Moderated by Amr AlMadani, Executive Director, Mishkat Interactive Center for Atomic and Renewable Energy, Saudi Arabia, participants at this event discussed the various renewable energy initiatives and technologies within the GCC region, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Ernesto Occhiello, Executive Vice President, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), noted that SABIC is both a user of renewable energy and a producer of renewable energy technologies, and said that the company is working on substituting fossil fuel-based products for renewables in some of their combined cycles. He also highlighted the current use of hydrogen in many industrial processes, noting that SABIC is researching ways to use photovoltaic (PV)-activated processes to produce clean hydrogen.

Jean Fréchet, King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, spoke on KAUST’s investment in PV technologies, highlighting that this is a booming industry with increasing global production and underscoring the need for PVs to be more cost competitive. He described KAUST’s PV system, noting that it is on a horizontal roof that requires frequent cleaning in order to maintain high performance, and informed participants of research into alternative dust mitigation strategies, including employing robots.

Abdulrahman AlGhabban, King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE), Saudi Arabia, spoke on K.A.CARE’s mandate and work, including advising the government on policies and strategies for renewable and nuclear energy, and training the next generation of science and technology experts. He noted that Saudi Arabia’s demand for power will peak at 120Gw per year, and the expectation is to generate 50% of this from nuclear, geothermal, waste-to-energy sources and concentrated solar power (CSP).

Hussam Khonkar, King Abudulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), spoke on the King Abdullah Initiative for Solar Water Desalination. He noted that this joint initiative with IBM announced in 2010, expects to merge solar power with nano-membrane technology, as well as replace regular fossil-fuel based desalination plants with ultra high concentrator PV.

Noting that the GCC has redefined its concept of energy to include renewable energy sources, Fatema Alshamsi, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), United Arab Emirates, described the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in the Seih Al-Dahal region of Dubai. She said the Park will include a power generation component, a renewables academy and a research and development center, specifically for work on GCC-specific renewable energy technologies. She described the challenges faced by the sector.

During discussions, participants considered: whether SABIC is working on converting CO2 for other uses, including in fertilizers; SABIC’s involvement in downstream technologies for instance in the production of film sheets; research addressing dust on PV cells, including the additional cost this creates; the water use in cleaning PV systems in water-scarce areas; the place for nuclear power; the use of the solar desalination plant technology in drought areas; and the need for a knowledge sharing hub on renewables in the GCC.

This event was introduced by Moderator Richard Samans, Executive Director, GGGI, who said the session would explore how to help countries transition to sustainable economies.

Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Chair, GGGI Council, and Former Prime Minister, Denmark, highlighted that GGGI aims to catalyze the dissemination of green growth. He said action on the part of developing countries is required to address climate change, with the support of developed countries, noting the establishment of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) could contribute to these efforts.

Lord Nicholas Stern, London School of Economics (LSE), UK, said the two defining challenges of this century are addressing climate change and overcoming global poverty, emphasizing “if we fail at one, we will fail at the other.” He compared the investment required, which is in the trillions, with the US$100 billion that will be available in the GCF, concluding that the GCF is an important, but insufficient, component. He emphasized that leveraging private investment, through the “power of example” and partnerships, will be the primary source of funding.

Agus Sari, Chair, Funding Instrument Working Group, REDD+ Task Force, Indonesia, highlighted that the process of valuing forests is being promoted through REDD+ programmes. He stressed that de-risking investment through good-governance policies and guarantees of legal certainty, as well as strong carbon market demand, will promote investment.

Ouk Navann, General Ministry of Environment, Cambodia, said Cambodia plans to formulate a national action plan and green growth law, but noted the need for financial support to implement these mechanisms. He emphasized the need to mobilize funds, urging that public funding form the primary contribution to the long-term finance regime.

Karsten Sach, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), Germany, noted the need to: build transformative capacity; move beyond government silos; engage the private sector; and favor those taking transformative risks such as through renewable energy feed-in tariffs. He called for stable, predictable and increased funding from both public and private sources, highlighting the need for a robust private sector structure under the GCF.

Mary Barton-Dock, World Bank, noted the requirement of trillions of dollars for a global transition to renewable energy, saying that mobilizing private funds is essential to achieve this. She emphasized the GCF has to respond to private sector needs, including the requirement for returns on investment equal to investment risk plus a profit margin. She said the GCF should be in the position to reduce investment risk, possibly through investment guarantees and first-loss insurance.

