1

2


Introduction ............................................................................................................... 3
Part I. Historical background .................................................................................... 4
1.1. New and renewable sources of energy............................................................ 4
1.2. The concept of sustainable development ........................................................ 4
Part II. New and renewable energy sources .............................................................. 7
2.1. Solar energy .................................................................................................... 8
2.2. Bio-energy ....................................................................................................... 9
2.3. Wind power. .................................................................................................. 11
2.4. Water power .................................................................................................. 11
2.4.1. Hydropower ................................................................................................... 12
2.4.2. Geothermal power ......................................................................................... 12
2.4.3. Tidal power ................................................................................................... 13
2.4.4. Wave power ................................................................................................... 14
Part III. UNIDO and renewable energy .................................................................. 15
3.1. General activities ........................................................................................... 15
3.2. Local and regional projects ........................................................................... 19
3.2.1. Solar energy ................................................................................................... 19
3.2.2. Wind power ................................................................................................... 20
3.2.3. Small hydropower ......................................................................................... 20
Part IV. The UN and new and renewable sources of energy .................................. 21
Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 23
List of references ..................................................................................................... 25



3

Introduction
In the 21
st
century the mankind faces many challenges among which are the
problems of poverty and hunger, environmental deterioration and energy
insecurity. The facts that greenhouse gas emissions should be cut down on and
fossil fuels are limited and wont always be at hand to satisfy the industrys
growing demand for resources are widely known and accepted. We find ourselves
in a complicated situation where 1.3 billion people in the world still have no access
to electricity, industrial development requires more and more resources and
environmental protection issue is urgent as ever. The international community has
to combine two seemingly mutually exclusive processes making energy
affordable and available worldwide and reducing carbon footprint of the
humankind. One of the solutions actually lies in the matter on todays agenda
new and renewable energy sources.
Wind, solar and water power as well as biofuels can provide the necessary
energy; they do not contribute to CO
2
and other greenhouse gasses emissions and
are therefore not involved in the issue of climate change. These energy sources are
also perfect for countries that lack natural resources of their own and are affected
by volatile oil and gas prices. Many countries, both developed and developing,
have already successfully implemented renewable energy technologies in industry
as well as satisfying publics needs. However, there are certain factors that
constrain the adoption of renewable energy worldwide such as insufficient
awareness, policy, regulatory and financial barriers, lack of locally available
appropriate technologies. Here the international cooperation should come into play,
exchange of knowledge and experience as well as financial help from the leaders in
this sphere to the regions that desperately need clean and affordable energy.


4

Part I. Historical background
1.1. New and renewable sources of energy
The interesting fact is that after certain consideration it is easy to realize that
the humankind used to rely almost solely on renewable resources until the
industrial age came upon us. People used wind to grind grain, the power of rivers
and streams for mill power, firewood for cooking and heating and both human
labour and animal power were widely applied in different spheres. Actually, at a
certain point in the past, oil and natural gas were about as widespread as wind and
solar power nowadays. However, in the middle of the19
th
century coal became
vital for the industrial revolution followed by oil and gas in the 20
th
century. People
started relying more and more on fossil fuels deeming the rejection of renewables a
step towards progress. Still, even at those times some were aware that the amount
of natural resources on the Earth was finite so-called peak coal fears swept
over Europe in 1860-1870s and peak oil ones surfaces throughout the 20
th

century. It was already at those times that engineers and scientists suggested solar
and wind energy as a viable alternative to fossil fuels, surprisingly, ethanol was
used by some racers instead of gasoline as early as in 1904 and Henry Ford himself
believed in the bright future of cellulous biofuels
1
. The modern approach to new
and renewable energy sources goes back to the second half of the 20
th
century.
1.2. The concept of sustainable development
Sustainable development is one of the concepts of international
environmental law. It was first outlined in the report Our Common Future of the
World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987
2
. The report states
that sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This concept gives
overriding priority to the essential needs of the worlds poor and implies certain

1
http://sustainablehistory.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/the-surprising-history-of-sustainable-energy/#more-7
2
http://www.un-documents.net/our-common-future.pdf

5

limitations that should be placed on social and economic progress to ensure that
environment resources are sufficient for both present and future generations and
the ability of biosphere to absorb the effects of human activity is not inhibited.
However, this matter concerns not only the developing and less developed
countries but those with more affluent lifestyle as well, as the report proposes that
the pursuit of sustainable development requires changes both in domestic and
international policies from every nation. The broader perspective and responsibility
of the present generation demands that growing economies remain firmly attached
to their ecological roots and that these roots be protected and nurtured so that they
may support growth over the long term.
This report also acknowledges the importance of the diffusion of renewable
energy all over the world and stresses that renewable sources should form the
foundation of the global energy structure in the 21
st
century.
Five years later, from 3 to 14 J une 1992 the United Nations conference on
Environment and Development (also known as the Earth Summit)
3
gathered
representatives of more than 170 states and hundreds of NGOs in Rio de J aneiro,
Brazil. It was unprecedented both in terms of the scale (more than 10,000 on-site
journalists covering this event and millions all over the world hearing about it) and
the scope of its concerns. In a way it was a follow-up to the UN Conference on the
Human Environment (1972, Stockholm)
4
however, this time the agenda included
the notion of sustainable development. Two important documents were adopted at
this conference Agenda 21
5
and Rio Declaration on Environment and
Development
6
. The former was a comprehensive plan of actions to be taken at
global, national and local level by organizations of the United Nations System,
Governments, and Major Groups
7
to achieve sustainable development
worldwide. Its implementation is still in process, however the General Assembly
reaffirmed the commitment of states, international institutions and NGOs to the

