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112 results
A Policy for Improving Efficiency of Agriculture Pump sets in India: Drivers, Barriers and Indicators
The document argues that replacing approximately 16 million inefficient agricultural pump sets in India, combined with the adoption of High Voltage Distribution Systems (HVDS) and mandatory metering, can significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. It identifies financing as the primary barrier, driven by high upfront costs of efficient pumps and flat electricity tariffs that remove incentives for conservation. The author proposes a phased policy approach moving from pump replacement to metered tariffs, suggesting that international cooperation is most effective for financial support and capacity building rather than technology transfer. The paper also provides a framework of indicators to monitor program initiation, pump deployment, and tariff reform.
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Document type: Research paper
Policy and Regulatory Framework for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Development in Ghana
The document assesses Ghana's progress in renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE), highlighting a government target of 10% RE in the energy mix by 2020. It identifies significant barriers, including the lack of a comprehensive legal framework, high upfront capital costs, and a pricing system that ignores environmental externalities. The author argues that international cooperation—through capacity building, credit support facilities, and the Clean Development Mechanism—is essential to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and improve rural electrification.
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Document type: Case study
The Full Costs of Thermal Power Production in Eastern Canada
The report applies a full cost accounting (FCA) approach to quantify the externalities of thermal power production in Eastern Canada, focusing on air pollution (SOx, NOx, VOC) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It finds that coal-fired power generates the highest externalities, with central estimates of $0.0394/kWh, which exceeds its marginal production cost of approximately $0.026/kWh. The study argues that internalizing these costs would shift investment toward natural gas, demand-side management, and renewable energy, and warns that Canada's Kyoto compliance strategy may forego domestic health co-benefits by favoring international emission credits over domestic reductions.
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Document type: Report
An Energy Resource Investment Strategy for the City of San Francisco
The report evaluates three energy scenarios for San Francisco: 'Central Generation', 'More Imports', and 'Distributed Resources'. It compares these paths based on capital and operating costs, electricity supply reliability, environmental impacts, and local economic development. The analysis finds that while all scenarios can ensure reliability and allow the closure of the Hunter's Point Power Station, only the 'Distributed Resources' scenario significantly reduces CO2 emissions and promotes environmental equity. The 'Central Generation' path is identified as potentially the least expensive but carries risks related to market power and higher in-city emissions.
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Document type: Report
Western Oil & Gas Company: Strategic Financing for Energy Efficiency
The document details a proposed $2 million upgrade to the diesel hydro treater (DHT) motor system at Western Oil & Gas Company's Richmond refinery. Despite potential energy savings and improved reliability, the project was initially stalled by internal resource constraints, low strategic priority, and the high cost of operational downtime. To resolve this, Western partnered with Energy Services (an ESCo) and ABB Energy Capital to explore alternative financing—including internal funding, lease financing, and performance-based 'shared savings' models—while leveraging demand-side management (DSM) subsidies from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E).
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Document type: Case study
Western Oil & Gas Company: Strategic Financing for Energy Efficiency
The document analyzes a $2 million energy efficiency project at a Western Oil & Gas refinery in Northern California. It examines how strategic and organizational barriers—such as lean staffing and corporate capital controls—can prevent the implementation of financially viable projects. The text compares three financing models: internal funding, capital leasing, and performance-based financing. It concludes that performance-based financing, supported by an Energy Services Company (ESCo) and a specialized financier (ABB Energy Capital), was the most effective route because it bypassed internal capital review processes and shifted technical and financial risks to outside experts. The analysis also highlights the role of Demand-Side Management (DSM) payments from utilities as a critical incentive for ESCos to implement such projects.
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Document type: Guide
The Politics of Power Sector Reform in India
The document examines the evolution of India's power sector, highlighting the transition from state-run electricity boards (SEBs) to a restructured model involving independent power producers (IPPs) and privatization. It details the 'Orissa Model' promoted by the World Bank, the failures of the 1991 IPP policy, and the subsequent scaling of restructuring to other states like Andhra Pradesh. The authors argue that political expediency and financial crises often overrode social and environmental goals, leading to institutional 'lock-ins' such as agricultural subsidies and expensive long-term power purchase agreements.
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Document type: Research paper
POWER SECTOR REFORM IN GHANA: THE UNTOLD STORY
The document analyzes Ghana's power sector reform, which was primarily triggered by World Bank conditionality for a thermal power project and a need to address power shortages caused by droughts. The Government of Ghana (GOG) opted for a competitive model involving the unbundling of the Volta River Authority (VRA) into strategic business units to attract private investment and reduce sovereign guarantee liabilities. The reform established two regulatory bodies: the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) for tariff setting and the Energy Commission (EC) for licensing. While social goals like universal access by 2020 were integrated, the paper notes that environmental concerns were largely a 'spin-off' of other measures like Demand Side Management (DSM) and Embedded Generation Facilities (EGF).
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Document type: Research paper
Power Sector Reform and the Public Benefits Imperative: A South African Case Study
The document examines the restructuring of South Africa's electricity sector, focusing on the transition from an Eskom-dominated monopoly to a more competitive market. It analyzes the urgent need for reform in the electricity distribution industry (EDI) due to financial crises and inefficiencies, and the proposed shift toward regional electricity distributors (REDs). In the electricity supply industry (ESI), it explores models for introducing wholesale competition and the corporatization of Eskom. A central theme is the 'public benefits imperative,' assessing how goals like rural electrification, black economic empowerment, and energy efficiency are being balanced against economic efficiency and privatization. The study notes that while some social goals are high on the agenda, environmental benefits and demand-side management have seen less traction, often sidelined by immediate financial survival or used as strategic tools to delay reform.