During discussions, Stern said the role of GGGI should be to find and support “true innovation” to encourage private sector investment. He called fuel subsidies an “absolutely disgraceful use of public funding” saying they benefit those who are better off and hurt emissions reductions efforts. Barton-Dock said subsidies have to be removed in a way that ensures a safety net for those affected. Sari said subsidies are a political issue in Indonesia, and called for de-politicizing this issue.

Moderated by Charles McNeill, UNDP, this session comprised two components focused on REDD+ activities. The first outlined the REDD+ programme and country experiences with legal frameworks, policies and safeguards. The second showcased the launch of the second phase of UN-REDD+ Programme activities, with the signing of a joint declaration between Norway and Viet Nam to reaffirm their continued cooperation on REDD+ activities, and the signing of a financing agreement between Norway and the UN for country-specific support for phase 2 activities.

Mette Løyche Wilkie, Acting Head, UN-REDD, offered a “whirlwind tour” of the UN-REDD programme, noting its establishment in 2008 by the FAO, UNEP and UNDP, and outlining its provision of support through direct national channels and through building an enabling international environment.

Thais Linhares-Juvenal, UN-REDD, presented a country needs assessment undertaken by UN-REDD and the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) to assess the support needed by countries for REDD+ readiness, highlighting findings on governance and social and environmental safeguards.

René Castro-Salazar, Minister of Environment, Energy and Telecommunications, Costa Rica, described Costa Rica’s domestic leadership on addressing deforestation and degradation, and pointed to the current challenges of linking successful national efforts with a global system and making these programmes financially sustainable in the long term.

Jose Carlos Fernández, National Forest Commission (CONAFOR), Mexico, spoke on legal preparedness, highlighting Mexico’s “groundbreaking” legislation on climate change, passed in 2012, and noting other legal reforms were important for developing and improving its REDD+ strategy.

Salisu Dahiru, National Coordinator for REDD+, Nigeria, presented Nigeria’s experiences on safeguards for REDD+, underscoring that to avoid the potential risks of REDD+: early REDD+ planning must include safeguards; multi-stakeholder participation is needed in discussions on safeguards; forest-dependent communities must be supported; and the enhancement of alternate livelihoods must be assured.

In discussions, participants shared additional country experiences, including from Indonesia and the Dalit community in Nepal, and commented on: the need to mobilize forest-dependent communities; opposition to REDD+ from some indigenous groups; and the need to involve forestry-training institutions in REDD+. 

In the second part of the session, Cao Duc Phat, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Viet Nam, stressed his country’s commitment to forest protection, outlined its activities to develop a REDD+ strategy under phase 1 of the UN-REDD+ Programme, and announced the launch of phase 2, supported by Norway, to implement the REDD+ strategy. Highlighting the value of inclusiveness and transparency, Bård Vegar Solhjell, Minister for the Environment, Norway, highlighted several reasons for his country’s engagement with Viet Nam on REDD+, including that forests are instrumental to the health of the planet, Viet Nam’s economic growth strategy recognizes environmental protection and Southeast Asia is an important global forest region.

Ministers and officials then signed two agreements: a Joint Declaration and Financing Agreement, between Norway and Viet Nam; and a financing agreement for US$30 million for Tier 2, between Norway and the UN, through the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office.

Moderated by John Christensen, UNEP Risøe Centre, this session discussed nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs), followed by reports about NAMA progress and the launch of the NAMA partnership. Margaret Kanini, Kenya Power, shared a programme on distribution of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). She stated it focuses on distribution to low-income residential households and noted collaboration between the Kenyan and French governments.

Jorge Wolbert, National Housing Commission, Mexico, discussed collaboration between the Mexican government and industry to integrate sustainability principles in new housing developments. He stated this programme received international attention for climate finance and became a NAMA, which was presented at COP 16. Wolbert said they now seek to address the existing housing market, but support is needed.

Andre Eckermann, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), said a case study report on Mexican-German NAMA cooperation will be developed, highlighting lessons learned, such as building on existing programmes and splitting work into technical design and financing schemes. Claudio Alatorre, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), stressed the need for fast-start finance resources to support pilot projects within a NAMA framework, as well as monitoring and reporting.

Sonam Dagay, Low Emission Capacity Building (LECB) Project, Bhutan, noted his country does not have any existing NAMAs, but is thankful to UNDP for selecting Bhutan in its second phase of the UNDP-LECB global programme. He highlighted possible NAMA benefits, including: co-benefits for the local and global environment; technology transfer; and committed funding sources. He encouraged donors to also invest in smaller countries, such as Bhutan.  

Ray Nurse, Ministry of Finance, Planning, Economy, Energy and Cooperatives, Grenada, stressed his expectations of a NAMA partnership, inter alia: greenhouse gas emission reduction; poverty reduction; lower energy bills; energy efficiency investments; welfare benefits; and retrofitting low-income housing.