3
http://www.un.org/geninfo/bp/enviro.html
4
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?documentid=97
5
http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_00.shtml
6
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?documentid=78&articleid=1163
7
http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/

6

achievement of the goals laid out in Agenda 21(S/19-2 of 19 September 1997
8
) at
the 19
th
special session in 1997 marking the passage of five years since the Earth
Summit. Rio Declaration states that the concept of sustainable development cannot
be considered in isolation from environmental protection, that eradicating poverty
is a necessary step to sustainable development for all countries and that the
developed states acknowledge their responsibility in achieving sustainable
development taking into account the strain their societies place on global
environment. Peace, environment protection and development are declared
indivisible and interdependent
9
. The follow-up mechanism of the conference
included establishing the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development
(CSD)
10
(last session took place in 2012), Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable
Development (IACSD) (closed under UN reform in 1998) and High-level
Advisory Board on Sustainable Development (not active since 1997).
Another important landmark is the World Summit on Sustainable Energy
which took place in J ohannesburg, South Africa from 26 August to 4 September in
2002
11
. It is informally called Rio+10 as it occurred ten years after the Earth
Summit. The result of this international conference was the J ohannesburg
declaration on Sustainable Development
12
. It reaffirms the commitments made at
previous conferences and encompasses a wide range of issues concerning the
pursuit of sustainable development including chronic hunger, malnutrition, armed
conflict, illicit drug problem, intolerance and incitement to racial, ethnic, religious
and other hatreds and many others. The declaration once again urges developed
states to participate in global cooperation to ensure that developing and less
developed countries reach decent level of life. It encourages international
cooperation on regional scale and calls upon the private sector to contribute to the
evolution of equitable and sustainable communities and societies. The declaration
was followed by the adoption of the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit

8
http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/spec/aress19-2.htm
9
http://www.un.org/documents/ga/conf151/aconf15126-1annex1.htm
10
http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/csd.html
11
http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/basic_info/basicinfo.html
12
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/WSSD_POI_PD/English/POI_PD.htm

7

on Sustainable Development
13
which lays out the concrete actions and measures
that should be taken worldwide in order to attain the goals of the Declaration.
The latest milestone is the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
Development (or Rio+20) that took place in Rio de J aneiro, Brazil on 20-22 J une
2012. The result of it was the adoption of the political outcome document entitled
The future we want and endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in
resolution A/66/288 on 11
th
September 2012
14
. It contains ground-breaking
guidelines on green economy policies, proposes to create an effective sustainable
development financing strategy as well as high-level political forum to replace the
Commission on Sustainable Development, launches the process of working out a
set of Sustainable Development Goals which are to be built on Millennium
Development Goals and converge with post 2015 development agenda. The
Member States also adopted a 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable
consumption and production matters.
Part II. New and renewable energy sources
Renewable energy is a rapidly growing sector of the market the investment
in electricity from renewable sources in 2011 amounted to $187 billion whereas
those in natural gas, oil and coal came up to $157 billion
15
. This type of energy
accounts for 15% of global energy mix and as the cost of necessary technology is
steadily reducing it is becoming economically competitive with fossil fuels.
Renewable energy has potential both in developed and developing states.
Rural and suburban areas comprise a large part of most developing countries and
LDCs (less developed countries). They are usually not so densely populated and
people have quite low income which makes connection to the national electricity
grid both difficult and prohibitively expensive. Most renewable energy systems
work best at small and medium scale which makes them especially suitable for
these areas. The fact that the set up is rather labour intensive and often specifically

13
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/WSSD_POI_PD/English/WSSD_PlanImpl.pdf
14
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=%20A/RES/66/288
15
http://sustainableenergyforall.org/objectives/renewable-energy

