatible energy planning, offers energy practitioners, policymakers, and experts a quick reference guide to some of the best-established instruments available at no or low cost. The result is a compilation of 26 tools from agencies around the world.The toolkit was produced as a team effort with the many members of the Low-Emissions Development Strategies Global Partnership (LEDS GP), in particular its Energy Working Group (LEDS EWG).”

The toolkit: http://www.worldwatch.org/system/files/LEDS%20Energy%20Toolkit%202.0_0.pdf

The presentation slidesEWG-ALP 2016 Webinar Series Session 3 Master

The webinar recording:

INTEGRATING EXTERNALITIES INTO ELECTRICITY SUPPLY DECISIONS

 presentation  Comments Off on INTEGRATING EXTERNALITIES INTO ELECTRICITY SUPPLY DECISIONS
Apr 022013
 

Applications of ESMAP’s Model for Electricity Technology Assessment (META) in the Caribbean Islands and Central America  

Tuesday, April 2, 2013 | 12:30 – 2:00pm 1850 I Street, NW, Washington, DC | Room I2-220

The selection of electricity supply technology is critical for designing new power generation projects, and associated transmission and distribution facilities. These choices are increasingly complex due to the pace of technological change, rapid shifts in equipment and fuel prices, availability of comparable data, and the challenge of reducing carbon emissions.To help electricity policy-makers and planners select the most appropriate options, ESMAP has developed the Model for Electricity Technology Assessment (META).  The tool provides a comparative assessment of the levelized costs for a range of electricity supply options, including renewable energy.

Chair: Rohit Khanna | Program Manager, ESMAP, The World Bank

Presenters:
Alexander Ochs| Director of Climate and Energy, Worldwatch Institute
Fredric Verdol  
| Power Engineer, LCSEG, The World Bank
Michael Weber  | Research Coordinator, Worldwatch Institute

World Bank Group Staff
External participants

ESMAP

WORLDBANK

WORLDWATCH INSTITUTE

 

The model takes into account changes in capital and operating costs over time, environmental externalities, and transmission and distribution options. This session will present examples of META’s use in the Caribbean Islands and Central America by the World Watch Institute and The World Bank.

The session will particularly focus on presenting excerpts from Worldwatch’s work in Jamaica and The World Bank’s work in Haiti.

Or, use this link:  http://worldbankva.adobeconnect.com/metabbl/

 

Value of Fossil Fuel Subsidies Declines; National Bans Emerging

 academic article/report  Comments Off on Value of Fossil Fuel Subsidies Declines; National Bans Emerging
May 012011
 

 By Alexander Ochs and Annette Knödler  |  Vital Signs, May 11, 2011

Gobal fossil fuel consumption subsidies fell to $312 billion in 2009 from $558 billion in 2008, a decline of 44.1 percent.[i] The reduction is due primarily to changes in international energy prices as well as in domestic pricing policies and demand, rather than because the subsidies themselves were curtailed. The number also does not include fossil fuel production subsidies that aim at fostering domestic supply, which are estimated at an additional $100 billion globally per year.[ii]

Fossil fuel consumption subsidies include public aid that directly or indirectly lowers the price for consumers below market price. The International Energy Agency (IEA) defines energy subsidies as “any government action directed primarily at the energy sector that lowers the cost of energy production, raises the price received by energy producers or lowers the price paid by energy consumers.”[i] Common means of subsidizing energy include trade instruments, regulations, tax breaks, credits, direct financial transfers like grants to producers or consumers, and energy-related services provided by the government, such as investments in energy infrastructure or public research.[ii] Many observers believe that fossil fuel subsidies should be phased out because they reduce the competitiveness and use of cleaner, alternative energy sources .

Please find the full article [here].

Towards a Global Green Recovery – Supporting Green Technology Markets

 academic article/report  Comments Off on Towards a Global Green Recovery – Supporting Green Technology Markets
Sep 212009
 

Two major global challenges – the financial crisis and climate change – make it urgent to rally the world behind the idea of a “green new deal” or a “global green recovery.” The financial crisis puts renewable energy projects and business at particular risk. The recession has caused a drop in energy and carbon prices that reduces the market competitiveness of clean technologies. In addition, the tightening credit markets mean that cleantech initiatives, which frequently face high capital costs and higher risk premiums, are struggling to find the necessary funding.

The risk of stagnation is especially disruptive to the cleantech industry as it comes on the heels of a rapid growth period prior to the financial crisis. In Germany, the cleantech sector grew 27% between 2005 and 2007, employed almost 1.8 million people, and now accounts for more than 5% of industrial production. From 2002 to 2007, global new investment in sustainable energy grew nearly 16-fold, from an annual US$7.1 billion to US$112.6 billion. The financial crisis created a severe investment shock in the cleantech sector, with new-investment levels in the first quarter of 2009 just under half what they were one year earlier.

This is absolutely the wrong time for a lull in cleantech investment. The International Energy Agency estimates that about 540 billion US dollars must be invested annually in renewable energy and energy efficiency if climate change is to be maintained at or below a 2°C increase in global average temperature. A significant expansion in investment will be required to reach these levels, with about 80% of the investment needed in just three key sectors: electrical power, transportation and buildings.

Several proven policies for expanding cleantech investment already exist, including feed-in tariffs, risk-mitigation policies, green-procurement policies, and government R&D spending, to name just a few. The key challenge for policy makers in trying to support the establishment of clean-technology markets is how to accelerate the implementation of these measures by obtaining the necessary funding and spending public monies wisely in a way that leverages the private sectors’ capability to shoulder the bulk of the needed investment.

To help G20 nations overcome these challenges, the German Federal Foreign Office asked Atlantic Initiative – a think tank on international politics and globalization based in Berlin and Washington, DC – to develop specific and actionable policy recommendations on how to provide effective international support to green technology markets and push the issue in the G20 framework. It was suggested that Germany, the UK and the US should be the main targets of these recommendations as they are well positioned to take a joint leadership role in setting the right incentives for a global green recovery and future growth path building on the idea of the Transatlantic Climate Bridge and taking into account London’s role as the G20 host. I was a co-author of the report. Please find it here.