Scaling Up Renewable Energy 2020 Annual Report
In 2020, USAID helped partner countries power economies with clean energy while opening markets to private investment and competition. Read the report
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In 2020, USAID helped partner countries power economies with clean energy while opening markets to private investment and competition. Read the report
Emerging markets are leapfrogging the developed world in the pursuit of renewable energy, expanding energy access to millions of people around the globe.
Scaling Up Renewable Energy Fact Sheet (pdf - 392K)
Along the way, they are reinventing the national electric grid and developing the policies and institutional, regulatory and technical solutions needed to provide sustainable, reliable electricity for future generations. The Scaling Up Renewable Energy (SURE) project will advance these efforts by assisting USAID partner countries in accessing the technical assistance needed to implement strategic energy planning, grid integration, competitive procurement, renewable energy zones, and smart incentives, five interventions necessary to scaling up clean energy rapidly and effectively.
SURE will work in countries where achieving large-scale clean energy deployment is a priority for energy security and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Through SURE, USAID will foster policy development that allows for clean energy to be obtained at fair market prices. Expected results include: an increase in clean energy capacity; improved grid integration of clean energy; increased competition for generation capacity; strengthened clean energy incentives; and strategic transmission planning for renewable energy.
The proliferation of distributed energy resources requires comprehensive changes to power infrastructure, market design, and business models to scale-up clean energy. SURE will promote self-reliance by building capacity within partner country institutions to empower them to carry out activities without future USAID assistance.
The competitive procurement of clean energy serves as an excellent price discovery mechanism, and in many circumstances has consistently resulted in lower prices than previous methods. Reverse auctions stimulate new capacity, remove barriers to growth, and build investor confidence in the system.
Smart incentives such as innovative policy, legislative, regulatory or fiscal reforms can support least cost utility-scale development and deployment of clean energy technologies.
Grid integration of renewable energy must be addressed as countries scale variable renewable energy into existing and future grids. This requires flexibility in grid planning, increased speed of dispatch, and increased balancing area.
Strategic energy planning will support national power development and integrated resource plans, setting science-based renewable energy targets, low emissions development strategies (LEDS), and implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions.
The REZ approach provides a policy framework that allows planners to harmonize transmission planning and generation development through coordinated stakeholder engagement.
Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance
For additional information about the SURE project, please contact Kristen Madler.
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