8

requires highly qualified professionals is beneficial for regions where
unemployment is a pressing issue. Even though the technology is quite expensive
after everything is in place only maintenance is necessary i.e. in the long run this
solution is significantly cost-effective. Furthermore, the price of renewable energy
is less susceptible to wild fluctuations and foreign exchange costs than that of
fossil fuels. In addition, most countries have at least one type of renewable
resources meaning their use can help nations move towards self-reliance.
The economies and industries of developed countries place the largest strain
on global environment and are exhausting the planets natural resources at the
fastest pace at the same time commanding considerable financial and technical
resources. Considering the cost of most renewable energy systems and the level of
technology required to install them, it is obvious that these states have both the best
opportunity and urgent responsibility to implement them at a wide scale as well as
assist developing and less developed countries.
There are a number of currently applied new and renewable energy sources.
Each of them require specific technology, sometimes quite sophisticated, and all
have certain advantages and disadvantages. Let us examine them more closely.
2.1. Solar energy
The Sun is basically the source of all life and energy on Earth. Not only
almost all food chains start with plants that have the ability to transform light into
the chemical energy but also all other sources of energy stem directly or indirectly
from the influence of the Sun. The irony is in the fact that the Sun actually
provides our planet with all the energy we need and much more, the problem is to
properly capture and store it.
Solar energy is utilized in two main spheres: photovoltaic (PV) technology
and thermal application. In the first case solar panels made from a semiconductor
material directly produce electricity from sunlight. This technology was originally
used to power satellites but nowadays many of us own PV powered calculators and
it is no longer that strange to see solar panels on a roof of a building. They are

9

quite suitable for developing countries with ample sunshine where off-grid areas
may be supplied with electricity this way. The International Energy Agency (IEA)
states that since 2000 solar PV has been the fastest growing renewable energy
technology in the whole world
16
. Leaders in this sphere are Germany and Italy with
J apan, Spain, the USA and China following.
Solar energy is also used for heating and cooling both in industrial and
residential sectors. For this purpose it is stored in solar thermal collectors to create
low temperature heat and high temperature steam. According to the IEAs
Energy-efficient Buildings: Heating and Cooling Equipment roadmap solar
thermal capacity in the building sector could increase by more than 25 times by
2050.
The IEA also has high hopes in terms of solar energy as a whole in its
analysis the Agency came to the conclusion that under extreme assumptions solar
energy could be expected to account for a third of the global final energy demand
after 2060. That would lead to reducing greenhouse gas emissions beyond the
current international targets, ensuring considerable energy efficiency
improvements and displacing fossil fuels in various spheres
17
.
2.2. Bio-energy
Bio-energy is derived from biomass which can be used as direct fuel or
processed into liquids and gas. Biomass is in fact any organic (decomposing)
matter derived from plants and animals and available on a renewable basis. It
includes wood, agricultural crops, herbaceous and woody energy crops, municipal
organic wastes and manure. Biomass is actually a quite widely used energy source,
according to the data of the International Energy Agency (IEA) it accounted for
about 10% of world total primary energy supply in 2009. However, bio-energy is
divided into energy derived from traditional biomass such as firewood, and modern
biomass such as biofuels, both liquids and gasses. The former accounted for 8.5%

16
http://www.iea.org/topics/solarpvandcsp/
17
http://www.iea.org/topics/solarpvandcsp/

10

of global final energy consumption in 2010 according to Global Status Report
2012 of the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21
st
century (REN21) and
the problem is that its usage leads to health problems from smoke inhalation, and
harms the environment resulting in deforestation. That is why it is important to
increase the share of modern biomass especially in developing countries.
Liquid biofuels include biodiesel, and ethanol. The former is produced from
lipids or oils from crops (e.g. rapeseed) and algae. It can be used on its own. To
create the latter sugars contained in such crops as sugar cane are fermented.
Ethanol is used with addition of petrol. These biofuels are mainly applied in
transport and quite successfully in certain countries, e.g. Brazil met about 23% of
its road transport fuel demand in 2009 with biofuels
18
. IEA estimated that by 2050
biofuels could provide up to 27% of world transportation fuel
19
. However,
production of biodiesel and ethanol from crops requires large amounts of
agricultural land that could be used for food and fodder production.
Biogas is a combustible gas consisting of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide
(CO2) and some impurities. It can be derived from various sources:
after a number of years landfills containing organic wastes generate
biogas which can be extracted, collected and used;
municipal or industrial wastewater often contains organic constituents
that can be converted through anaerobic digestion to form biogas;
manure, in combination with agricultural residues, dedicated energy
crops and waste from the food and drinks industry can be digested in
purpose-built biogas plants, also called digesters, to yield biogas
20

energy crops (maize, sugar beet, grain etc.) can be used to produce
biogas through anaerobic digestion.
For more effective utilization biogas may later on be converted into
biomethane which is mainly applied as feed in natural gas grid or used in vehicles.

