The last newsletter issue brought at first hand an interview with three of our IEI Board Members who wrote the world acclaimed book Energy for a Sustainable World on the occasion of its 20 years of publication.

This book is a detailed version of a report prepared by the same authors to the World Resources Institute as part of the End-Use Global Energy Project (EUGEP). Even though the book itself is out of print (can be found in some university libraries), the report is available online for free. Click here.

It was a message to policymakers that they have a choice. The choice to use energy more efficiently to provide the same energy services and to shift from the dependency on fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

Quoting Thomas Johansson, after 20 years of the book publication "Energy is now seen as an instrument for socio-economic development, to be approached through policy design to simultaneously meet objectives related to economic and population growth, poverty alleviation, climate change mitigation, energy security, other environmental issues, and more. The foundation for this approach was presented in Energy for a Sustainable World ".

Hence the reading of this book is strongly recomended to scholars and to whoever the link energy-sustainable development concerns to.

The Editor

Unlike the previous two issues of the journal this one comprises a collection of papers covering a wide range of subjects: renewable energy generation using small-scale hydroelectricity, soybean-derived biofuel, and solar cookers; energy efficiency in industry; a range of disciplines such as economics and engineering; and policy.

The current issue has fewer pages than most issues in recent years. Mostly because we have tried to be more selective in the choice of papers. As before we have used the criteria of both high technical quality of research conducted and its relevance to sustainable development

ESD is a peer-reviewed journal encompassing energy issues -- technologies, goals, and policies, from around the world, but focusing on developing countries. The dedicated ESD website contains all the 53 issues published thus far. While abstracts of all articles are accessible to all viewers, the complete texts of the articles are available only to subscribers.

IEI's Regional Energy Initiative in India is currently involved in the promotion of solar energy use. Solar lighting has been advocated both for street-lighting and for home-lighting. Installations are being planned for new residential layouts located in suburbs of Bangalore and Mysore (in Karnataka state). In addition to energy conservation, peak hour shortages will be reduced.

Promotion of solar energy is also the first of eight missions being developed by the Indian Government in its National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC). This plan focuses on the development and use of new technologies, and their implementation through appropriate institutional mechanisms.

Aiming to identify weaknesses in policy and regulatory processes in Brazil's power sector, the World Resources Institute (WRI) has launched its Electricity Governance Initiative (EGI) in Brazil. The Brazilian leading consumer advocacy group, the Institute for Consumer Defense (IDEC), is leading this effort in partnership with the IEI's Latin American office and other civil society groups (Centro Clima, WWF-Brazil and the Brazilian Network of Civil Society Organizations for Renewable Energy - RENOVE).

The research and analysis is based on the EGI indicator toolkit. The Indicator Toolkit presents a framework to assess and promote good governance in the electricity sector. The indicators address four basic elements of good governance: public participation, transparency, accountability and capacity, and the extent to which they are practiced in electricity policy and regulation.

The Electricity Governance Initiative is a unique collaboration of civil society, policymakers, regulators, and other electricity sector actors to assess policy and regulation using a common framework to define "good governance". Assessments have been completed in Thailand, India, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The EGI is a joint undertaking of the World Resources Institute (WRI) and Prayas Energy Group (India). EGI is a partnership for sustainable development registered with the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.

Through the third round of the exchange program that the IEI's Latin American office takes part, the experience of the Brazilian exchange participant Leornardo Perdomo was published on the exchange sponsor's Annual Report 2007.

Leonardo spent 18 months in Tanzania working for TaTEDO developing and implementing a Multifunction Platform to produce biodiesel and provide electricity to two Tanzanian rural villages for the first time ever. Download the report to read what was written about it here (page 16).

You can also read an overview of his 18-month exchange program on his own words by clicking here.

Based on a shared opinion on the importance of developing sustainable energy solutions as a contribution to, and basis for, social and economic development, the project partnership is financially supported by Fredskorpset, a Norwegian governmental agency, since February 2003. The partners involved are Sweco Grøner (Norway) and TaTEDO (Tanzania)

The IEI Latin American office (IEI-LA) organized the Workshop Energy Efficiency in Industry: contributions from Latin American countries for the Global Energy Assessment (GEA) held in Campinas (Sao Paulo, Brazil) on 19th August 2008.

The IEI-LA Director, Gilberto Jannuzzi, is one of the Lead Authors for the knowledge Module on End Use Efficiency in Industry. He will be in charge of analysing the potential for energy efficiency and Demand Side Management in the industrial sector for Brazil and Latin America.

The Global Energy Assessment (GEA) is a major initiative established by IIASA (The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis) in late 2005 to help decision makers address the challenges of providing energy services for sustainable development, whilst ameliorating existing and emerging threats associated with: security of supply; access to modern forms of energy for development and poverty alleviation; local, regional and global environmental impacts; and securing sufficient investment.

The GEA is expected to be completed by 2010.

This section provides news and information about relevant initiatives regarding the progress of sustainable energy efforts from the developing world. IEI is currently establishing a network of contact persons for dissemination of relevant sustainable energy news. This is a great opportunity to make projects from various parts of the world known. Please let us know if you are interested in being such a contact person. We will be happy to acknowledge names of all contributors in the newsletter.

