This policy brief, based on an SEI research report prepared for Rio+20, examines the implications of providing sustainable energy for all, as the United Nations has set out to do.
It begins by laying out the challenge: It is not just to provide basic energy access for households, but also to build energy systems that can support long-term development in all countries – and to do so sustainably, within the constraints of climate change, available land, etc.
The brief describes three scenarios to 2050 created for this study using SEI’s LEAP (Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning) system: a business-as-usual pathway, a sustainable pathway to basic energy access, and a Shared Development Agenda that achieves the desired goals. Major strategies employed in that agenda include a focus on efficiency, expanding the low-carbon electricity supply, electrification, and phasing out fossil fuels.
Market-based instruments and current policies are not enough to achieve the necessary transformations in energy systems. Both the public and private sectors need to step up their policies and strategies. In particular, the state needs to take a more active role in both mobilizing investment capital and nurturing and enabling innovation in energy systems.
While governance and institutional frameworks are often in place at the national and sub-national level, there is a big gap at the international level. The global framework needs a transformative change if it is to effectively coordinate, steer and share knowledge and technology for energy systems development.
Download the policy brief (PDF, 340kb, or high-res PDF, 1.1MB)
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