REN21 Renewables Academy 2014 Distributed Renewable Energy

Distributed renewable energy can no longer be looked at as a small industry. Over the last decade more and more private or private-public ventures have emerged as key players in decentralised markets. Increasing awareness of the profitability of the decentralised energy markets and potential business opportunities have led to the arrival of a variety of new business models for off-grid renewables. With pay-as-you-go systems, franchising, and innovative distribution channels, some of these new approaches have become cost-effective alternatives for providing energy services in regions lacking grid connectivity.

While most systems to date are only prototypes or employed on a small-scale, the distributed renewable energy (DRE) industry has gone through significant changes in the last five years; growing from a cottage industry to one with worldwide revenues of $100 billion and rising. Profitable business models and clear leaders have emerged, and along have come opportunities. So with all the right ingredients in place, why does DRE lag behind other applications? Is it because the perception of investment risk relegates the funding of DRE to international aid? Is it because of political and social hurdles or is it yet something else?

The session aims to:

- Provide participants with an overview of the decentralised energy market.

- Identify the challenges of a DRE market.

- Outline what is needed to speed up the implementation of rural energy services.

- Identify what it is that decision makers need to bring about change.

- Define how the REN21 community can support and track the progress of uptake and their feasibility in other markets.

Key-note speaker:
Davidson Ogunlade, Sierra Leone

Moderator:
Tania Rödiger-Vorwerk , BMZ

Panelists:
Bozhil Kondev, GIZ
Lâl Marandin, Renovables Nicaragua
Kanika Chawla, CEEW
Sena Alouka, Jeune Volontaires de l’Environnement, Togo