Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership

The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) is an active, global public-private partnership that was launched by the United Kingdom along with other partners at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in August 2002.

By providing opportunities for concerted collaboration among its partners, REEEP aims to accelerate the marketplace for renewable energy and energy efficiency. Its goals are to:

* Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
* Deliver social improvements to developing countries and countries in transition, by improving the access to reliable clean energy services, and by making renewable energy and energy efficiency systems (REES) more affordable
* Bring economic benefits to nations that use energy in a more efficient way and increase the share of indigenous renewable resources within their energy mix.

The lack of long term and reliable policies and regulatory measures to support renewables and energy efficiency and a corresponding lack of finance are the principal obstacles to the development of sustainable energy markets. The removal of market barriers is urgently needed to achieve long term transformation of the energy sector, including creation of attractive investment environments.

REEEP relies on a bottom-up, project based approach and its partners are therefore committed to working together at the regional, national and international levels to deliver policy, regulatory and financing frameworks that will foster the market development and commercialisation of REES.

The partnership is funded by a number of governments including: Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom, The United States and the European Commission.

History

In 2002, accelerating the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies was one of the priorities of a large group of countries at the WSSD. The REEEP was initiated by the UK together with other committed governments, businesses and NGOs to deliver WSSD commitments and beyond, in particular to take forward the key recommendations of the G8 Renewable Energy Task Force.From January 2003 until May 2004, the REEEP was housed within the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) where it continued following the UN Type II partnership [ [http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/partnerships/partnerships.htm United Nations Division for Sustainable Development - Partnerships for Sustainable Development ] ] process of stakeholder consultation. Regional workshops were conducted in eight cities to identify the needs and requirements of different parts of the world. In June 2004, the REEEP obtained formal, legal status as an International NGO based in Vienna, Austria.

Activities: Projects

REEEP currently has 98 projects within its portfolio, with the 50 current projects covering more than 40 countries with the majority in emerging markets such as India, China, South Africa and Brazil.

REEEP projects concentrate on the following themes:

* Policy and Regulation: robust policies and favourable, transparent and stable regulatory frameworks to attract investors and to guarantee affordable energy services to consumers

* Innovative Finance Mechanisms: new forms of financing, risk mitigation and finance models to make small sized renewable and energy efficient projects bankable and economically attractive.

Policy & Regulation

REEEP finances projects which identify replicable models of policy and regulatory frameworks that overcome the market barriers to REES. Policy and regulatory projects help to stabilise the legal environment which is crucial to reducing financial risks and to stimulating investment. REEEP recognises that governments adopt favourable policies and regulations for a variety of reasons and thus the partnership does not promote a ‘one size fits all’ approach towards the inclusion of sustainable energy into the energy mix. The support REEEP provides through its projects to legislators, regulators, municipalities and local authorities is helping to improve energy security, reduce poverty and mitigate climate change impacts.REEEP projects assist governments with the development and implementation of sustainable energy policies and regulatory frameworks; focusing on distributed generation and off-grid systems; and enhancing the stakeholders’ capacity and promoting awareness.

REEEP’s overall vision to accelerate a global market for sustainable energy is strongly influenced by the need to overcome international legal barriers. The Renewable Energy and International Law] (REIL) project is a REEEP sub-network of legal and technical experts providing analysis of barriers and opportunities in law and dissemination of messages through key publications and high-profile events. This provides a space for business and policy makers to engage and thus inform law making. REIL has set an agenda through ongoing commissioned work on marine issues, climate change, biodiversity, waste, investment and trade law, grid connection, and Tradable Renewable Energy Certificates (Green certificates).

An important vehicle for raising awareness amongst regulators is the continuously growing Sustainable Energy Regulators Network (SERN) which comprises regulatory bodies, government departments, energy companies, NGOs andresearchers. SERN contributes to REEEP and facilitates the exchange of experience and knowledge between regulators on policy and regulatory mechanisms. A best practice policy compendium on renewable energy and energy efficiency is currently under development. Additionally SERN has, in cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), developed training courses and seminars for regulators. SERN also provides a summary of policy descriptions, which were developed in cop-operation with the Regional Secretariats.

In 2005/6 a focus was given to projects on energy efficiency which are developing specific standards and mechanismssuch as building standards.

To meet the increased energy demand from municipalities and urban areas and to use the high potential of implementation at municipality level, REEEP has started the ‘City Twinning Initiative’, which intends to interlink with existing organizations within the municipality section and aims to replicate projects.

REEEP also finances projects which leverage additional resources and enhance capacity building for investors, financiers and public officials.