18
http://www.iea.org/topics/biofuels/
19
http://www.iea.org/newsroomandevents/news/2011/april/name,19818,en.html
20
UNIDO Navigating Bioenergy
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/Services/Energy_and_Climate_Change/EPP/Publications/Navigating_B
ioenergy.pdf

11

2.3. Wind power.
Wind is actually one of the oldest sources of energy known to mankind. It
was used as early as 4000 years ago by the Babylonians and Chinese to pump
water for irrigating crops. Wind filled the sails of ships for thousands of years and
already in the Middle Ages windmills grinded corn.
Wind is the movement of air which appears because the Sun heats different
parts of the atmosphere unevenly. Warmer patches of air rise and other air rushes
to replace them thus creating wind. The design of wind turbines is well-known. For
the sake of effectiveness they are usually placed in large groups in one place
creating full-scale wind farms which sometimes consist of hundreds of wind
towers and cover areas of several hectares. However, the land between them can
still be used for agricultural purposes. The best locations for wind turbines are
coasts, open plains, tops of hills and gaps in mountains. There is also a growing
amount of wind farms built off shore where the wind is stronger and more constant
than on land.
Nowadays wind turbines are used to convert the energy in the wind into
mechanical and electrical energy. In off-grid applications, wind generators can be
combined with other energy sources, such as diesel generators.
The use of wind power is an effective alternative to conventional fossil fuels
to augment electrification, and can be applied to satisfy basic energy services for
productive uses in small and medium enterprises. Wind turbines provide residential
and industrial electricity, and can even be used for mechanical power
21
.
Wind power experienced a dramatic growth since the beginning of the 21
st

century, with the global installed capacity increasing from 18 GW (gigawatts) at
the end of 2000 to 238 GW at the end of 2011
22
. China is the world leader in this
particular parameter.
2.4. Water power

21
UNIDO and renewable energy
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/Publications/documents/UNIDO_and_renewable_energy.pdf
22
http://www.iea.org/topics/windpower/

12

The term water power includes in fact various sources of energy, namely
geothermal, tidal and wave power as well as hydropower. Numerous appliances
and technical processes are involved in harnessing and converting each of them
into energy, from small hydropower stations to enormous dams. It is necessary to
focus on specific features of all these sources.
2.4.1. Hydropower
Hydropower is also quite an ancient energy source. It has been used for
thousands of years for purposes of irrigation as well as powering certain
mechanical devices e.g. watermills, textile mills, sawmills, dock cranes, lifts and
many others. Nowadays, however, this term is almost exclusively used in the
meaning of hydroelectric power which is currently the most widespread
application of this source.
Hydropower is derived from the kinetic energy of falling water. The scale of
constructions built for conversion of this energy into electricity varies from micro
hydro systems of capacity less than 100 kW to large hydroelectric power stations
over 20 GW. Currently hydropower accounts for more electricity than any other
renewable source. The leader in this field is China with Brazil, Canada, the USA
and Russia following
23
. The largest part of energy from this source is produced at
big hydropower stations which are usually accompanied by huge dams and
therefore may harm or even destroy local ecosystems (not to speak about flooding
whole villages and towns). That is why small and micro hydropower is becoming
the focus of attention.
2.4.2. Geothermal power
The centre of the Earth is more than 5000 degrees Celsius due to the process
of radioactive decay of minerals. As there is a difference in temperature between
the core and the surface, the heat is constantly conducted by this very route. The
cooler rock surrounding the core is subject to both high temperatures and pressure
and sometimes melts creating magma which travels to the surface as it is lighter

23
http://www.iea.org/topics/hydropower/

13

than solid rock. Reaching the crust, magma heats rocks and water up to 370
degrees Celsius as a result hot springs may come into existence. Those have been
used for bathing since at least the Palaeolithic Age
24
and for heating since the time
of the Ancient Rome. Nowadays electricity is also successfully produced from
geothermal power. It is reliable, sustainable, cost-effective and does not harm the
environment. However, the problem is that the utilization of this type of energy is
historically limited to the territories near tectonic plate boundaries hence it is
usually such countries as New Zealand or Iceland that can practically benefit from
using this source. That is why the International Energy Agency believes it is
necessary to draw peoples attention to the untapped geothermal resources as there
are in fact possibilities of exploiting lower temperature resources in this field found
e.g. in aquifers. The IEA Geothermal Roadmap of 2011 demonstrates that there is
enough potential for at least a twentyfold increase in the global production of
electricity and heat from geothermal energy by 2050. By that time it could be quite
possible for geothermal energy to account for approximately 3.5% of annual global
electricity production and 3.9% of energy for heat and that without taking ground
source heat pumps into account
25
.
2.4.3. Tidal power
Tidal power comes from the movement of large quantities of ocean water
during the tidal cycle (flood and ebb). This type of energy has been used by the
mankind for a very long time, as the application of tide mills on the coasts of such
countries as Great Britain, Spain, France dates back up to 787 A.D. There are two
ways to harness tidal energy:
Constructing semi-permeable barrages across estuaries with a high
tidal range;
Exploiting offshore tidal streams.
In the first case the technology, as a matter of fact, resembles that of
hydropower station. A long barrage (it has to be at least 7 miles long for

24
Cataldi, Raffaele (August 1993), "Review of historiographic aspects of geothermal energy in the Mediterranean
and Mesoamerican areas prior to the Modern Age"
25
http://www.iea.org/topics/geothermal/

