Solar
and wind resources could be the key to reducing
the large numbers of people driven into poverty
due to the scarcity of energy in developing countries,
according to the United Nations Environment Program
(UNEP). In an effort to promote investment in such
resources, the UNEP launched the Solar and Wind
Energy Survey Assessment in Nairobi.
"If
we can accelerate the deployment of renewable energy
we can not only bring down the costs, but also help
in the fight against global warming and poverty," said
Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of UNEP. "These
technologies produce none of the gases, such as carbon
dioxide, linked with climate change."
The Solar and Wind
Energy Assessment (SWERA)
is intended to provide
accurate information
on renewable energies
in countries around
the world and their
varying returns from
solar installation,
according to UNEP.
The countries where
the surveys are to
be carried out include
Bangladesh, Brazil,
China, Cuba, El Salvador,
Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala,
Honduras, Kenya, Nepal,
Nicaragua, and Sri
Lanka. These countries
were selected because
of their desperate
need for alternative
energy methods.
In
the countries named
above the scarcity
of energy has had many
far reaching negative
consequences. For one,
it inhibits the ability
of people to do work
and sustain life. In
addition, according
to Toepfer, the environmental
consequences are devastating. "Those
without access to electricity
are forced to fell
trees for firewood
and cooking fuel, accelerating
impacts such as soil
erosion and the loss
of the world's wildlife."
Solar
and wind resources
could be the answer
to these problems.
However, funding to
implement such resources
remains an obstacle.
According to Toepfer,
investors remain uncertain
whether or not the
size, intensity, and
efficiency of solar
and wind resources
make it a solid investment.
With SWERA, UNEP hopes
to pinpoint the most
profitable areas for
investment. "The
SWERA project aims
to bridge this knowledge
gap so potential investors
can know, with a great
deal of accuracy, the
locations where they
can secure a good and
reasonable return," said
Toepfer.
A recent survey in
the Philippines already
proved that commercially
viable wind generation
greatly surpassed initial
projections by thousands
of megawatts (MW).
Prior to the survey
there was an official
projection of 100 MW
for wind power in the
coming decade. The
finding from the survey
showed a projection
of 2,000 MW over the
same time period.
Delivering cleaner
energy to developing
countries is high on
the agenda of the world's
environment ministers
who are looking ahead
to the UNEP's Global
Ministerial Environment
Forum which will take
place in Cartagena,
Columbia in mid-February
2002.
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