Jurichio Sahara, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), noted recommendations from a technical analysis of NAMAs and existing partnerships, including that NAMAs should be mainstreamed into national development strategies and efforts should be intensified to produce financially viable and sustainable NAMA proposals.

Michael Comstock, Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP), noted significant progress in many NAMAs concerning capacity building and actions towards implementation in 2013. He highlighted the need for long-term support, leveraging private investments, policy mechanisms and financial tools, and to view NAMA partnerships as a “learning by doing” opportunity.

Sebastian Hach, KfW Group, noted KfW’s focus on financing climate and environmental initiatives. He emphasized financial support criteria, including: the level of ambition; national interest and ownership; the measurement, reporting and verification system; and the maturity and bankability of a particular programme.

Alexander Maybeck, FAO, identified FAO’s focus on countries wishing to implement NAMAs in agriculture and forestry sectors. He called for proper tools and methodologies to assess emissions, identify potential measures, quantify project reductions and support NAMA development.

Harald Diaz-Bone, GIZ, launched the NAMA partnership, stating it will serve as a platform for working groups, and features a list of partners, publications and contact information.

This session, moderated by Nasir Khattak, Climate Institute, presented the global programme “Sustainable Energy for Island Economies,” launched in 2000 and included in 2012 as one of the “high impact opportunities” under the UN Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative, with some panelists showcasing projects from their island states.

For Sustainable Energy for Island Economies, Pradeep Monga, UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), called for: a systems-wide approach that addresses the energy-food-water nexus; political commitment, a coherent policy framework, private sector engagement and strong partnerships; and financial and technical assistance, and capacity building.

Heherson Alvarez, Senator, the Philippines, highlighted renewable energy planning underway in the island province of Bohol, emphasizing that political leaders are ready to take the necessary steps to green the island as its economy grows, transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

Aliki Faipule Kelisiano Kalolo, Minister for Economic Development, Natural Resources and the Environment, non-self-governing territory of Tokelau, New Zealand, joined the panel by Skype. He announced the completion, in October 2012, of a renewable energy project that allows Tokelau’s three atolls to be entirely powered by solar energy.

Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, UNDP, said that small island developing states (SIDS) in the Caribbean are highly indebted, have excessively high fuel import costs and are extremely vulnerable to climate change. She underscored that the move towards sustainable energy is imperative in order for the states to develop long term economic, health and education progammes. Tom Hawat, Pangaeon, introduced the development of a resort on Banana Island, off the coast of Doha, which will incorporate solar energy and water recycling.

Alexander Ochs, Worldwatch Institute, presented Worldwatch’s work on sustainable energy roadmaps, offering examples of his organization’s ongoing and planned work, including wind and solar roadmaps for the Dominican Republic. He outlined the steps involved in developing these roadmaps, involving technical, socioeconomic, finance and policy assessments leading to policy recommendations.

Harry Verhaar, Philips Lighting, stated the lighting sector is one of the first to become entirely sustainable, noting the Enlighten Initiative and several breakthrough projects, including: LED street and flood lighting; smoke-free cook stoves; and rural healthcare models.

In discussions, panelists considered how changing oil prices would affect the growth of the renewable energy sector and the potential for a price on carbon to support their continued development.

This session was moderated by Jean Fréchet, KAUST. Noting that there are no desalination plants that currently run on renewable energy, Gary Amy, KAUST, gave examples of plants in Australia that use government-required renewable energy compensation measures, including building wind and solar energy farms. He then described the technical requirements for deploying geothermal energy, solar and wind for use in desalination plants in Saudi Arabia, including combining traditional seawater reverse osmosis with solar power, solar membrane distillation technologies and geothermal-solar technologies.

Mohamed Al-Ghambi, Saudi Aramco, noted that Saudi Aramco’s power demand is higher than its internal generation, highlighting that they have adopted an aggressive energy strategy to address this. He stressed use of cogeneration, improved facilities, demand-side efficiency techniques and renewable energy. He said Saudi Aramco’s activities focus on technology assessment, pilot project development and market intelligence. On technology assessments, he noted emphasis on solar technologies, due to the large solar potential in Saudi Arabia. He also noted a database of wind measurements and an assessment of geothermal applications. On pilot projects, he highlighted the development of a solar PV car park with a 10.5 Mw capacity and space for 4,450 cars, as well as two planned CSP plants. On market intelligence, he said this focuses on supporting Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures investment decisions in the renewable energy value chain.

