SEF Alliance activities include occasional hour-long conference call seminars on topics of relevance to managers of public clean energy funds. On each call, participants listen to featured experts or authorities for 20-30 minutes while following PowerPoint slides on their computer screens. This is followed by open discussion during the second half of the hour amongst all participants. The agencies and programmes participating in the series are quite varied, and the calls provide a simple means for valuable inter-agency, international dialogue on clean energy public finance approaches.
Note to members: past call seminar presentations and recordings are available in the members-only section.
Upcoming call seminar:
Assessing Biofuels - 11 Mar 2010
This call will feature the outcomes of the first Assessment Report by the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management, titled “Toward sustainable production and use of resources: Assessing Biofuels”. The full report can be accessed here. The speaker for the call will be Stefan Bringezu, lead author of the report and chair of the Biofuels Working Group under the Resource Panel. The call will be introduced by Martina Otto, Head of the Energy and Transport Policy Unit at the UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics.
Past call seminars:
Scaling up private sector investment with public finance mechanisms - 12 Nov 2009
Participants in this call discussed the results of a new study by UNEP and partners entitled “Catalysing low-carbon growth in developing economies: public finance mechanisms to scale up private sector investment in climate solutions", available by clicking on the icon to the left.
The lead author of the report and speaker on this call was John Ward, Principal with Vivid Economics. The presentation was introduced by Claire Boasson, who coordinated the project. Claire is Special Adviser on Energy and Climate with the UNEP Energy Branch in Paris.
Public Finance Lessons From Asia - 29 Sept 2009
This call seminar focused on the public interest clean energy financing landscape in Asia and featured two short presentations from our guest speakers, Clive Mason and Elaine Blatt, followed by an open discussion.
- Clive Mason is Senior Advisor to the World Bank Group/IFC for their Asia Sustainable and Alternative Energy Programme (ASTAE). During the call, Mr. Mason discussed the financing landscape for both renewable energy and energy efficiency as the World Bank has encountered it through its own financing efforts in the region. Slides to accompany Mr. Mason's presentation can be downloaded here.
- Elaine Blatt is an independent consultant and author of the GERIAP review of energy efficiency financing mechanisms in Asia for UNEP. Ms. Blatt's presentation provided a more specific overview of how it is that energy efficiency financing occurs in Asia, both based on her work on the GERIAP review and on more recent information from the region. To download the accompanying slides click here.
Update on Stimulus Spending and Investment Trends - 11 June '09
This seminar featured a presentation by Ethan Zindler, Head of North American Research at New Energy Finance (NEF). The call was timed to coincide with the June release of the joint UNEP SEFI/NEF report, "Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2009". The slide deck for this call seminar is available to download here.
The Economic Impact of Energy Efficiency Investment - 6 May '09
This seminar continued the theme of measuring economic impacts from public finance programs, this time with a specific focus on energy efficiency investment.
The call featured presentations by the following two experts from North America and Europe, respectively:
- Skip Laitner is the Director of Economic and Social Analysis for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), a non-profit research organization dedicated to increasing energy efficiency as a means of promoting both economic prosperity and environmental protection. Mr. Laitner was formerly Senior Economist for Technology Policy within the EPA's Office of Atmospheric Programs, and in that capacity was awarded the EPA's 1998 Gold Medal for his work with a team of economists that helped lay the foundation for the Kyoto Protocol on Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Click here for his call seminar slide deck.
- Jens Dinkel works for McKinsey & Company as a Senior Expert in GHG Abatement, based in Germany. Dr. Dinkel co-leads the Abatement Service Line within McKinsey's Climate Change Special Initiative and is one of the authors of the report "Pathways to low-carbon economy". Click here for his call seminar slide deck.
The Economic Impact of Clean Energy Investment - 12 March '09
This seminar explored methodologies for measuring job creation and other economic impacts of public support for clean energy. The seminar featured three speakers:
- Roger Bezdek, President of Management Information Services, Inc. (MISI) in Washington, D.C. A presentation Dr. Bezdek recently gave to the US Department of Energy regarding job creation from the clean energy industry can be accessed here.
- Peter Poshen, Senior Policy Specialist at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva.
- Olivier Deleuze, Head of the UNEP Green Jobs Initiative and Chief of UNEP's Major Groups and Stakeholders Branch, based in Nairobi.
Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2008 - 9 Sept '08
This call was led by Chris Greenwood, Head of Research at New Energy Finance and co-author of the report titled “Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2008: Analysis of trends and issues in the financing of renewable energy and energy efficiency”. The report was published jointly by the United Nations Environment Programme and New Energy Finance in July 2008. Mr. Greenwood gave a presentation of the main findings of the report, which was followed by open discussion among participants.
Click here to access the report and accompanying materials.
Feed-in tariffs: global update - 17 Jul '08
This call seminar provided a global status update on the use of feed-in tariffs around the world. The call was led collaboratively by three experts:
- Miguel Mendonça, Research Manager for the World Future Council
- Paul Gipe, wind-works.org
- Wilson Rickerson, Principal of Wilson Energy Strategies LLC
Mr. Mendonça covered developments in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America; Mr. Gipe covered Canada; and Mr. Rickerson covered the United States.
Matching feedstocks with bioenergy conversion technologies - 20 Jun '08
David Bransby, Professor of Energy Crops and Bioenergy at Auburn University and recent advisor to President Bush on biofuels issues, spoke about the implications of the rising oil price relative to the emerging cellulosic biofuel industry; myths and irresponsible reporting regarding cellulosic biofuels; characteristics of the ideal cellulosic biofuel technology, and leading candidate technologies; characteristics of the ideal cellulosic biofuels feedstock, and candidate feedstocks; and future prospects for, and implications of, the emerging cellulosic biofuels industry.
