International Regulators and Civil Society Meet in India to Further Global Access to Clean Energy

WRI hosts international Clean Energy and Regulators Forum in the city of Bengaluru, India

Over thirty experts from 11 countries met in Bengaluru, India, to further clean energy access through renewable sources. The experts – both international regulators and members of civil society – exchanged valuable experiences in promoting clean energy through the regulatory process.

“Grid connected renewable energy has taken off in ways that few imagined,” said energy expert Davida Wood of the World Resources Institute (WRI) during opening remarks at the forum. Wood leads the Electricity Governance Initiative of WRI, which convened the Clean Energy Regulators Forum. “Clean energy is not far away in the future, it is at our doorsteps.”

Globally, over the last ten years or so, non-hydro renewable energy capacity has increased 6.5 times, with 144 countries now having renewable energy capacity. At the same time, the costs of clean energy are much more affordable. For instance, Solar PV panel costs have seen an 80% decline from 2008 to 2013.

Not least, investments in clean energy across the world have been unprecedented, standing at about $270 billion in 2014. Investment in other electricity sector technologies is also increasing. For example, the cumulative global investment for smart-grid-related analytics – i.e., software that allows utilities to track, visualize and predict events relevant to grid and business operations – is forecasted to be $20.6 billion between 2012 and 2020.

“New energy trends have implications for energy regulators across the globe,” said Bharath Jairaj, energy expert, based in India with the World Resources Institute. “Discussing these implications is a pressing need for regulators, often under national mandates to increase the reach and efficiency of clean energy.”

Expert discussions in Bengaluru focused on how current efforts are disrupting the current state of play in the energy sector. They included measures for achieving grid stability when renewable sources form a part of the energy mix, how to improve service quality when greater renewable sources of energy are being used, and how to redesign dynamic tariff systems to compensate for increased self-generation of energy.

Participants also discussed the need to improve institutional capacity as the grid becomes more distributed, to overcome the challenges of intermittent supply and demand. In addition, they called for strengthening sector governance to oversee the transition to a more complex and distributed grid -- with increased renewable sources of energy in it -- and to ensure equity in energy access, particularly in emerging markets such as India, China, Brazil and Indonesia.

Notes to Editors:

• The number of countries with renewable energy capacity has tripled from 48 to 144. Solar photovoltaic energy systems have grown at an impressive rate from 2.6 GW to 139 GW, and wind energy global capacity has increased from 48 GW to 318 GW. In 2013, roughly 530 MW of geothermal capacity came online globally, bringing global installed capacity to over 12,000 MW in 2014.
• Solar PV panel costs have seen an 80% decline from 2008 to 2013, and the price of onshore wind energy has dropped in recent years, particularly in the US between 2009 and 2014 where the levelised cost of energy declined more than 50 percent. The costs of other clean technologies like lithium-ion battery systems used for electricity storage devices have also dropped, falling 40% from the end of 2010 to 2012.
• This forum meeting is the third in a series that began in Singapore in 2008, which focused on the opportunities that sector reform opened up for regulators to promote clean energy. The second meeting held in 2010, in Cape Town, focussed on the challenges of integrating clean energy in emerging economies. The many advances in technology for clean energy as well as the new drivers for clean energy, including investments from the private sector, set the context for the latest discussions in Bengaluru.
• Leaders in the sector from India such as Shri Shankarlinge Gowda from the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr. Sushanta Chatterjee, Joint Chief of Regulatory Affairs at the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission of India, Surabhi Rajagopal from the SELCO foundation, Shantanu Dixit from Prayas, and Ashis Sahu from the Clean Energy Entrepreneurs network were amongst the delegates.
• The World Resources Institute is a global research organisation that spans more than 50 countries, with offices in the United States, China, India, Brazil, and more. Our more than 450 experts and staff work closely with leaders to turn big ideas into action to sustain our natural resources—the foundation of economic opportunity and human well-being. www.wri.org
• The Electricity Governance Initiative of the World Resources Institute is a global network of civil society organizations dedicated to promoting transparent, inclusive, and accountable decision-making in the electricity sector. EGI facilitates collaboration of civil society, policymakers, regulators, and other electricity sector actors to ensure that sector decisions reflect public interest. http://www.wri.org/our-work/project/electricity-governance-initiative

For more information please contact: Madhuri Dass, Senior Manager, Communications, WRI India +91 9167166154 | MDass@wri.org