14

economical operation) is built across an estuary thus blocking the incoming and
outgoing tide. The sluices in the dam allow water to flow into the estuary, later the
sluices are closed and due to the difference in sea level the water going back into
the sea drives the turbines thus producing electricity.
In order to harness offshore tidal streams it is necessary to construct
underwater devices similar to wind turbines which are called tidal turbines. The
principal is basically the same as that of wind power.
Tidal energy, unlike solar and wind, is quite reliable, however, its use is
limited to coastal sites that have high enough tidal range (e.g. the Bay of Fundy,
Cook Inlet in Alaska, the White Sea in Russia, the Severn River in western
England) and electricity can only be generated with 12.5 hours cycle. Currently
there is only one major operating tidal station at the mouth of the La Rance in
France.
2.4.4. Wave power
Wave power comes from the movement of the ocean and varying hights and
speed of the swells. Kinetic energy in waves is tremendous and can travel for long
distances with hardly any loss. Exploitation of this type of energy is still at an early
stage, currently there are three basic methods of converting wave power into
electricity:
Float or buoy systems using the rise and fall of ocean swells to drive
hydraulic pumps;
Oscillating water column devices;
Tapered channel or tapchan systems
26
.
The last one is shore-mounted, while the first two installations are situated
off shore and underwater cable is used to transmit electricity from them.
Though not as commercially developed as solar and wind energy, wave
energy has even more potential. It is a much more reliable and steadier source, the
amount of kinetic energy contained in waves is about 1000 times larger than that of
wind, it works round the clock without fluctuations of the wind and complete

26
http://www.oceanenergycouncil.com/index.php/Wave-Energy/Wave-Energy.html

15

absence at night that is characteristic of the sun. The cost of wave energy is already
lower than solar.
Part III. UNIDO and renewable energy
3.1. General activities
United Nations Industrial Development Organization is one of the United
Nations specialized agencies. It seeks to reduce poverty through accelerating and
promoting sustainable industrial development in developing countries and
economies in transition. UNIDO focuses on three thematic areas:
poverty reduction through productive activities;
trade capacity-building;
environment and energy.
It is within the scope of the last one that UNIDO promotes renewable and
sustainable sources of energy stressing in particular the importance of applying
those in rural areas. All in all UNIDO aims to de-link economic development from
environmental degradation through the increased use of renewable energy
technologies and the adoption of clean and energy-efficient processes and
technologies
27
. At the same time the organization addresses three of eight
Millennium Development Goals set forth in the Millennium Declaration
28
adopted
at the Millennium Summit of the United Nations that took place in New York from
6 to 8 September 2000. Those are namely MDG1 Eradicate extreme poverty and
hunger, MDG7 Ensure environmental protection, and MDG8 Develop a global
partnership for development.
The Energy and Climate Change Branch of UNIDO also pursues the matter
of renewable sources of energy. Its responsibility is to promote enabling conditions

27

http://www.ics.trieste.it/media/1037460/20_MASERA_Renewable%20Energy%20in%20Africa_UNIDO's%20Appr
oach%20.pdf
28
http://www.un.org/millennium/declaration/ares552e.htm

16

for energy access for productive uses as well as to support clean, sustainable and
environmentally friendly sources of energy for industry.
UNIDOs energy strategy acknowledges the industrys need for reliable and
affordable energy to ensure its productiveness and competitiveness. However, it
also takes into account the fact that it is necessary to find a balance between
industrys increasing demand for energy and the issue of environmental protection.
In this context UNIDO promotes cleaner and efficient use of energy, facilitates
productive activities in rural areas by providing modern and renewable forms of
energy, and enhances the use of renewable energy for industrial applications.
UNIDO is one of the leading energy agencies and as such it provides various
integrated energy-related services including:
providing access to modern energy services for the poor through rural
energy for productive use with emphasis on renewable energy projects;
increasing productivity and competitiveness through improving industrial
energy efficiency projects;
reducing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions through capacity building
projects for climate change in general and Kyoto Protocol mechanisms in
particular
29
.
The organization deems it especially important to enhance modern energy
access in rural areas in order to alleviate the process of reducing rural poverty,
consistent with its mandate.
UNIDO maintains a special focus on promoting utilization of renewable
energy among small to medium enterprises (SMEs) considering that industry
accounts for almost a third of global energy consumption. It is especially important
for those enterprises in the context of increasing fossil fuels prices to meet their
energy demand in order to remain competitive on the global market. In this
situation renewables actually present commercially viable options for SMEs to
replace fossil fuels and meet their energy requirements. Among its other activities
in this field UNIDO builds public-private partnerships to promote renewable

