The Problem 400 million Indians and 1.6 billion worldwide lack access to the electricity grid. They are already spending $50+ billion per year on lousy solutions such as kerosene fuel for small lanterns. The good news is that effective decentralized energy solutions already exist such as household solar energy systems and community-scale solar “microgrids”. The problem is that these clean energy technologies involve significant up-front costs and therefore must be financed. Consumers have a proven willingness to pay for energy services but investors are needed to finance the upfront CAPEX.
In order to achieve ambitious national climate goals, the use of economic instruments such as crop and climate insurance, taxes, feed-in tariffs for renewable energy and other financial incentives are important enablers. The CTCN is collaborating with relevant stakeholders to support local entrepreneurs, small- and medium enterprises and larger businesses, as well as governmental decision-makers, in identifying these economic instruments. Furthermore the CTCN provides technical assistance for strengthening countries’ capacity to access international financing for climate technology opportunities. Below you will find related publications, partners, CTCN technical assistance, technologies and other information for exploring this topic further.