May 17, 2005 — By Gordon Feller, Integrated Strategies
Thousands of megawatts of new renewable energy potential in Africa,
Asia, South and Central America have been discovered by a pioneering
project to map the solar and wind resource of 13 developing countries.
The multi-million dollar project, called the Solar and Wind Energy
Resource Assessment (SWERA), is proving that the potential for deploying
solar panels and wind turbines in these countries is far greater
than previously supposed.
"In developing countries all over the world we have removed
some of the uncertainty about the size and intensity of the solar
and wind resource," said Klaus Toepfer, UNEP's Executive Director.
"These countries need greatly expanded energy services to help
in the fight against poverty and to power sustainable development.
SWERA offers them the technical and policy assistance to capture
the potential that renewable energy can offer," he said.
Since its beginning in 2001 and with substantial support from the
Global Environment Facility (GEF), the US$9.3 million SWERA project
(http://swera.unep.net) has been developing a range of new information
tools to stimulate renewable energy development, including detailed
maps of wind and solar resources.
"As energy planners seek cleaner energy solutions using renewable
energy technologies, the availability of reliable, accurate, and
accessible solar and wind energy information is critical and can
significantly accelerate the deployment of these technologies,"
says Toepfer.
Toepfer cited the case of California, where the availability of
good wind data greatly accelerated the development of windfarms
and a global wind industry. Likewise, he says, SWERA's aim is to
support informed decision-making, develop energy policy based on
science and technology, and increase investor confidence in renewable
energy projects.
The SWERA team has assessed wind and solar energy resources using
a range of data from satellites and ground-based instruments --
often with surprising results. In Nicaragua, for example, SWERA
assessments of wind resources demonstrated a much greater potential
than the 200 megawatts (MW) estimated in the 1980s.
The results prompted the Nicaraguan National Assembly to pass the
Decree on Promotion of Wind Energy of Nicaragua 2004 that gives
wind generated electricity "first dispatch," meaning it
has the first priority over other options when fed into electricity
grids. The US Trade and Development Agency and Inter-American Development
Bank have subsequently launched wind energy feasibility studies
in Nicaragua, and wind investment projects are now advancing with
40 MW planned in two projects and two more exploration licenses
granted.
SWERA information is also providing solar resource information
for a range of cooperative efforts in Nicaragua between groups such
as the World Bank and GEF for projects focused on rural electrification.
Six thousand (6000) solar PV systems, for example, are being installed
in the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank rural electrification
programs.
In Guatemala, wind estimates before SWERA were mostly unknown,
but are now estimated at 7000 megawatts, based on SWERA products.
The Guatemala Ministry of Energy has established, with support from
SWERA, the Centre for Renewable Energy and Investment within the
Ministry to carry out validation studies and identify sites for
wind energy development.
In Sri Lanka, the SWERA assessment found a land wind power potential
of about 26,000 MW representing more than ten times the country's
installed electrical capacity.
While an initial assessment in Ghana, reveals more than 2,000 MW
of wind energy potential, mainly along the border with Togo. In
Africa, this is quite a significant amount, as by some estimates,
the continent needs just 40,000 MW of electricity to power its industrialization
(see UNEP Governing Council, http://www.unep.org/gc/gc23/).
SWERA's data collection and analysis network of international and
national agencies is also creating a global archive of solar and
wind energy resources and maps that is available on CDROM or through
the website. Another important SWERA tool, the Geospatial Toolkit,
allows wind and solar maps to be combined with electrical distribution
grids and other information to provide high quality information
that supports energy planning and policy development, while lowering
the risk for renewable energy project developers and reducing project
lead times.
Speaking from Washington D.C., Tom Hamlin, SWERA Project Manager,
said the project is now under evaluation and will be seeking support
to service requests from renewable energy development programs in
other developing countries.
"SWERA has clearly demonstrated that the modest of amounts
needed to support renewable energy assessments can significantly
change the way countries pursue their energy goals," he said.
The countries where SWERA has carried out surveys to date are:
Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Cuba, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala,
Honduras, Kenya, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sri Lanka.
According to Toepfer, SWERA is a good example of international
cooperation that can produce a range of positive environmental and
social outcomes. "In the case of renewable energy," he
concludes, "knowledge is literally power."
Summary on SWERA: http://swera.unep.net/swera/index.php
Gordon Feller, Pres/CEO of Integrated Strategies, provides assistance
to organizations seeking to explore new policies, new technologies
and new market-driven strategies for change. Gordon and his team
work with local leaders and builds partnerships across knowledge
disciplines, territorial borders and industry sectors. Integrated
Strategies clients include leaders within some of the key international
agencies, NGOs, and corporations. Gordon writes for a number of
international magazines. He can be reached at GordonFeller@UrbanAge.org.
Source: An ENN Commentary
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