29
http://www.unido.org/index.php?id=1000605

17

energy sources in developing countries and economies in transition. Apart from
promising greater effectiveness and sustainability they allow UNIDO to leverage
considerable resources and share its knowledge and expertise. Another significant
achievement is increasing the investments of private sector in RE (renewable
energy).
UNIDO also highlights the importance of establishing appropriate policy,
legal and regulatory frameworks in all countries as the lack of those is one of the
main challenges that constrain worldwide implementation of renewable energy.
Creating enabling conditions and market incentives is also vital for the matter on
our agenda.
Among UNIDOs resolutions there are a few that mention renewable energy
sources. Resolution GC.10/Res.5 of 5 December 2003 contains a request to the
Director-General to enhance technical cooperation activities in industrial capacity
building, particularly for rural energy for productive use and renewable energy
30
.
Strategic long-term vision statement, 2005-2015 adopted by resolution
GC.11/Res.4 on 2 December 2005 includes provision for the promotion of
renewable energy sources particularly in remote rural areas
31
. Resolution
GC.13/Res.8 of 11 December 2009 again requests the Director-General to continue
assistance in the fields of renewable energy for productive uses, industrial energy
efficiency, cleaner production, green industries and sustainable low carbon
emissions industries
32
.
In order to achieve the aforementioned aims UNIDO collaborates actively
with other organizations, agencies, regional groups and countries.
UNIDO is one of the ten implementing/executing agencies operating within
the framework of the Global Environment Facility (GEF
33
) and as such has had
direct access to GEF funds since 2006 and has been successfully leveraging co-
nancing for the implementation of large renewable energy projects. The focus of

30
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/import/20527_gc10_inf4e.pdf
31
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/PMO/GC.11_Inf.4_e.pdf
32
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/PMO/GC13/gc13_inf4e.pdf
33
http://www.thegef.org/gef/

18

UNIDOs support via energy and environmental programmes is to assist countries
in putting in place the policy, institutional and financial frameworks in the GEF
focal areas. Those are namely focal areas of Climate Change, International Waters,
Ozone Depletion, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Land Degradation.
UNIDO supports more than 50 countries in achieving sustainable industrial
development under the GEF mandate. Within the scope of this partnership the
strategic focus is placed on
promoting the cleaner and more efficient use of resources and energy by
industry;
facilitating productive activities (particularly in rural areas) through the
provision of modern energy supplies based on renewable energy.
UNIDO also cooperates with other GEF implementing agencies such as
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
34
, United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP)
35
and World Bank
36
, particularly through its system of
National Cleaner Production Centres and Technology Centres. NCPCs were
established jointly with UNEP, first eight of them in 1994-1995 with 47
developing and transition countries involved in the Programme nowadays.
UNIDO is a member of the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP
37
) which
promotes sustainable development of bioenergy. The agency also hosts the
International Secretariat of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficient Partnership
(REEEP) in its headquarters in Vienna and cooperates with this organization both
on projects and global forum activities.
UNIDO also plays an active part in the UN-Energy
38
(UNs inter-agency
mechanism on energy). In fact, its Director-General Kandeh K. Yumkella was
elected Chair of UN-Energy in 2007. The activities of this body in the field of
renewable energy include capacity-building, shaping enabling environments,

34
http://www.unep.org/
35
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home.html
36
http://www.worldbank.org/
37
http://www.globalbioenergy.org/
38
http://www.un-energy.org/

19

financing, knowledge sharing as well as research, technology development and
demonstration.
3.2. Local and regional projects
UNIDO is directly involved in various regional and local projects in the field
of renewable energy leveraging necessary financing, providing expertise and
sharing technologies. These projects may be divided according to the prevailing
source of RE used.
3.2.1. Solar energy
In the field of solar energy UNIDO focuses on photovoltaic technology and
thermal applications. Possible productive uses of PV include lighting, powering
information and communication technology (ICT) equipment as well as energy-
efficient refrigeration.
UNIDO is currently implementing solar photovoltaic projects in India, the
Maldives, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.
UNIDO particularly emphasizes solar thermal applications as they provide
an economically and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional fossil
fuel technologies in industrial applications.
One of UNIDOs projects that involve solar thermal technologies aims at
enhancing the competitiveness and productivity of industry in Nicaragua by
establishing environmentally friendly solar technologies for industrial uses.
UNIDO supports the promotion and demonstration of solar thermal technology
applications in the commercial and industrial sector in Nicaragua
39
.
UNIDO is implementing a Caribbean Solar Financing Programme (CSFP) in
St. Lucia and Grenada, which aims at addressing key barriers that are hampering
the development of a vibrant market for solar water heating (SWH) systems in
these two countries.
UNIDO has also set up an International Centre for the Promotion and
Transfer of Solar Energy Technology in Lanzhou, China. The centre makes a

39
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20

valuable contribution to the international development of solar energy and
enhances technology transfer between China and developing countries, thus
contributing to increased South-South cooperation
40
. It comprises of ten
laboratories, an international conference centre and facilities for training and
workshops with about a hundred of scientists, experts and researches working
there. The lighting, heating and hot water systems of the centre are all operated
using the suns power. In addition, UNIDO is implementing a business
information centre in Mozambique, powered by solar energy.
3.2.2. Wind power
UNIDOs wind energy projects generally promote stand-alone or small-size
wind farms with 1-5 MW capacity. Wind energy-based projects are currently under
implementation in Cuba, India, the Maldives and Romania. UNIDOs wind energy
programme also provides assistance to Governments in promoting wind farms to
augment national grids and decrease their dependence on conventional fossil fuels
as well as reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs).
UNIDO is currently implementing an innovative wind energy project in
Cuba, funded by the Global Energy Facility (GEF). The project proposes to install
hurricane-proof windfarms which are to produce 1.5 MW of electricity on the Isla
de la J uventud.
3.2.3. Small hydropower
Small and micro hydropower schemes are in the focus of UNIDOs attention
as they are environmentally friendly, can provide a wide range of energy services
and in regions with hydro-power potential turn out to be the most cost-effective
way of energizing both off- and on-grid areas. Micro and small hydropower can be
applied to satisfy low to medium voltage electric needs such as lighting or
telecommunication and to provide motive power for small industry.

