15 September 2005
New York -- The Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century
(REN21) today released its report, "Energy for Development: The
Potential Role of Renewable Energy in Meeting the Millennium Development
Goals," in conjunction with the 2005 World Summit at the United Nations.
The report, produced and published by the Worldwatch Institute, brings
together the expertise of the participants of REN 21, which provides a
forum for international leadership on renewable energy and connects the
wide variety of stakeholders that came together at the Bonn
International Conference for Renewable Energies in 2004.
Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), joined the Worldwatch Institute in UNEP's Green Room
to discuss the report's findings with attendants of the UN Summit. "Delivering
clean, efficient, reliable and renewable energy to developing countries
is absolutely critical for poverty reduction and for meeting the
internationally agreed development goals," he said. "Every time oil
surges over $50 a barrel, the overseas aid of many African
countries--money intended for health care, schools and other vital
services--is gobbled up in paying the extra fuel costs. It is also vital
because, over the next few decades, the world is likely to invest some
16 trillion dollars in new energy infrastructure. We need to ensure that
this is low carbon technology that gives us a better chance to fight
climate change," said Dr. Toepfer.
The report identifies renewable energy options that are currently in
wide use in some regions and that are now ready for large-scale
introduction in many areas of the developing world. Through 26 case
studies, the report cites biogas, small hydro, solar, wind, ethanol, and
biodiesel, among other technologies, as viable options for poverty
alleviation in developing countries.
As their cost has declined and their reliability has improved, renewable
energy technologies have often emerged as more affordable and practical
means of providing essential energy services. Although the strongest
renewable energy growth has been in grid-connected power systems and
liquid fuels for transportation, several technologies are well-suited to
providing modern energy services for low-income people. Scaling up a
broad portfolio of renewable energy options can make a major
contribution to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, concludes
the report.
The creation of REN21 was sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for
Economic Cooperation and Development and the German Federal Ministry for
the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. Formally
established in Copenhagen in June 2005, REN21 is now supported by a
steering committee of 11 governments, five intergovernmental
organizations, five non-governmental organizations, and several
regional, local and private organizations.
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