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Document type: Case study
Local Management of Rural Power Supply
The report examines a shift in Tanzania's rural electrification strategy from a centralized utility model (TANESCO) to locally managed cooperatives. It focuses on the Urambo Electric Consumers Co-operative Society (UECCO), which took over a diesel-powered system in 1993. Key findings indicate that while local management improved service reliability and financial performance compared to TANESCO's isolated branches, the cooperative struggled with high fuel costs, inadequate bookkeeping, and the need for high tariffs to ensure sustainability. The report also evaluates the use of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) and photovoltaic (PV) systems, concluding that CFLs and fluorescent tubes are more cost-effective than incandescent bulbs, while individual PV systems are generally more expensive than centralized diesel supply unless the latter is severely under-utilized.
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Document type: Report
Negawatts: Twelve Transitions, Eight Improvements, and One Distraction
The author outlines twelve fundamental transitions in electricity efficiency, moving from fragmented equipment upgrades to integrated, whole-system optimization. He argues that 'negawatts' (saved electricity) are often cheaper than new generation and that market failures currently penalize efficiency. The paper proposes eight improvements to make efficiency programs more cost-effective and critiques the concept of 'retail wheeling' as a distraction from the more significant shift toward wholesale competition and decentralized generation via fuel cells and superflywheels.
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Document type: Research paper
ENERGY-EFFICIENT BUILDINGS: INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES
The report argues that buildings are inefficient not due to a lack of technology, but because of a 'spherically senseless' institutional framework. It identifies key failures such as the decoupling of capital and operating costs for developers, the prevalence of 'catalog engineering' driven by low design fees, and the systemic oversizing of HVAC equipment to avoid liability. The author proposes restructuring professional fees to reward energy savings, integrating multidisciplinary design teams from the conceptual stage, and reforming leasing practices to align the incentives of landlords and tenants.
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Document type: Report
Making Energy Efficiency Markets Work
The India-UK energy efficiency partnership provided technical assistance and expertise to help India decouple economic growth from emissions. Key achievements include supporting the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) with Standards and Labelling initiatives for domestic appliances and the Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme for industry, which reduced CO2e by 23 million metric tons between 2013 and 2015. The partnership also helped design the National Industrial Energy Efficiency Fund (NIEEF) and Knowledge Exchange Platforms for eight industrial sectors. Despite these gains, the document notes that investment levels still do not match potential, financing mechanisms need innovation, and electricity subsidies hinder household spending on energy efficiency.
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Document type: Briefing
Life After Coal Toolkit: Integrated Resource Plan 2023
The toolkit critiques the draft IRP 2023, arguing that it deviates from 'least cost' energy pathways by favoring fossil fuels over renewables and failing to adequately address air quality, health impacts, and climate commitments. It provides a framework for the public to challenge the DMRE's modelling assumptions, the premature timing of the plan relative to the Integrated Energy Plan and Sectoral Emission Targets, and the lack of transparency in public participation.
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Document type: Guide
ÉCHANGE DE CHALEUR
The report argues that achieving a cost-optimal net-zero building sector in Canada requires a significant shift toward electrification and a reduction in gas use. It warns that current regulatory inertia and the continued expansion of gas networks risk increasing costs for taxpayers and jeopardizing climate goals. The document recommends that provincial governments legislate net-zero targets, move away from gas as the default heating option for new buildings, and provide regulators with the tools to manage a phased contraction of gas infrastructure while ensuring affordability and equity.
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Document type: Executive summary
HEAT EXCHANGE
The report argues that Canada's cost-optimal path to net zero requires a significant shift from gas to electricity for building heat. It warns that continued expansion of gas networks and a 'business-as-usual' approach to utility regulation create financial risks for ratepayers and threaten climate goals. The authors recommend that provincial governments legislate net zero targets, end the default expansion of gas infrastructure, and provide clear energy roadmaps to guide regulators and utilities.
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Document type: Executive summary
Trajectoires techniques pour aligner les secteurs de l’électricité canadiens avec la carboneutralité
The document outlines a strategy for Canada to achieve a net-zero electricity sector by 2050, noting a sharp divide between 'clean' provinces (e.g., Quebec, Ontario) and those reliant on fossil fuels (e.g., Alberta, Saskatchewan). It proposes five key technical trajectories: increasing variable renewable energy, securing clean firm capacity, enhancing interprovincial transmission, improving demand flexibility, and deploying long-duration storage. The author argues that while the economic cost of wind and solar has plummeted, the primary barriers are now financial uncertainty regarding carbon pricing and the technical need for firm capacity and seasonal storage to manage intermittency.
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Document type: Research paper
Enhancing the resilience of Canadian electricity systems for a net zero future
The document analyzes how climate change and the transition to net zero impact the reliability and resilience of Canada's electricity grid. It identifies risks across generation, transmission, and distribution, and proposes solutions such as infrastructure hardening, increasing system flexibility, and updating regulatory frameworks and building codes.
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Document type: Research paper
financing
The guide outlines capital sources for municipal on-bill financing, including internal utility reserves, public funding, private lending, and bond issuance. It details risk management tools such as Loan Loss Reserves, loan guarantees, and subordinated capital to reduce borrowing costs and protect lenders from borrower defaults.
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Document type: Guide
Federal financing options for on-bill financing energy efficiency programs
The document outlines three federal financing options for rural electricity providers: the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program (EECLP), the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program (REDLG), and the Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP). EECLP offers large-scale, non-competitive financing at Treasury rates for a wide range of efficiency and renewable energy projects. REDLG provides zero-interest loans or grants for projects creating rural employment, including energy efficiency, though it requires a 20% in-kind match. RESP is specifically designed for on-bill financing, offering zero-interest loans to providers who can re-lend to consumers at up to 3% interest, provided the energy measures have a payback period of 10 years or less.
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Document type: Guide