Distributed innovation - 30 Apr '08
This call was led by Lewis Milford, President and founder of the Clean Energy Group (CEG) and Executive Director of the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA). Mr. Milford discussed the role of distributed innovation as a new, technology-focused track to complement cap and trade, with the potential to serve as a twin pillar in the post-2012 climate framework.
Sustainability of alternative transportation fuels - 1 Apr 08
This seminar consisted of three short presentations, followed by open discussion:
- Rick Whittaker, VP of Investments for Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), spoke about its CAD 500 million NextGen Biofuels Fund and how it applies to the transportation sector.
- Martina Otto, Head of the Energy and Transport Policy Unit of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), described the work that is being done at UNEP and internationally to improve sustainability principles and criteria for bioenergy.
- Enrique Manzanilla of the California Energy Commission (CEC) discussed CEC's upcoming conference in May on issues in bioenergy sustainability and lifecycle analysis, part of its broader efforts to improve California's accounting of the environmental impacts associated with transportation fuels.
E+Co's seed financing of sustainable energy SMEs in developing countries - 26 Feb. '08
E+Co is a U.S. based, non-profit organization that provides business development support and capital to clean energy businesses in developing countries. The organization believes that by pooling small amounts of public and private capital it can create envelopes of investment in the clean energy sector.
The call featured a presentation by Christine Eibs Singer, Co-founder and Deputy Executive Director of E+Co.
Aggregating emissions reduction credits for municipalities: the Green Municipal Corporation - 24 Jan. '08
The topic of this call seminar was an innovative approach to municipal financing of emissions reductions in Canada and its potential for replication internationally. The presenter were Diana Smallridge and Doug Salloum of Green Capital Advisors (GCA).
The presenters spoke about the Green Municipal Corportation (GMC), which is managed by Doug Salloum and was set up by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) to purchase, aggregate and sell carbon-offset credits earned by municipal governments under new Canadian air-emissions regulation. The corporation is financed entirely by fees for services, and it helps municipal governments to minimise risks associated with, and to overcome regulatory, technical and financial barriers to, entering the Canadian offset credit market.
Product carbon footprinting and labelling - 20 Dec. '07
The call featured a presetation by Iciar Vaquero, Director of the Carbon Footprints initiative of the UK Carbon Trust.
The most effective product carbon footprinting method and labelling initative will be one that is accepted internationally, and the UK Carbon Footprints initiative has the potential to become the basis for a consistent international standard. The Carbon Trust has been developing this initiative for the past three years, and the system generated much international interest after it was formally launched in March 2007.
Ms. Vaquero discussed the initiative, the lessons Carbon Trust has learned from it, as well as reasons and opportunities for international cooperation on related efforts.
Comparison and evaluation of financing options for energy contracting projects - 20 Nov. '07
The call featured a presentation by Jan Bleyl, Division Manager of Graz Energy Agency in Austria. Mr. Bleyl based his presentation on the outcome of a project to develop a "financing manual" that compares and evaluates financing options for energy performance contracting projects. The presentation was divided into two sessions, with an open discussion session after each.
International knowledge management of energy efficiency finance - 30 Oct. '07
The call featured a presentation by John MacLean, President of the Energy Efficiency Finance Corp. in Seattle, WA. He gave a brief overview of how a variety of relevant programmes have been structured by agencies around the world and some general principles about best practice in the design of energy efficiency programmes, as well as his ideas on how to structure a relevant international knowledge management plan - or "toolkit". This was followed by an open discussion session that enabled call participants to gain some insight into the relevant programmes being implemented by their respective agencies and how these relate to the structures and ideas presented by John.
Sustainable energy public marketing campaigns - 3 Jul. '07
Brian F. Keane is President of SmartPower, a US non-profit marketing campaign that is leading the effort to promote clean energy in the US.
Smartpower recently released a report called Marketing Clean Energy In Europe: A Review of 15 Countries, which looks at the clean energy marketing practices of various European nations and draws parallels and contrasts between the European and the American way of marketing clean energy to consumers. SmartPower is also preparing to launch a European marketing effort in mid 2008.
Mr. Keane's knowledge and experience are valuable to any agency attempting to tackle the challenge of marketing clean energy to consumers. In his presentation, he discussed SmartPower's approach to communicating with consumers in the US, the analysis of consumer attitudes on which this approach is based, and the ways in which such an approach might differ in Europe.
Incubator programmes - 5 Jun. '07
Rachael Nutter, Business Incubator Manager for the UK Carbon Trust. The Carbon Trust helps business and the public sector cut carbon emissions and supports the development of low carbon technologies. Ms. Nutter manages the agency's successful sustainable energy business incubator programme.
In the presentation, Ms. Nutter provided an overview of the work of the Carbon Trust generally; the goals of the incubator programme and how it integrates with the overall approach to promoting innovation; the process for finding clients and providing an effective service; the programme's record of success; major lessons learned over the first three years of implementation; and future aims and prospects for greater impact.
Global investment overview - 3 May '07
Michael Liebreich, CEO New Energy Finance
Mr. Liebreich is an experienced venture capitalist and entrepreneur focusing on the media, technology and business services sector. He founded New Energy Finance in early 2004 after a period spent researching clean energy technologies and advising investors. In 2007, New Energy Finance and UNEP-SEFI jointly released a report on Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment.
During the call seminar, Mr. Liebreich provided a comprehensive update on activity in the global clean energy market, reviewing recent market developments and looking ahead to what can be expected in the future. He also focused on the differences in investment activity in Europe and the US, and the reasons behind it.