Renewable Energy

Modern applications of renewable energy have grown steadily over the last 25 years. Led by solar photovoltaic and wind sources, these “new” renewables account for 20–25 percent of the US $110–150 billion invested annually in power generation worldwide. The heightened role of renewables reflects a significant scaling up of investments traceable back to the late 1970s. The decade 1995 to 2004 witnessed a further acceleration with annual investments growing from about US $6 billion to nearly US $30 billion. Environmental quality, the climate change issue, energy access and security, and sustainable development are among the key drivers of growth.

Despite the rapid expansion of their role in the energy sectors of developing and industrialized economies, modern renewable energy technologies account for less than 5% of global power sector capacity. Widespread adoption of renewables is constrained by a multitude of policy, regulatory and financial barriers and gaps. The renewable energy work of the Energy Branch is directed primarily at uncovering innovative solutions to these constraints, and nurturing the replication of best practices. This work is necessarily multi-dimensional in scope, involving the coordinated deployment of several interventions including: channeling services and capital resources for investment in small and medium energy enterprises; supporting research and development efforts that enhance knowledge about the environmental and sustainability benefits of investments in renewable energy markets and industries; and building capacity of energy and development policy-makers in the design and deployment of renewables-friendly policies.

As a participant of the recently established Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), UNEP is committed to fostering the rapid expansion of renewable energies in developing and industrialized economies. The Energy Branch partners with a broad spectrum of stakeholders in this effort, including industry associations, governments and NGOs, financial institutions and the private sector.

Click here to download "Changing Climates,the Role of Renewable Energy in a Carbon-Constrained World", a report prepared to REN21 by UNEP Energy, you can also check the report press release.

Current Activities

Rural Energy Enterprise Development (REED)

The REED approach offers rural energy entrepreneurs a combination of enterprise development services and start-up financing. This integrated financial and technical support allows entrepreneurs to plan and structure their companies in a manner that prepares them for growth and makes eventual investments by mainstream financial partners less risky.

Sustainable Energy Finance Initiative (SEFI)

SEFI provides current and targeted information to financiers while facilitating new economic tools that combine social and environmental factors - both risks and returns - as integral measures of economic performance

This is a four-year effort to help accelerate the market for financing solar home systems in southern India. The project is a partnership between UNEP, UNEP Risoe, and two of India's major banking groups - Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank.

Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA)
SWERA is developing the information and analytical tools to help developing countries more fully understand their available renewable energy resources. This will in turn help governments to develop progressive energy policies and programmes that can increase investment in renewable energy infrastructure.

RETScreen - Renewable Energy Technology Screen
RETScreen is a pre-feasibility analysis software for renewable energy projects. UNEP is working with Natural Resources of Canada (NRCan) to increase the awareness and enhance the usefulness of RETScreen internationally, including a greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) mitigation modeland an international training course on RETScreen. The software, available free of charge from the link above, can be used to evaluate the annual energy production, costs and financial viability of renewable energy technologies.

eCARE
With funding from the United Nations Foundation, UNEP launched e-Commerce and Renewable Energy (eCARE) in December 2005 as a 3-year initiative in partnership with Telecom Management Partner, a subsidiary of Telenor. The purpose of eCARE is to accelerate the extension of clean energy and modern telecommunications services to rural and peri-urban users. It is realizing this result by enabling small entrepreneurs to establish rural business centers (RBCs) that sell voice telephony, internet connectivity and clean energy products and services to rural and peri-urban customers. Selected entrepreneurs receive a combination of enterprise development services and start-up financing for their RBCs. The initiative is managed in-country by Ghana Telecom, the main telecommunications service provider in Ghana. Kumasi Institute of Technology and Environment (KITE), a national NGO, identifies and trains prospective entrepreneurs in collaboration with field staff of Ghana Telecom. A local financial institution--Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB)--manages an investment facility set up under the project to meet the seed capital requirements of qualified entrepreneurs.”


Better Environmental Sustainability Targets (BEST) For Lead Battery Manufacturers
Lead batteries are an integral part of small-scale photovoltaic solar energy systems. However, lead emissions from battery manufacturing and illegal recycling are a major cause of lead poisoning throughout the developing world. UNEP supports an international partnership that is developing an environmental recognition program for lead battery manufacturers who meet minimum performance standards and agree to take back used batteries for environmentally sound recycling. Under this program major battery companies, bulk purchasers, government, and NGOs are creating a Better Environmental Sustainability Targets (BEST) standard and associated eco-label that will give certified manufacturers a growing market advantage.

Past Activities

PV - Hydro Initiative

The PV - Hydro Initiative was a collaborative effort of UNEP/GEF and the KfW to create a significant market opportunity for solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. Executive Summary and Summary can be downloaded.

Eastern Africa Geothermal Market Acceleration Conference

The Conference was held in Nairobi, Kenya, April, 2003. You can download the Conference Summary (Word doc, 37 kB) and a Market Assessment Report (pdf, 2.53 MB) from the Business Council for Sustainable Energy.