40

http://193.138.105.50/fileadmin/user_media/Services/Energy_and_Climate_Change/Renewable_Energy/Publication
s/08-58817_Ebook_small.pdf

21

UNIDO emphasizes small-scale hydropower (SHP) and is currently
implementing projects in China, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria,
Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia
41
.
To be more specific, SHP project in the Nias Island of North Sumatra,
Indonesia was inaugurated in 2008 following the earthquake and tsunamis of 2005.
Its aim was to rehabilitate badly affected communities by providing them with
necessary energy. As the result the small hydro power plant established by UNIDO
electrifies nearly 200 households, supplies the Community Development Centre
(CDC) with electricity and supports communication ICT systems, disaster warning,
health care, education, entertainment and similar activities
42
.
Another example would be rural energy development in Rwanda where four
UNIDO built mini hydropower plants are now supplying about 2,000 households,
small businesses, cottage industries, schools and health centres.
A project in Zambia is also worth mentioning as it combines three types of
renewable energy sources at once, namely biomass, solar energy and SHP. It
involves a biomass gasifier power plant for 500 kW of electricity generation, small
hydropower station generating 1 MW of electricity and solar energy mini-grid with
outputs of 60 kWp.
Part IV. The UN and new and renewable sources of energy
The issue of new and renewable sources of energy has often been the focus
of attention of various bodies of the UN. The General Assembly adopted several
resolutions on this topic. The resolution 53/7 of 16 October 1998
43
, endorsed the
World Solar Programme 1996-2005
44
, followed by resolutions 54/215 of 22
December 1999
45
and 55/205 of 20 December 2000
46
which again drew the
attention of international community to the importance of integrating and bringing

41
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/Publications/documents/UNIDO_and_renewable_energy.pdf
42
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/media/documents/pdf/Energy_Environment/rre_Indonesia_factsheet.pdf
43
http://www.worldlii.org/int/other/UNGARsn/1998/42.pdf
44
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001066/106646eo.pdf
45
http://www.undemocracy.com/A-RES-54-215.pdf
46
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/55/205&Lang=E

22

the Programme into the mainstream of the efforts of the United Nations system.
The latter specifically mentioned provision of financial resources, the transfer of
technology for the application of cost-effective energy and the wider use of
environment friendly, renewable sources of energy among the national and
international actions necessary for pursuit of sustainable development. Resolutions
56/200 of 21 December 2001
47
, 58/210 of 13 February 2004
48
, 60/199 22
December 2005
49
, and 62/197 of 22 February 2008
50
have similar topic
consistently stressing the importance of promotion of new and renewable sources
of energy and international cooperation in this sphere. On the 2nd of J uly 2001
Secretary-General submitted a report Concrete action being taken for the
promotion of new and renewable sources of energy, including the implementation
of the World Solar Programme 1996-2005
51
. United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) created the Global Renewable
Energy Education and Training Programme (GREET) specifically aimed at the
improvement of the use, maintenance and management of solar energy projects
and programmes and the transfer of technological know-how. The United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), The United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP), Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Department of Economic and
Social Affairs (DESA), the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as well as
many other agencies and organizations have participated in the promotion of new
and renewable sources of energy.
Year 2012 was declared The International Year of Sustainable Energy for
All by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2010 (A/RES/65/151
52
).
The Global Launch of the Year took place at the World Future Energy Summit in
Abu Dhabi in J anuary 2012. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon supported this
project by starting his new global initiative Sustainable Energy for All
53
. One of

47
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/56/200&Lang=E
48
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/58/210&Lang=E
49
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/60/199
50
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/62/197&Lang=E
51
http://www.un.org/documents/ga/docs/56/a56129.pdf
52
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/65/151
53
http://sustainableenergyforall.org/

