04 Oct 2015 Workshop — Cape Town, South Africa

Enabling Policy and Financing Frameworks for Renewable Energy Deployment in Southern and Eastern Africa

Background

‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌Building on past IEA engagement in Sub-Saharan Africa including under the Africa Energy Outloook, this workshop was an official side event to the 2015 South African International Renewable Energy Conference (4-7 October 2015, Cape Town, South Africa) and it was organised by the IEA under the International Low-Carbon Energy Technology Platform.

Concept Note and Final Agenda

Programme

Welcome Remarks (14:30 - 14:45) 

  • Paul Simons, Deputy Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA)
  • Thembakazi Mali, Senior Analyst, South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI)

Session 1 (14:45 - 16:00)‌

Setting the stage for renewable energy (RE) deployment: fostering an enabling environment 

In Africa the framework for RE projects is improving; the overall number of countries with renewable energy targets is increasing, some countries have sought to establish long-term policies, and some have implemented or are considering feed-in tariffs (FIT) and other support schemes to promote the deployment of RE. Still, inadequate infrastructure, high real or perceived investment risk, and information asymmetries continue to hinder renewable energy uptake. In light of these barriers, fostering an enabling environment at the national and regional levels is crucial at any stage of low-carbon energy deployment or market maturity. This session aims to explore a range of regulatory and policy options to support RE deployment in countries in Southern and Eastern Africa (SEA).

Moderator: Veronika Gyuricza, Programme Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, IEA

Panellists:

  • Paolo Frankl, Head of Renewable Energy Division, IEA
  • Asami Miketa, Analyst for Innovation and Technology Centre, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
  • Gerard Ostheimer, Global Lead for Sustainable Bioenergy, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL)
    • The SEA advanced biofuels market: prospects for capacity building and international collaboration on the road to COP 21 
  • Linus Mofor, Senior Energy & Climate Change Expert, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
    • Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Africa: What is at stake at Paris and beyond? ‌

Questions and answers

Session 2 (16:00 - 17:30)‌

Financing RE projects: challenges, opportunities and lessons learned for large-scale RE deployment 

Policy frameworks, financing opportunities and market conditions are highly inter-related. Each RE project requires a carefully blended mix of upfront investment capital, cooperation between private sector stakeholders and government, technology expertise and a range of energy related services. While the cost of capital continues to be one of the key hurdles of RE deployment in some countries, economic barriers have been overcome in a number of technologies that under certain conditions are fully cost-competitive with relevant fossil fuel alternatives. This session draws insights from a range of distinguished experts including project developers, investors, and international experts to discuss experiences and explore challenges and opportunities for large-scale RE deployment in SEA countries.

Moderator: Simone Landolina, Acting Head,International Partnerships and Initiatives Unit, IEA

Panellists:

Questions and answers

  

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