Energy efficiency is first step to sustainable energy, says WEC
SYDNEY, Australia, 2004-09-15 (Refocus Weekly)
“Adequate pricing” is necessary to promote energy efficiency, according to a study conducted by the World Energy Council and Agence de l'Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l'Energie.
“The first step in developing any energy efficiency policy is to adjust
energy prices in order to give correct signals to consumers,” it concludes in
‘Energy Efficiency Policies: A Worldwide Review’ that was released at the
World Energy Congress in Australia. The report evaluates energy efficiency
policies in 63 countries, based on specific policy measures dealing with minimum
energy efficiency standards, innovative energy efficiency funds, agreements on
energy efficiency, local energy information centres and packages of measures.
“The primary long-term drivers of energy efficiency policies are security of
energy supply, efficiency of national economies, environmental concerns,
including global warming and, in developing countries, investment constraints on
the energy supply side,” says Norberto de Franco Medeiros of WEC. “The
enormous potential of energy efficiency improvements at all stages of energy
production and use is widely recognized, but realising this potential remains a
global challenge.”
“Development of a more energy efficient global economy is a first step on the
path towards sustainable energy development and, like all first steps, is not
easy to take,” he adds. “The experience the World Energy Council has
accumulated in this area can help make this step a little easier.”
Energy sector liberalisation and the globalisation of economies make the
intervention of governments much more difficult because unilateral measures,
such as energy taxes, can weaken domestic industries facing international
competition, it concludes. Climate change will impose a constraint on energy
consumption, even if flexibility mechanisms temporarily alleviate this
constraint. Tradable permits for CO2 emissions may allow developed countries to
avoid major controls on their industries in the short term but, in the long
term, the price of permits will increase and raise the price of energy.
Coordination of certain policies and measures at the international level would
help to overcome the obstacles in the implementation of both standards and price
signals, it adds. Infrastructure investment decisions should incorporate the
possibility of increased energy prices and constraints on CO2 emissions.
“This new report and the associated WEC Energy Efficiency project aim to
facilitate the global exchange of information and experience relating to energy
efficiency and can be extremely useful in helping to identify the most effective
policy measures for countries which have recently embarked on the development
and implementation of energy demand management policies,” says François
Moisan of ADEME, who was chair of the study.
Click
here for more information
Visit http://www.sparksdata.co.uk/refocus/ for your international energy focus!!
|