Energy

The Energy Working group is a demand-driven network comprised of more than 500 energy sector practitioners, representing national governments, multilateral institutions, private practitioners, and non-governmental organizations. It supports the regional LEDS GP platforms and operates in close collaboration with other sectoral platforms and the LEDS GP Secretariat. Membership is open to all interested parties. For more information see our factsheet Join LEDS GP Contact us

Case Studies

• LEDS Global Partnership Case Study: Community engagement as key component of successful mini-grid development. Experiences from Nigeria and Sierra Leone - October 2019

Resource Guides

• LEDS Energy Toolkit 1.0: Collection of 18 leading instruments and methodologies for low-emissions development planning in the energy sector
• LEDS Energy Toolkit 2.0: Updated Toolkit, now featuring 26 tools

Training resources

• “A Key Role for Governments in Advancing Sustainable Energy: How to De-Risk Investments” – Presentation from the 2016 Asia LEDS Forum
• “Energy Communities of Practice: Areas for collaboration” – Scoping Paper, February 2016

Webinars

• “Long Range Energy Planning in Vietnam and Indonesia” – Part of the Innovative tools for advancing low emissions and climate resilient energy planning in Asia Webinar Series
• “Assessing Renewable Energy Potential Using the Geospatial Toolkit: Applications in Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa Province” – Part of the Innovative tools for advancing low emissions and climate resilient energy planning in Asia Webinar Series
• “Gender Mainstreaming in the Energy Sector: Applications in Madhya Pradesh, India” – Part of the Innovative tools for advancing low emissions and climate resilient energy planning in Asia Webinar Series

Building on the strong interest from LEDS GP members at the 4^th annual LEDS Regional Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean (LEDS LAC) Meeting in exploring the potential and designing strategies for the advancement of biomass electricity generation, the Energy Working Group and LEDS LAC created a Bioelectricity Community of Practice. The initiative brings together government leaders in charge of the design and implementation of bioelectricity policies and programs from 10 early mover countries in the region. Through four interactive online sessions lead by renowned bioelectricity experts and an in person workshop, the initiative examines tools for gathering and processing bioelectricity data as an input for smart decision-making, analyzes technical challenges and their solutions, assesses the social and environmental sustainability of individual technologies, estimates the costs and benefits of alternate bioelectricity development pathways, investigates investment barriers and financial support mechanisms, and discusses support policies and measures and how can they be integrated in the existing legal frameworks of participating countries. In addition to continuing the LEDS LAC Bioelectricity Community of Practice in 2017, the Energy Working Group also plans to initiate Communities of Practice on identified priority issues in collaboration with the Africa and Asia LEDS Partnerships.

Here are three examples of energy-related technical assistance provided by members of the Energy Working Group:

Community engagement strategies for mini-grid project sustainability

In response to Africa Minigrids Community of Practice (AMG-CoP) member requests, the LEDS GP has provided in-country technical assistance as well as helped to build global knowledge base on the importance of community engagement in mini-grid development. Engaging communities is essential to ensuring the sustainability of mini-grid projects and unlocking development co-benefits of energy access initiatives. Outreach and engagement of mini-grid beneficiary communities enables new electricity users to reap the full benefits of electrification, including improved livelihoods, health benefits, new employment opportunities, empowerment of women, and more.

African countries are interested in developing effective strategies for community engagement as part of rural electrification programmes and projects; yet there is little systematised knowledge available to support these efforts. The LEDS GP has steered the CoP's work in this area by facilitating member discussions on the topic at the 5^th AMG-CoP in-person workshop in Berlin. As a follow-up, the LEDS GP developed a case study highlighting community engagement experiences from Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The case study offers a brief overview of the different approaches to the design of community engagement programmes and highlights some of the key challenges and success factors. It is a useful resource for other countries interested in developing systems and strategies for embedding community engagement activities in their rural electrification efforts. The LEDS GP also supported mini grids strategy design broadly, with community engagement as one central issue, in Sierra Leone.

Access here the case study

Bangladesh’s net metering policy

LEDS GP experts worked with the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) of Bangladesh to develop a framework for a net metering policy in Bangladesh. Net metering is a policy approach designed to encourage distributed renewable energy development by allowing utility customers to generate their own electricity and use the electricity produced to offset the amount of energy they draw from the utility grid. It is considered a foundational policy mechanism for driving the expansion of distributed solar photovoltaic markets. LEDS GP experts provided case studies and resources outlining implementation challenges and solutions related to net metering policy design, net metering tariff design, and interconnection (a mechanism by which net metered distributed energy systems connect to the grid) standards and process. Using this support, SREDA is in the final stages of preparing a draft net metering policy, which will not only help promote rooftop solar energy and assist Bangladesh in meeting its goals for installed renewable energy but also improve access to electricity across the country.

Cornerstones of sustainable low emission development strategies in Zimbabwe

The Government of Zimbabwe is working to translate its national climate and renewable energy policies into implementable strategies and action plans. LEDS GP experts collaborated with the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Climate to develop a low emission development strategy planning document related to eight specific work streams: energy efficiency; energy supply; industry; agriculture; waste management; forests, biodiversity, and resilience; water management; and training and research needs. The document will support efforts to build the capacity, awareness, knowledge, and involvement of necessary actors in Zimbabwe and includes a detailed set of measures for government agencies to advance overall LEDS implementation. This work is an important step towards building engagement and awareness with business and government leaders, research institutions, development partners, and civil society.

Concentrated solar power in Chile

For the Chilean Economic Development Agency (CORFO)'s solar industry committee, concentrated solar power presents a safe and high-quality electricity supply opportunity for residential and industrial sectors in Chile, home to the Atacama desert, which has the highest solar potential in the world. To achieve this potential, CORFO requested REAL assistance to build capacity on modeling, designing, and implementing concentrated solar power systems. REAL experts delivered a training workshop to practitioners from key Chilean energy agencies, who learned about the barriers and opportunities of designing solar systems, models for capacity expansion, and methods for promoting investment to catalyze solar programs in Chile.

With the skills and knowledge gained in the workshop, CORFO has improved its own concentrated solar power models, and went on to present its results at theSolarPACES conference in Santiago in September 2017. The outcomes of the modeling efforts will help advance the Chilean resilient low emission development goals identified in its Nationally Determined Contribution, which pledges to cut national greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

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