"REEEP has also expanded its priority countries from six to twenty
countries and we are engaging some countries for the first time, such as
Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Liberia and Tunisia," said Morgan Bazilian, REEEP
Program Board Chair.
Ten of 32 projects are focused on identifying business models are in
Africa -- whether that be for solar water heating, small hydro in the tea
industry or in developing biofuels -- as the continent has been targeted
as a key REEEP region in 2006.
"Financial barriers to renewable energy and energy efficiency in Africa
are significant," stated Glynn Morris, REEEP Southern Africa Regional
Secretariat Director. "By working with financial institutions, the carbon
market and local government, we're hoping to build the business case from
the bottom-up."
A number of energy efficiency projects this year target buildings in
China, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. "About one third
of energy consumption worldwide is in buildings," stated Marianne
Osterkorn, REEEP International Director. "If one assumes that worldwide
there is a technical saving potential in energy consumption in buildings
in the range of 50% of energy used in buildings, then today almost 17% of
total global final energy consumption can be avoided due to energy savings
measures in buildings."
REEEP's policy and regulatory work will continue as well, with further
assistance provided to the Chinese government for the implementation of
its Renewable Energy Law, but also to a pan-Latin American project
designed to assess the required policy instruments to accelerate the
markets for wind, solar and biomass.
Corrado Clini, the Director General of the Italian Ministry for the
Environment and Territory, stated that "Africa needs to develop and
disseminate opportunities for innovative approaches to financing that may
be generated through the carbon market -- Kyoto mechanisms -- and through
the implementation of a tradable renewable energy certificates system
involving all Mediterranean countries."
This funding round also has an interesting Tradable Renewable Electricity
Certificates (TRECs) project in Tunisia thanks to donor funding from
Italy.
"The projects we're backing promise to deliver replicable models for
renewable and energy efficient development. Our partnership of
governments, NGOs and businesses is helping to establish a stable global
marketplace for clean energy," explained Ms. Osterkorn.