SPC-IRENA Joint Training on Energy Data and Policy Mechanisms to Support Implementation of Renewable
Due to their limited land area and remote and dispersed geographical location, many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are facing compounded challenges in delivering reliable, sustainable and affordable energy services. Various sources have quoted the extreme petroleum dependency with figures as high as over 95% of commercial energy consumption being sourced from imported petroleum in the Pacific Islands. Electricity consumption accounts for about a quarter of imported petroleum in the Pacific, mostly in the form of diesel and heavy fuel oil (HFO).
Lately, many islands have announced their commitment to accelerate the transition to renewable energy in the form of renewable energy targets. Adopting binding, credible targets with clear accountability structure provides the foundation for the basic tenets of sound policy design, namely: transparency, longevity and certainty. However, fulfilling the targets carries a host of challenges.
In responding to these needs, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), conducted a week-long training on ‘Energy Data and Policy Mechanisms to Support Implementation of Renewable Energy Targets’ in Suva, Fiji, from 11-15 August 2014. The training workshop convened almost 50 stakeholders from member countries of both SPC and IRENA, including representatives from energy departments, power utilities, and regulatory authorities. Several representatives from regional organisations, such as GIZ, IUCN, PPA, UNDP, USP, attended the workshop.
The training workshop discussed common questions that policy makers often face when scaling up renewable energy deployment in Small Island Developing States, in light of priority areas of support requested by the Member countries, namely:
- Energy data and information for target setting and policy design
- Designing meaningful and credible renewable energy targets
- Policy mechanisms to procure renewable power in island regions
Participants of the training workshop in Suva, Fiji.
Details of training workshop material