IRENA Handbook Offers Best Practices for NAMA Policies for Renewable Energy Deployment

26 November 2012: The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has released a new report, titled “IRENA Handbook on Renewable Energy Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) for Policy Makers and Project Developers,” that analyzes the role NAMAs can play in renewable energy deployment in developing countries and offers insights from case studies in Peru, Kenya and Grenada.

The report explains that NAMAs refer to publicly supported voluntary mitigation actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in countries that do not have legally binding emissions reduction targets. NAMAs have emerged in the context of the negotiations of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the report finds that over 50 countries have identified NAMAs, which are being included in a registry under the UNFCCC.

The report argues that NAMAs can be instrumental in the deployment of renewable energy technologies. In this respect, the report identifies political, economic, financial, regulatory, and technical barriers in the implementation of renewable energy projects, and discusses non-market-based incentives, market mechanisms and regulations that are suitable NAMA instruments to overcome such barriers, including: percentage-based targets; awareness raising campaigns; technical assistance; capacity building; grants and loan guarantees; green labeling; and renewable energy certificates. This analysis then forms the basis for an overview of best practices for constructing NAMAs, for which the report differentiates between the conception, the implementation, and the operation phase.

Finally, the report provides case studies from Peru, Kenya and Grenada and finds, inter alia, that: NAMAs can aid in achieving broader strategic energy targets, such as stable energy supply, as well as environmental sustainability; success is likely to be higher when combining multiple activities and instruments to support investments in renewable energy; and NAMAs are dependent on the availability of reliable data for estimation of baseline scenarios and emission reductions. [Publication: IRENA Handbook on Renewable Energy Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) for Policy Makers and Project Developers] More

 

Tokelau islands shift to solar energy

Tokelau has become the first territory able to meet all its electricity needs with solar power, officials say.

The South Pacific territory – comprising the three atolls of Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo – had been dependent on diesel to generate electricity.

New Zealand, which administers Tokelau, funded a $7m (£4.3m) solar project.

Solar grids were constructed on the three atolls, with the last completed earlier this week.

“The Tokelau Renewable Energy Project is a world first. Tokelau's three main atolls now have enough solar capacity, on average, to meet electricity needs,” New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said in a statement.

“Until now, Tokelau has been 100% dependent upon diesel for electricity generation, with heavy economic and environmental costs,” he added.

Project co-ordinator Mike Basset-Smith said that the move represented a “milestone of huge importance” for Tokelau, as it would now be able to spend more on social welfare.

The remote islands of Tokelau lie between New Zealand and Hawaii. More

 

PEC Supports Water Access Projects in Palau, Marshall Islands

26 October 2012: The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) has reported on recent grants to Palau and Marshall Islands from the Pacific Environment Community (PEC) Fund, which PIFS administers.

Palau will receive US$4 million to establish a solar-powered desalination project, to ensure a regular and reliable supply of safe drinking water to residents in Peleliu, Palau. The project includes the installation of a solar-powered Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant that desalinates groundwater using solar energy, producing fresh water. The solar power generation system will produce approximately 98,820 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy per year, contributing 0.11% electricity towards Palau’s current power generation. Palau’s Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Industries and Commerce through the Energy Office will be the focal point for the project, and the Bureau of Public Works will operate and maintain the systems upon completion.

A similar project was approved for the Marshall Islands, which will receive US$3,150,105 to establish the Potable Water Solutions for Outer Islands by Photovoltaic (PV) Reverse Osmosis (RO) System Project. This project will assist islands in maintaining water supply while minimizing the effects of long, dry periods of little to no rainfall. Under the project, small portable solar PV powered RO systems will be installed at community elementary schools in each outer atoll, providing 150 to 300 gallons of fresh potable water daily.

The PEC Fund is a commitment by the Government of Japan to provide 6.8 billion Japanese yen (approximately US$66 million) to Forum Island Countries for the establishment of solar and desalination initiatives to address environmental challenges. Islands which have accessed the fund include Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, the Republic of Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. [PIFS Press Release: Palau] [PIFS Press Release: Marshall Islands] More

 

Solar Power, Coconut Biofuel to Meet 150% of Pacific Nation’s Electricity Demand

Solar power plants and coconut biofuel-powered generators will be switched on in Tokelau next week as the three-atoll administered region of New Zealand gears up to become the ‘the world’s first truly renewable nation.’ The renewable energy system comprising of solar panels, storage batteries and generators running on biofuel derived from coconut will generate enough electricity to meet 150% of the islands’ power demand.

Fakaofo Atoll, part of Tokelau

These systems are part of the Tokelau Renewable Energy Project that has been funded by the New Zealand government and represents one of the largest off-grid renewable energy projects in the world. With this project, the islands will make the transition from being completely dependent on imported fuels to being completely energy independent.

Tokelau spends about $820,000 every year to import fuels. The government of Tokelau now plans to spend these savings on other essential services like health and education. The savings will also be used to repay the grants and financial assistance the government received for this project.

This project serves very well for other Pacific islands that plan to reduce their dependence on imported fossil fuels and do their part in the reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Fiji, Cook Islands, Niue, and Tuvalu plan to achieve 100% electricity generation from renewable energy between 2013 and 2020.

These island nations are getting significant monetary and technical assistance from developed countries and are also learning from the experiences of each other. The Small Developing Island Renewable Energy Knowledge and Technology Transfer Network (DIREKT) is a cooperation scheme involving universities from Germany, Fiji, Mauritius, Barbados, and Trinidad & Tobago, with the aim of strengthening the science and technology capacity in the field of renewable energy of a sample of ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) small island developing states, by means of technology transfer, information exchange, and networking.

The Japanese government launched the Pacific Environment Community (PEC) Fund in 2009. This fund has provided $66 million to several island nations in the Pacific region for renewable energy projects. The Fund has provided assistance worth millions of dollars to Kiribati, Micronesia, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Nauru, and Tuvalu for solar power projects and solar desalination projects. More (http://s.tt/1rgzO)