Power Efficiency And Institutions

While energy efficiency projects could partly meet new energy demand more cheaply than new supplies, weak economic institutions in developing and transitional economies impede developing and financing energy efficiency retrofits. This book analyzes these difficulties, suggests a 3-part model for projectizing and financing energy efficiency retrofits, and presents thirteen case studies to illustrate the issues and principles involved.

The World Bank is changing the way it does business in the energy sector. This Policy Paper is one of two that outlines the Bank's new policies for the sector. The review was prompted by concern about the effects of power generation on the environment and on populations that may be resettled to make way for projects. Another stimulus was the macroeceonomic reality of fewer investment resources in many countries. And many developing countries are becoming more receptive to reforming the way energy is produced and consumed. This paper credits the "public monopoly" approach of the last 30 years with facilitating expansion of power supplies, capturing technical economies of scale, and making effective use of scarce managerial and technical skills. Nonetheless, it recommends several new policies to improve the performance of the electric power sector in developing countries. These reforms will guide future Bank activities in the sector. Bank loans for electric power will go first to countries clearly committed to improving the performance of their power sectors. The Bank will also discourage subsidies on energy prices and will encourage private investment in utilities. And it will provide financing to help the least developed countries import power where local generation is not practical. The efficiency of production and use of electric power in developing countries is examined in a companion paper, Energy Efficiency and Conservation in the Developing World: The World Banks Role . The World Bank's Role in the Electric Power Sector is also available in Spanish: La funcion del Banco Mundial en el sector de la electricidad. Politicas para efectuar una reforma institucional, regulatoria, y financieria eficaz. (ISBN 0-8213-2451-9) / Stock No. 12451 / $7.95 / Price code 007 / Spanis

There is a congruence of several forces in the developing world that makes very timely the formulation of a strategy to address energy efficiency and conservation issues better. Many countries are becoming receptive to reforming the way energy is produced and consumed as they experience (a) rapidly growing demand for energy; (b) major constraints on available energy financing; (c) increased pressures to sustain the environment; (d) poor energy sector performance and unsatisfied customers; and (e) a reappraisal of the roles of government and of the public and private sectors in development. These factors are forcing developing countries to address long-neglected issues of energy wastage in production and end use. The World Bank now has an enhanced opportunity to further assist developing countries to improve their energy efficiency and conservation policies and practices. The paper provides a background on the evolution of developed versus developing-country energy efficiency and summarizes World Bank experience. It outlines the growing energy demand in developing countries and the accompanying financial and environmental problems that bring energy-efficiency issues to the forefront. The paper then sets out the potential for improved energy efficiency and the main reasons that efficiency has been so poor. Finally, it summarizes the priority actions for achieving energy efficiency in developing countries and sets out a four-point program for the World Bank.

This book is devoted to investigating the policy design and effectiveness of financial and market-based instruments to promote energy efficiency financing. The concept of this monograph is to present the latest results related to energy efficiency funding schemes, energy efficiency obligations, voluntary agreements, auction mechanisms, and Super Energy Services Companies (Super ESCOs) in major jurisdictions across the world. The book focuses on financial and market-based instruments as they deliver a price signal, which provides an incentive for firms to invest in innovation or implement more energy-efficient technologies and deliver energy savings while minimizing costs. Such instruments can have significant advantages for the government, supporting the fiscal sustainability of the government’s energy efficiency efforts, requiring less enforcement than regulation and according the market flexibility to select the most cost-efficient technologies. This book is highly recommended to researchers, policy experts, and business specialists who seek an in-depth and up-to-date integrated overview of energy efficiency financing.

This book examines energy management practices within a wide range of public and private sector organisations.

New Institutional Economics (NIE) takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding economic phenomena like growth, efficiency and income distribution. The authors of this book attempt to provide an integrated methodology, hitherto lacking in NIE ...

At a time of global climate crisis, this crucial book examines the prospects for implementing low-carbon policies in the two global superpowers of China and Russia, focusing on the role of informal institutions in achieving reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.