Asia

Reports

The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) in collaboration with the Pakistan Council for Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET) and the Global Change Impact Studies Centre (GCISC) organized a two-day (February 10-11, 2004) International Meeting on Renewable Energy Technologies and Sustainable Development in Islamabad, Pakistan. The Meeting was attended by delegations from China, Egypt, Germany, Jordan, Pakistan, Sudan and Syria besides the President and Secretary General of the World Wind Energy Association. The meeting concluded with a resolution to strengthen and promote this sector of vital importance.

Mr. Hilal A Raza, Chairman, World Energy Council South Asia Region, was invited to give keynote address on "Renewable Energy Technologies and Sustainable Development - Developing Countries' Perspective". The presentation was much appreciated by all the participants and rated as the best presentation of the meeting. Mr. Hilal A. Raza also highlighted the WEC's role for the promotion and deployment of renewables particularly with reference to the developing countries. He presented a strategy and policy recommendations, drawing strength from the WEC's Handbook on Renewables, for implementation in the developing countries. Most of the recommendations proposed by him have been included in the final recommendations of the meeting which are listed below:

• To address the difficulties in arranging funds for projects and ventures, entrepreneurs should be provided innovative financing schemes like micro-credit and should be helped to obtain access to government and non-government funding agencies.

• In developing countries where it is not yet so, renewable energy should have the status of an independent Ministry. Renewable energy should be part of the overall national energy mix, and therefore, policies for development of this sector should be incorporated in the integrated energy plan.

• Institutional arrangements, regulatory mechanisms and legislative framework for promoting and deploying renewables should be streamlined and harmonized to meet the set targets.

• Developed countries should play the role of "public sector for initiating and sustaining the development of the renewable energy sector in developing countries. In this regard, putting additional debt burden on developing countries should be avoided. Special purpose funds from North could be a solution and North-South collaboration should be encouraged.

• South-South cooperation is not only essential but could be more effective in terms of sharing of resources and experience so as to expedite the process of developing renewable energy technologies in the countries of South.

• Private sector should be invited and encouraged to invest in renewable energy development in the country.

• R&D components ought to be differentiated from commercial applications efforts.

• Wider dissemination of information regarding incentives for renewables deployment should be ensured and innovative technologies must be examined, experimented and improved.

• Developing countries should guarantee local mobilization, and ensure counterparts for transfer of skills and technology.