Improving international assistance for renewable electricity generation in developing countries
- World Resources Inst., Washington, DC (United States). Climate, Energy, and Pollution Program
Shifting electricity generation away from dependence on fossil fuels appears to be a necessary component of any global strategy for stabilizing atmospheric CO{sub 2} concentrations. While achieving such a shift is important among all countries, several developing countries with high rates of economic growth are now heavily dependent on fossil fuels (particularly coal) for power production. Renewable electric technologies (from solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and hydro resources) not only offer an option for these countries to expand their power production without contributing to global warming, they also confer other economic and environmental benefits. Despite years of being promoted both by developing countries themselves and development assistance organizations, however, the prospects for greatly increasing the contribution from renewables appear bleak under current trends. If anything, industrialized countries have been more successful at increasing the contribution from these technologies among themselves than in the developing world. This paper examines: (1) market and policy barriers that continue to inhibit greater use of renewables in developing countries (inadequate access to capital, distorted energy markets, and lack of institutions to commercial technologies), (2) past multilateral and bilateral development assistance for renewable electric generation, and (3) lessons for improving the effectiveness of international assistance in stimulating sustainable markets for these technologies.
- OSTI ID:
- 46043
- Journal Information:
- World Resource Review, Journal Name: World Resource Review Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 7; ISSN WRRVE5; ISSN 1042-8011
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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