The Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MoEJ) and IRENA have jointly organized workshops and training programs since 2015 to promote renewable energy deployment in Small Island Developing States. Training workshops were organised in 2015, (Malaysia), 2016 (Fiji) and 2017 (Japan, Fiji) on the theme: “Supporting Renewable Energy Deployment through Developing Project Proposals to Access Climate Finance” for SIDS by the MoEJ and IRENA. The key issues regarding accessing climate finance were elaborated on in the workshops and participants were made aware of various climate finance entities for accessing finance for their national projects. Based on the results of these events, the need for continuous capacity building for government officials, private sector, financing institutions and key stakeholders on accessing the available financing options by proposing bankable projects has been identified.

MOEJ and IRENA continue the efforts to address these issues by organizing a three-day training program from 28-20 January 2019 in Male, Maldives to support the development of project proposals to access climate finance by various SIDS stakeholders through various entities including local banks and climate finance entities. 

The workshop aims to identify factors and strategies to increase renewable energy penetration in SIDS. 

The event will target senior officers from energy ministries and public utilities in the region who are responsible for planning and strategy of the energy sector.  The overall goal will be to discuss how to improve the financial and policy frameworks as well as how to strengthen the local capacities. In addition, the meeting will examine the role that renewable energy can play in assisting countries in achieving NDCs targets and the nexus between renewable energy and food, water, and health.

This event is organized by the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Energy of Cabo Verde and launched within the scope of the Renewable Energy Sector Support Program, financed by the Luxembourg Development Cooperation. 

The conference will serve as a space for knowledge sharing, within small island nation community (developing islands in particular -SIDS) by showcasing existing climate financing mechanisms, tailored to support Renewable Energy investments in small island nations and concrete projects already implemented that have leveraged innovative mechanisms to bridge climate finance, and lessons learned from implementation.

For more information, and registration visit the website: https://www.renewableenergyconference.info

The workshop will look at ways to improve conditions to finance and implement renewable energy project in the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and La Réunion. The workshop will mainly be composed of a training based on Project Navigator with additional contribution from other IRENA project facilitation platforms such as Global Atlas and Marketplace. The workshop will facilitate discussions how to overcome implementation obstacles that can be of a policy, regulatory, funding or capacity building nature. The agenda will include sessions promoting partnerships, new technology and recent cost developments, and case studies presented by project owners and developers.

Experts from industry and development partners will present practical applications of island renewable energy projects in SIDS with the aim to identify what the key enablers for the successful replication in the Indian Ocean SIDS and in other regions as well. The workshop will target participants with mix of public and private backgrounds including local project developers, public sector employees, local utility regulators, electric utilities, academia any other relevant project stakeholders who will be trained based on the gaps identified by the SIDS Lighthouses Initiative.

Under the framework of the SIDS Lighthouses Initiative and co-organized with the University of Tasmania's Centre for Renewable Energy and Power Systems, the University of Hawaii's Natural Energy Institute, the Maui Economic Development Board, and the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, IRENA has organized a technical workshop on project development and financing for Caribbean and Pacific SIDS stakeholders during IPS Connect 2018, a non-profit renewable energy forum which brings together utilities, market participants and academia from island communities that are active in the field of remote area power supply and isolated power systems.

The workshop was composed of a training based on Project Navigator with contribution from international experts from the industry presenting applications of island renewable energy projects in SIDS with the aim to identify key enablers for the successful replication in the Caribbean and Pacific Small Islands. It relied on the extensive knowledge and experience of the host organizations to bring a pragmatic approach to integration of new technologies within island systems. In addition, it was complemented by real-life experiences from various islands and featured a showcase of recent developments in solar, wind, and battery storage in the unique setting that Hawaii provides, as a leader in renewable energy deployment on islands.

More information

SIDS Lighthouses Initiative 2.0 aims to enable SIDS energy systems’ transformation, leverage investment support, strengthen climate resilience, and contribute to the attainment of the sustainable development goals in SIDS 

Since the launch of the SIDS Lighthouses Initiative (LHI), the renewable energy uptake in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) has been impressive. The strong political commitment of SIDS, and the remarkable cost reductions in technologies such as solar PV and onshore wind, coupled with the support of a wide range of partners, have made renewables an affordable solution for countries with limited financing and technical capabilities.

The initial LHI targets for 2020 in terms of installed capacity (100 megawatts of solar PV, 20 megawatts of wind power) and mobilised funding (USD 500 million) have been met and exceeded three years ahead of schedule. Building on the success of the LHI and following the consultative process undertaken with all LHI partners, this event will be instrumental in drawing together political leadership and launch a more ambitious phase of the Initiative, LHI 2.0, which aims to enable SIDS energy systems’ transformation, leverage investment support, strengthen climate resilience, and contribute to the attainment of the sustainable development goals in SIDS. 

High-Level Roundtable event | 28 September 2018, 13:15 –14.30 | ECOSOC Chamber – United Nations – New York

This event, organized by CARILEC in partnership with IRENA and other partners, will gather researchers, thought leaders, utility and energy professionals and vendors and provide them with a unique platform to delve deeply into renewable energy and resilience from both a global and a regional perspective. More information