The International Renewable Energy Association (IRENA) is organising a workshop in Vanuatu from 26-28 March for a Renewable Energy Readiness Assessment (RRA), which is an IRENA requirement before they try to assist a country access funds for renewable energy development. Two days will be spent on renewable energy issues and one on energy efficiency. You or your organisation are welcome to attend. Jerry Lapi jlapi@vanuatu.gov.vu can advise on the arrangements and venue.
The workshop hopes to identify barriers to large-scale implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiency in Vanuatu, with practical recommendations for addressing these. Jerry Lapi will be contacting you to see if you are available for an interview this week. Any responses from you, written or verbal, will be confidential. Overall responses will be summarised at the workshop but individuals will not be identified.
If you are unavailable this week or next week, it would be appreciated if you could provide very brief responses regarding the issues below.
1) Large scale on-grid renewable energy (RE).
What are the constraints to development of hydro, geothermal, etc. RE at a large scale (e.g. for direct connection to the utilities) or smaller scale (rural grids or individual buildings)? And how can these be overcome?
2) Smaller scale off-grid renewable energy.
What are the constraints to small-scale stand-alone RE, e.g. for rural health centres, villages, etc.)? And how can these be overcome?
3) Energy policies, legislation & regulation for renewable energy & energy efficiency.
The Council of Ministers has approved a national energy roadmap. If you are familiar with it, do you have any comments on its practicality? What legislation and regulations are needed for investments in RE & EE (e.g. feed-in tariff rules, net metering, minimum energy standards for buildings, etc.)?
4) Efficiency of electrical energy use.
What are the constraints to wide-scale improvement of the efficiency of electricity use in government, homes & businesses (i.e. to reduce energy use but not lower the quality of service)?
5) Energy for transport.
More petroleum fuel is used for transport than for electricity generation. What are the constraints to developing local fuels to replace petroleum? To improve transport energy efficiency (e.g. more km per litre of fuel)?
6) Other comments Other comments are welcome.
Thank you
Peter Johnston & Jerry Lapi