25 Jan 2012
by James Smith (REEEP Community Facilitator) in Events, REEEP
I’m just back at my desk after an intensive week at the impressive World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. Thanks to our friends over at IRENA for hosting REEEP on their (well-positioned!) stand. We also took the opportunity to hold a workshop on how Linked Open Data can support Clean Energy development. Don’t know what Linked Open Data is yet? Well, see the article below or here for more.
Anyway, that conference is over, here are some more coming up soon in Johannesburg, Vienna, Berlin, San Diego, London and Miami.
Tags: energy efficiency conferences, energy efficiency events, renewable energy conferences, renewable energy events20 Jan 2012
by Florian Bauer in Events, REEEP, reegle
Linked Open Data (LOD) is a growing trend amongst governments and civil society organisations who understand that the internet now makes the entire storehouse of human knowledge available to anyone, anywhere, through access via computer or mobile device. To reflect this new reality, many organisations are taking their existing data sets – many of which are in principle in the public domain already – and making them freely available for use and re-use by anyone. REEEP‘s clean energy info portal reegle is one of the main energy portals already using this technology, but we need more … more organisations opening up their datasets and understanding the benefits of doing this.
18 Jan 2012
by Alexandra Parvulescu, REN21 Secretariat in Contributed News
Memorandum of understanding signed by Adnan Z. Amin, Director-General of IRENA and Mohamed El-Ashry, Chairman of REN21
Abu Dhabi, 18 January 2012. REN21, the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, and IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency, have announced the signing of a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
“I am very pleased to see IRENA and REN21 moving forward to make their collaboration official,” said Mohamed El-Ashry, Chairman of REN21. “I am sure this MoU with further strengthen the cooperation between REN21 & IRENA for the benefit of rapid renewable energy deployment around the globe.”
IRENA’s Director-General Adnan Z. Amin stated that “the interconnected challenges the energy sector currently faces require well-coordinated answers. The cooperation between IRENA and REN21 will help to advance the renewable energy agenda globally.”
With the signing of this MoU, IRENA and REN21 will also move forward on kick-starting a joint project on building a qualitative and quantitative renewable energy database framework.
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Contact: Alexandra Parvulescu, alexandra.parvulescu@ren21.net, Tel +33 1 44 37 50 91
ABOUT REN21: REN21 is the global renewable energy policy network that provides a forum for international leadership on renewable energy. Its goal is to bolster policy development for the rapid expansion of renewable energies in developing and industrialised economies. REN21 Secretariat is supported by both The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and The Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. www.ren21.net
ABOUT IRENA: The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was officially established in Bonn on 26 January 2009. To date 148 states and the European Union signed the Statute of the Agency. Mandated by these governments worldwide, IRENA will promote the widespread and increased adoption and sustainable use of all forms or renewable energy. IRENA’s headquarters are located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; the agency’s Technology & Innovation Centre is located in Bonn, Germany. www.irena.org
Tags: IRENA, REN21The World future Energy Summit happening right now in Abu Dhabi (16th – 19th January) has prompted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to remind participants of the need to bundle all efforts to make access to clean energy for all a reality. Highlighting the advantages of non-conventional energy he addressed IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) which is based in Abu Dhabi and also working with REEEP on some agendas. The agency’s Second Assembly concluded on January 15th in Abu Dhabi.
Mr. Ban welcomed IRENA’s work to transform the global energy system, adding that its efforts complement those of the United Nations. IRENA’s Director-General, Adnan Amin is also a member of the high-level group set up by Mr. Ban to promote his Sustainable Energy for All initiative. The initiatives’ aims to be achieved by 2030 are: Read more
Tags: Abu Dhabi, Energy access, IRENA, United Nations, WFES 201211 Jan 2012
by James Smith (REEEP Community Facilitator) in Events, REEEP
A happy, healthy and successful 2012 to all of you! Here we go with the first Events Listing of the year – events over the next three months in Sofia, Mexico City, Amsterdam and online, and starting next week in Abu Dhabi, where I will be going. Also, if you’re working in Southern or East Africa and you’re looking for project funding, click ‘read more’ and scroll down to see the last item.
Welcome to the sunny side
“Large-scale solar projects are moving closer to grid parity compared with conventional power, and rooftop solar is also becoming competitive with utility prices in a number of markets today, such as Italy, Turkey and Portugal, and will be in almost all sunny countries by 2015.” That’s according to Michael Liebreich, Chief Executive of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, whose company sees the cost of solar energy modules plummeting by 76 per cent in just three years. Liebreich will moderate a special session on financing strategies at the World Future Energy Summit, next week (16-19 Jan) in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Tags: energy efficiency conferences, energy efficiency events, renewable energy conferences, renewable energy eventsA five-year programme rewards entrepreneurship across East Africa by supporting micro-businesses to establish energy services and create employment opportunities in rural areas.
Willy Bamwenyena, 25, stands out as a young resourceful entrepreneur, who has been able to identify the energy gap in his community, in rural Uganda, and turned the need into a business opportunity. The GVEP-led Developing Energy Enterprise Project (DEEP) has boosted his business – and that of hundreds of other entrepreneurs across East Africa – to make and sell energy efficient cook-stoves.
Willy’s firewood burning stoves are made from locally available materials such anthill soil and clay. The stoves are popular with many householders in Sissa, and up to 90% now own one. A key reason behind their success is that they are affordable and more energy efficient compared to the traditional 3-stone fireplace. In the long run, stove-owners save money that would have been spent buying firewood; and time – spent drying or collecting firewood. The stoves also reduce indoor air pollution considerably, hence decreasing the chronic health illnesses associated with the emission of harmful fumes from open fires. Read more
Tags: Africa, cooking stoves, GVEP, micro-business, Training