Hussam Khonkar, KACST, gave a brief history of KACST, describing its Energy Research Institute, which houses a Renewable Energy Center and an Energy Conservation Center. He highlighted accomplishments in R&D, including an International Joint Research Programme and a Saudi-German Research and Development Programme on solar dishes. He listed KACST’s future projects, among them PV micro-inverters, solar stills for water distillation and solar for cooling.

Participants discussed the role of the government and private sector in the R&D of innovative technologies and damage to membrane distillers if they do not operate 24 hours a day.

Moderator Luc Bas, The Climate Group, introduced the panel, which addressed the contributions provided by subnational governments to reduce the mitigation gap, and highlighted innovative and ambitious subnational actions towards this goal.

Charles Larochelle, Assistant Deputy Minister of Climate Change, Air and Water, Quebec, Canada, presented Quebec’s electric vehicle (EV) action plan, which he said aimed to close part of Canada’s emissions gap. Noting existing initiatives had already led to the deployment of 900 EVs in Quebec, exceeding the target of 600 EVs by the end of 2012, he said the action plan aimed to deploy 300,000 EVs by 2020.

Ben Otim, Chief Administrative Officer, Mbale District, Uganda, introduced mitigation measures, including: a sustainable land management system, with a farming system linking coffee and banana plantations; forestry activities and boundary planting; biogas production; and capacity building to support community-based organizations and non-governmental organizations on climate projects.  

Highlighting that subnational governments are gaining recognition in the international arena, including COP negotiations, John Griffiths, Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development, Wales, UK, outlined efforts in Wales to address climate change and promote sustainable development, including a Climate Change Strategy launched in 2010, and a White Paper on a sustainable development bill launched this week.

Josep Enric Llebot Rabagliati, Secretary for Environment and Sustainability, Catalonia, Spain, introduced two programmes: a mitigation plan concerning emissions not covered by the European Emissions Trading Scheme and a programme on voluntary agreements.

Paul Simpson, Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), noted CDP was asked to extend their work on private sector disclosure of climate change impacts and risk to cities, and described a partnership on a reporting platform for cities, which provides a hub for learning and sharing best practices.

Philippe Henry, Minister for Environment, Spatial Planning and Mobility, Wallonia, Belgium, noted a stakeholder approach to develop low-carbon scenarios. He stated it is possible to reach 80% greenhouse gas reduction by 2050, but this will require a “paradigm shift” on both financing, and energy demand and supply.

Noting her province had accepted climate change as “a reality,” Nomusa Dube, Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, said her province’s mitigation responses include: building institutional capacity; initiating a multi-stakeholder Climate Change Council; and developing policies and strategies on coastal vulnerabilities, rural development and disaster response.

Jacqueline Vieira da Silva, State of Goiás, Brazil, outlined some of the outcomes of legal targets and policies implemented in her state on climate change, payments for ecosystem services and sustainable development.

Adam Redish, Air Policy and Climate Change Branch, Ontario, Canada, discussed integration of smart meters and a feed-in tariff programme in the province. He also stressed Ontario’s diverse adaptation challenges, including urban adaptation in Toronto and Arctic adaptation.

Pointing to the need for both renewable energy and energy efficiency targets, Oswaldo Lucon, State Secretariat for the Environment, São Paulo, Brazil, presented a video from Bruno Covas, São Paulo Secretary of State for the Environment and Co-Chair South, nrg4SD, which outlined the state’s actions to address the “twin challenges” of energy and climate change.

During the panel sessions, participants discussed how to engage the private sector at the subnational level to integrate low-carbon technologies, with several examples shared from different regions and an emphasis on public-private partnerships at the subnational level.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin on the side (ENBOTS) © <enb@iisd.org> is a special publication of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in cooperation with the State of Qatar. This issue has been written by Tallash Kantai, Kate Neville, Anna Schulz and Anju Sharma. The Digital Editor is Kate Harris. The Editor is Liz Willetts <liz@iisd.org>. The Director of IISD Reporting Services is Langston James “Kimo” Goree VI <kimo@iisd.org>. Support for the publication of ENBOTS at the Doha Climate Change Conference - November 2012 has been provided by the State of Qatar. The opinions expressed in ENBOTS are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IISD and funders. Excerpts from ENBOTS may be used in non-commercial publications only with appropriate academic citation. For permission to use this material in commercial publications, contact the Director of IISD Reporting Services at <kimo@iisd.org>. Electronic versions of issues of ENBOTS from the Doha Climate Change Conference - November 2012 can be found on the Linkages website at http://enb.iisd.org/climate/cop18/enbots/. The ENBOTS Team at the Doha Climate Change Conference - November 2012 can be contacted by e-mail at <anna@iisd.org>.