Innovative Financing

The economics of renewables and energy efficiency - size, cost structure and the duration of the return of investment - make it necessary to develop special finance mechanisms. Innovative financing projects provide tool-kits, business plans and financing mechanisms which result in a significant increase in REES investments.REEEP supports the creation of new sources of finance to underwrite the higher risk stages of project implementation.It also seeks to create lasting engagements with local financial institutions and develops mechanisms to bundle small projects to a bankable size. In conjunction, REEEP acts to optimise leverage in local capital markets, reduce transaction costs and manage risk, improve the awareness and capacity of financiers and investors, and disseminate data.REEEP also provides structural assistance for the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), including analysis and recommendations to developing countries, the provision of CDM support to renewable energy funds, and support for the development of CDM projects.To have a strong impact on the finance sector, REEEP developed strategic tools to facilitate the acceleration of the uptake of the sustainable energy market. Building on the existing cooperation with Gold Standard, a harmonisation of Verified Emissions Reductions (VERs) on the basis of the criteria of Gold Standard is going to be developed. This standardisation will not only increase liquidity of the carbon market but will also provide more security for the VER market.This can lead to an increased demand and can become a good promotion instrument for very small sustainable energy projects.In addition, REEEP has created the Voluntary Carbon Offset Mechanism for governments. Together with Co2e.com as a broker and guided by a steering committee consisting of members from Gold Standard, REEEP and the party for which the offset takes place (currently the FCO, UK), high level projects were selected for delivering the carbon credits required for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s 2004 carbon offset. This mechanism is open to all governments wishing to outsource their voluntary carbon offset.

Initiatives: reegle

REEEP, in close collaboration with REN21, has developed a joint project for an International Clearing House funded by the governments of Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom. There is a multitude of information sources available on sustainable energy however these are fragmented, often specialised on one topic and often designed for those who ‘know what they are looking for’.
reegle is designed to provide easy access to the world’s best databases and information on renewable energy and energy efficiency, by only accessing those data sources with the most accurate and up-to-date information on renewable energy and energy efficiency as evaluated by the International reegle Team. It includes information about legislation, policy and measures, technology, finance and investment opportunities as well as reports and analysis. The groups targeted by this search engine include governments, regulators, universities, manufacturers, project developers and the financial sector.

Partners

Currently REEEP has 202 partners, 34 of which are governments, including all the G8 countries bar Russia and many countries from emerging markets and the developing world. As well as governments, REEEP has a broad range of global partners across businesses, NGOs and civil society.REEEP relies on partners’ voluntary contributions and in particular they can add value through a willingness to sharefinance, experiences and knowledge.

Central to the REEEP's role is the collaboration, cohesion and leverage derived from working with other international sustainable energy partnerships. REEEP sees this inter-partnership collaboration as key towards ensuring the best use of public funding, and to ensure that replication is better achieved. Partnerships with whom the REEEP is actively engaged are inter alia the International Energy Agency (IEA), MEDREP, the Global Village Energy Partnership [http://www.gvepinternational.org] (GVEP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), CLASP, the Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition (JREC), GNESD] , EREC, NAIMA, EURIMA, e-parliament and GFSE.

Becoming a REEEP Partner

Becoming a REEEP Partner entails a commitment to the mission statement:

MISSION STATEMENT:"We are committed to working with partners from governments, business, finance and civil society around the world to expand the global market for renewable energy and energy efficiency. The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) is a Type II World Summit on Sustainable Development partnership providing a new and flexible way of working together to achieve common goals. Through REEEP we will share knowledge, communicate across national boundaries and work to spread best practice in order to overcome the barriers to the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency. We believe that REEEP will help its partners achieve a sustainable energy future."

Governance

* The Meeting of Partners is the assembly of all Partners and meets every other year. It is the highest decision making body within the REEEP structure.
* The Governing Board consists of a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 19 partners, reflects the multi-stakeholder nature of the partnership, and includes a geographical spread broadly representative of its activities. The Governing Board is responsible for the conduct of the business of REEEP in accordance with its Statutes. It is currently chaired by Henry Derwent, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
* The International Secretariat of REEEP is located in Vienna and is the central service hub of the partnership responsible for dissemination of information, servicing the bodies of the governance structure, and providing guidance and support to the Regional Secretariats. The International Director of REEEP is Dr. Marianne Osterkorn.
* The Finance Committee oversees the finances of REEEP's institutional bodies, the Programme Board defines and revises REEEP's programme priorities, and Steering Committees contribute to the development of the regional REEEP action plan and to the selection regional projects for funding.

Regional Secretariats

REEEP has Regional Secretariats in eight countries, which provide local support to the partnership, ensure that regional demand drives the activities of REEEP, and that REEEP objectives are achieved in the regions. The Regional Secretariats also operate as regional clearinghouses of information regarding sustainable energy and energy efficiency, serve as a coordinator of regional capacity building initiatives, identify key opportunities for REEEP, support REEEP projects and partner interests in the region and establish regional REEEP infrastructure.

ee also

* World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
* reegle - the information gateway for renewable energy and energy efficiency
* Energy and Environmental Security Initiative (EESI)
* International Energy Agency (IEA)
* Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition (JREC)
* Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21)
* E-Parliament
* United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
* World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBSCD)
* Renewable energy commercialization

References

External links

* [http://www.reeep.org/ Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP)]
* [http://www.catalyst-commercial.co.uk/ Energy Brokers UK]