State of São Paulo (Brazil) Research Foundation announces US$ 130 million BIOEN program for Bioenergy research
From Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, Scientific Director of the FAPESP - State of São Paulo Research Foundation

The State of São Paulo, Brazil, is launching a broad program to foster scientific and technological research for the production of biofuels, with a focus on ethanol. Dubbed BIOEN, the Program will contribute to the maintenance of Brazil's world leadership in this area. BIOEN will support, amongst other things, research on biomass (the focus is sugarcane), production processes of ethanol and the socioeconomic, environmental and land-use impacts, with a view to amelioration.

The FAPESP Bioenergy Research Program, BIOEN, is an initiative of the State of São Paulo Research Foundation. The State of São Paulo is the second larger producer of Ethanol in the world, responding for 62 per cent of Brazil's ethanol production.

The research activities will be developed in universities and research institutes, and include joint R&D with industry. The Program envisages investments, by government and industry, of US$ 130 million over the next five years. Read more about Bioen and go to the Workshop on Research into Bioenergy and Launch of Bioen.

Ethiopia refugees' clean stoves scheme wins international green energy award
From James Robinson, HEDON Household Energy Network

The world's leading green energy prize awarded £20,000 for a pioneering sustainable energy project to the Gaia Association, an organisation working with the UNHCR in the Kebribeyah refugee camp near Ethiopia's border with Somalia.

The Gaia Association in Ethiopia is transforming the lives of refugees by distributing stoves that use ethanol fuel, a by-product of the sugar industry. The area around the Kebribiyah camp, home to 17,000 Somalian refugees, has suffered severe deforestation and women were always in danger of attack when they went out to collect fuel wood. The new stoves are healthier and more efficient - and families can avoid using wood altogether. Now Ethiopian manufacturers are producing the stoves locally. Read the press release and watch the video.

Certification of solar heating services in Brazil
From Carlos Faria, DASOL - National Department of Solar Heating of the ABRAVA - Brazilian Association of Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning, Ventilation and Heating

Ten years ago Brazil implemented the world first labelling program for solar heaters. Two years ago started the Program Qualisol (Qualification Program of Solar Heating Systems Supliers), developed by ABRAVA, INMETRO (National Institute of Metrology, Standardization, and Industrial Quality) and PROCEL (Brazil's National Electricity Conservation Program). Qualisol seeks to guarantee the quality of the retail and installation services of solar heating systems. Qualisol has issued its label to 52 companies so far and aims to qualify 200 distributors by November 2008.

Women's energy channelled for the community
From Raffaella Bellanca, HEDON Household Energy Network

Groups of women started providing energy services like battery charging, irrigation, milling, and welding, to the community by using a Diesel-generated Platform have started replacing the it by Jatropha oil that they can produce by themselves. More.

A range of clean burning biomass stoves launched in india by Envirofit and Shell Foundation (UK)
From Raffaella Bellanca, HEDON Household Energy Network

Shell Foundation India supports the project as part of their Breathing Space Program. There aim is to see 10 million stoves sold in five countries in the next five years.

These stoves have been developed as a result of a partnership between Envirofit and Shell Foundation (UK) initially launched in 2007, claim to reduce toxic emissions by as much as 80 per cent, while using 50 per cent less fuel and reducing cooking cycle time by 40 per cent. These are a result of over five years of research and testing in coordination with internationally recognised academic institutions such as Colorado State University. More.

Using Microfinance to Expand Access to Energy Services
From Raffaella Bellanca, HEDON Household Energy Network

This study takes an in-depth look at the opportunities, barriers, costs, and impacts associated with portfolios of microfinance institutions that have integrated energy lending into their loan products. The final reports are now available.

This research, led by Sustainable Energy Solutions (SES) and the SEEP Network, offers a detailed look at the business models, the clients, and the operations of selected microfinance institutions in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean that currently have energy-lending programs. The goals of the study are to offer initial recommendations for project implementation to the global financial service community, energy companies, donors, and policy makers; to highlight lessons to learn from; and to identify areas that warrant further attention for using microfinance to improve access to energy services. More.

Contact Persons List

Carlos Jácome, UNDP Consultant for the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Equador)
Carmen Armstrong, Regional Manager of the REEEP Secretariat for Southern Africa (South Africa)
Donna Skordili, HEDON Household Energy Network
Dr. M.A. Rashid Sarkar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Bangladesh)
Dr. Jessie C. Elauria, University of the Philippines Los Baños
Fernando Martins Torres, Petrobras University
John Ledger, Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa (South Africa)
Joseph Arineitwe Ndemere, Makarere University (Uganda)
Lu Zeng'an (China)
Lucy M. Khalema Redeby, Khalema Redeby Consultancy Services (Lesotho)
Martin Obermaier, Energy Planning Program - COPPE - Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Pham Hoang Luong, Institute of Heat Engineering and Refrigeration, Department of Thermal Energy Equipment, Hanoi University of Technology (Vietnam)
Prof. Dieter Holm, ISES Africa (South Africa)
Prof. Sugathapala, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Moratuwa (Sri Lanka)
Raffaella Bellanca, HEDON Household Energy Network
Solomon Quansah, Ghana Solar Energy Society - GHASES (Ghana)
Stephen Karekezi, Director of the AFREPREN and IEI's board member (Kenya)