23

the three interlinked objectivities it seeks to achieve by 2030 is expanded use of
renewable energy sources along with universal access to modern energy services
and improved rates of energy sufficiency. The plan is to double the share of
renewable energy in the global energy mix making it 30% as opposed to
nowadays 15%. The Initiative unites all sectors of society in the effort of reaching
its goals and involves not only governments and companies but also investors,
academia and civil society in transforming the worlds energy systems. The Global
Action Agenda created by Secretary-Generals High-Level Group on Sustainable
Energy for All (UNIDO Director-General is one of its members) provides a
framework for the joint efforts.
Conclusion
New and renewable sources of energy are crucial for the pursuit of
sustainable development and UNIDO actively participates in this sphere
encouraging international cooperation, assistance to developing countries and
LDCs, providing financing, expertise and sharing knowledge. RE is steadily
becoming more competitive in the near future might provide a real alternative to
fossil fuels both in industrial and residential applications. However, there is still
much work to do and a lot of challenges the promotion of new and renewable
sources of energy faces.
There is lack of favourable policy and legal framework in many countries.
National governments should play a more active role in promotion of renewable
energy including necessary legislation, tax reductions and overall assistance to this
cause. These actions are very important to make renewable energy sources more
competitive as there is natural preference to fossil fuels in most countries based on
existing networks and appropriate capacities.
RE technologies are often at experimental or developing state. It is necessary
to encourage the spread of robust and operational technologies so that they can be
put to practice at the shortest notice.

24

The national stakeholders (importantly, private sector) do not always have
the information on available renewable energy technologies at their disposal. Thus
it is essential to raise awareness in this sphere including the data on RE technology
costs, uses and markets.
The commercialization of RE is still at somewhat starting point. As market-
based approaches are likely to yield the best results and facilitate promotion of
clean energy sources, there must be businesses and institutions in place to deliver
to and service those markets.
Another problem is that economies of the absolute majority of states rely
heavily on fossil fuels and their energy networks are of course built to function on
these resources. Replacing them with RE and adapting the existing capacities to
new fuel is a task of vital importance as well as considerable difficulty. Such
factors energy density, intermittency of most RE sources and energy return on
investment must be taken into account and every country and region approached
individually and specifically.
Last and most important is certainly the issue of financing. At the moment
both installation of RE technologies and renewable energy itself cost more than
those based on and derived from fossil fuels. Leveraging necessary financing is
undoubtedly the most challenging and crucial activity and the national
governments should allocate certain parts of their budgets to this cause as well as
encourage all national stakeholders to invest in RE.
International organizations and agencies, major groups, national
governments, private sector and individuals should all unite their efforts in
promoting new and renewable sources of energy for the sake of future generations
and our planet.


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List of references
1. Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future
http://www.un-documents.net/our-common-future.pdf
2. UN department of Economic and Social Affairs Division for Sustainable Development
Agenda 21
http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/
3. A/CONF.151/26 (Vol. I) RIO DECLARATION ON ENVIRONMENT AND
DEVELOPMENT
http://www.un.org/documents/ga/conf151/aconf15126-1annex1.html
4. The surprising history of sustainable energy by Bill Kovarik
http://sustainablehistory.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/the-surprising-history-of-sustainable-
energy/#more-7
5. Secretary-Generals Initiative Sustainable energy for all
http://sustainableenergyforall.org/objectives/renewable-energy
6. International Energy Agency
http://www.iea.org
7. UNIDO and Renewable Energy Greening the Industrial Agenda
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/Publications/Pub_free/UNIDO_and_renewable_
energy.pdf
8. Ocean Energy Council
http://www.oceanenergycouncil.com
9. Renewable Energy: UNIDOs approach
http://www.ics.trieste.it/media/1037460/20_MASERA_Renewable%20Energy%20in%20Afr
ica_UNIDO's%20Approach%20.pdf
10. United Nations Industrial Development Organization
http://www.unido.org
11. Small Hydro Power Project in Indonesia
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/media/documents/pdf/Energy_Environment/rre_Indonesia_f
actsheet.pdf
12. Promotion of new and renewable sources of energy Report of the Secretary-General
http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/resources/res_pdfs/ga-
66/SG%20report_Promotion_new_renewable_energy.pdf
13. Rural energy development in Rwanda
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/media/documents/pdf/Energy_Environment/rre_projects_rw
anda.pdf
14. UNIDO/UNEP/GEF Project: Renewable Energy Based Electricity Generation for Isolated
Mini-Grids in Zambia
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/media/documents/pdf/Energy_Environment/rre_Zambia_fac
tsheet.pdf
15. UNIDO Renewable Energy Strategic Implementation Framework
http://www.ics.trieste.it/media/1009223/Proposals%20Aoki%20-%20UNIDO.pdf
16. Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st century
http://www.ren21.net/
17. Renewables 2012 Global Status Report
http://www.ren21.net/Portals/97/documents/GSR/GSR2012_low%20res_FINAL.pdf

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18. Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment
http://www.un-documents.net/unchedec.htm
19. J ohannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/WSSD_POI_PD/English/POI_PD.htm#2/
20. Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/WSSD_POI_PD/English/WSSD_PlanImpl.pdf
21. United Nations Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform
http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org
22. A/CONF.216/5* A 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and
production patterns
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/CONF.216/5&Lang=E
23. General Assembly Resolutions
a. A/RES/53/7
b. A/RES/54/215
c. A/RES/55/205
d. A/RES/56/200
e. A/RES/58/210
f. A/RES/60/199
g. A/RES/62/197
h. A/RES/65/151
24. UNIDOs General Conference resolutions
a. GC.10/Res.5
b. GC.11/Res.4
c. GC.13/Res.8