Delivering Energy for All

Delivering Energy for Development: Models for achieving energy access for the world’s poor by Rafaella Bellanca, Ewan Bloomfield, and Kavita Rai

            The International Energy Agency projects that over a billion people will still lack access to electricity in 2030. This well documented book gives comprehensive coverage to on grid, mini-grid, and off grid approaches for increasing access to energy. Many tables, “boxes,” and diagrams help to illuminate many challenges, barriers, and successful approaches. Especially helpful is refining the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All goals by how much electricity is considered “enough’ for households and how much clean fuel is needed for cooking by the 2.8 billion who currently use animal dung, crop wastes and other materials whose use results in death for 1.4 million mostly women and children  each year.

            Delivering Energy for Development makes clear the importance of energy access to serve basic human needs. Various energy delivery models are examined for their market chain, support services, and enabling environment. The book uses case studies from a wide variety of places to provide best practices and lessons learned. The authors provide easy access to a wealth of knowledge for anyone interested in sustainable energy for all.

george garland

 

Social Good Summit Day 2

Social Good Summit Day 2

            Bill McGibbon, founder of 350.org, and Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, expressed low expectations for the United Nations meeting on climate for September 23. The climate march with 300,000 participants is a successful first step in a continuing struggle. Recognition from organized labor that jobs depended on sensible climate action is encouraging. Ban Ki Moon’s participation in the climate march showed good intentions. The nation States who comprise the UN may be dominated by fossil fuel interests who forestall serious action. Bill McGibbon noted that Chevron is the largest campaign donor and the Koch brothers are not far behind.

            Kumi Naidoo pointed out that the earth does not need to be saved. The earth will do fine without humans. The oceans will restore themselves and forests will flourish. The challenge is to make the earth safe for humanity. This is consistent with Tapio Kaninnen’s observation that a six degree increase in temperature will return the earth to pre-ice age conditions when sea levels were 210 feet higher. Kumi cited Mahatma Ghandi’s observation that “first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, and then you win.” Kumi felt that the fight stage had been reached and that may be good news. Bill McGibbon argued that fear of fossil fuel companies needs to be matche or exceeded by fear of the citizenry and only then will action be taken. Bill pointed out that we have known what to do for 25 years. A carbon tax which gives a market signal to reduce dependence on fossil fuels is known to be efficient and effective. My trip to Sicily where gas is $9 per gallon combined with the prevalence of small cars on the road backs that up. Germany was cited as perhaps the only country taking serious action. German industry does very well and pays twice the price for electricity.

            While Walt Kelly and Pogo were not at the summit, it’s still possible that we have met the enemy and they is us. The world loves energy. The US Information Agency predicts a 25% increase in energy use in the US by 2040. The International Energy Agency predicts increase in global demand for energy by 56% by 2040. The message that renewable energy is now price competitive and creates lots of jobs has got to rise above the fossil fuel din.

Social Good Summit day one

My first Social Good Summit day began at the United Nations Foundation’s Arthur Ross Conference Center. This was old home week for me as the Southern New York State Division had hosted a climate change event here just last week. Chris Whatley and the United Nations Association USA had engaged 24 bloggers to add to the social media conversation which includes 140 countries in 13 languages! Many of the graduate students and young professionals participating had founded organizations to promote issues ranging from better use of information technology in Madagascar to improved US understanding of China.

            We migrated to the 92^nd Street Y where a Digital Media Lounge facilitated hundreds of bloggers and tweeters heard from movers and shakers the United Nations pillars of human rights, ending poverty, and peace and security. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres  said that developing legal ways to migrate was the best way to combat illegal migration. Cracking down on human traffickers should get as much attention as cracking down on illegal drug traffickers. Refugees were mostly going to developing countries (86%) whose generosity was funding their needs. The citizen of these recipient developing countries in turn had downward wage pressure as millions of desperate and qualified people entered their work force and put upward pressure on prices for housing rental and consumer goods. The High Commissioner called for greatly increased support to address the consequences of chaotic, unpredictable violence which met with impunity from global institutions.   

            The National Capital Area United Nations Association had sent a resolution to UNA-USA written by their Human Rights Committee co-chair Luke Lee to expand the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to include internally displaced persons. Civil Society weighs in! Current US Ambassador to the UN Semantha Power wrote Chasing the Flame which chronicled Sergio De Mello’s work in so many international crises. “Sergio” was an employee of UNHCR and is one of my heroes.

            Graca Machel urged looking beyond the averages. While child mortality is improving, the 17,200 under 5 children who die of preventable causes each day remain a concern. She noted that addressing the 50 million child brides whose human rights are violated will take a concerted effort by the global community which may extend over several generations. Yet these child brides represent a global target of 50 million who have little chance of success for meeting 6 Millennium Development Goals.

            Kathy Calvin added that girls may not even show up in statistics where they do not get birth certificates. If you want girls to count, you need to count girls!  

Social Good Summit day one

Climate Policy

The world loves energy! The US Energy Information Agency projects a US electricity usage increase by 2040 of 25%. The International Energy Agency (OECD) projects increased energy use of 56% by 2040.  Both projections assume no new regulations such as the US Clean Power Plan which would reduce greenhouse gasses from electric power by 30% by 2030. This compares with an increase from present emissions in the do nothing projection as coal and nuclear both are used as much in 2040 as today while renewables are doubled (providing about one-third of the increase) and natural gas accounts for the other two-thirds of the increased usage.

            China is the biggest emitter, US second, and India third. Perspective? US per capita emissions three times China’s and over 12 times India’s per capita emissions.

The Obama Administration’s announcement that it will enter “politically binding” agreements with other countries at the UN Framework Convention of Climate Change meetings in Paris next year is good news. Let’s take a step further with a program to encourage voluntary increases in energy efficiency in various sectors (like we did in garbage in days of yore)!