Universal Service and Energy Poverty

Service Universel et Pauvreté Energétique

Martin Hiller, Quebec, May 2012

2

The challenge of guaranteeing access to power:

Energy poverty: either no modern power, or modern power too expensive Problems reach from no access to constant black-outs Improve and deepen service for vulnerable consumers Build a powerful basis for small and medium enterprise Clean energy solutions – efficiency and renewables – are set to provide

the core of the energy revolution

Five Elements

Independence: new energy investment can liberate people – e.g. wean them off the drip of big oil and coal

People: local ‘champions’ needed to drive business orpolitical solution

Microfinance: allow people to pay back and truly own Business : small and medium enterprises can drive, market

and implement solutions at local scale Information: creating new clean energy markets needs free

but good quality information services

3

Amazonia Renewable Energy Company

Widen energy access to Jari region in Amazonia where no entity is obliged to provide grid access

Set up a profitable RE company Sustainable forestry (Group Orsa) Attracting “early adopters” to the sustainable energy pilot

project, launch the company Convert 1500 families in 60 communities as well as 100 Group

Orsa plants Save 1.5 million litres diesel p.a. Implementing partner: IDEAAS

4

Photo: IDEAAS

5

Financing the final step to poor consumers: Innovative business model based on bartering in the Pacific

2400 Households

35 Households

EE labelling system for electrical appliances in West African countries

Establish EE labelling scheme for household appliances in West African Union countries

Assess all existing EE labelling frameworks in UEMOA and int. Design and validate a voluntary EE labelling programme for

appliances Identify technical laboratories for appliance testing (in

UEMOA) Organise and hold trainings to build capacity in the national

standards bodies and Ministries of Energy Reduce import of second hand appliances Implementing partner: Econoler

6

7

Enabling small-business investments in clean energy in the Southern Mediterranean

support the investment decision process in SMEs Develop key indicators

o energy efficiency, renewable energy, ecological structures, sustainable mobility and industry location

develop a self-evaluation kit Analyse and report on the key indicators Create hand book and web-based tool Train first 20 Tunisian SMEs

The Notion of Universal Service should be re-thought

Unlimited power supply will not exist at all times Equal access is democratic imperative Essential for business development Key elements :

o demand-side management - to optimize available energy, optimize combination of EE and RE

o off-grid and mini-grid solutions (will become topical in all countries),

o zero energy solutions should become standard - e.g. zero energy buildings

8

SERN - Sustainable Energy Regulation Network

www.reegle.infowww.reeep.org

REEEP- Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership

Thank you!