In the first year of operation (2008), the Secretariat delivered the following pieces of specialised research on behalf of its members:

1. IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT STUDY

This study analyses the related issues of impact assessment, government oversight and fund administration. The aim is not to evaluate the programmes of member agencies; it is to help members better understand the tools and frameworks that are available to them for impact assessment. Capable assessment of the impact of programmes is vital to members for developing effective organisational strategies and for approaching the interface with government oversight bodies, policymakers, and state aid agencies. However, the actual application of assessment tools to the programmes of member agencies is left entirely to the members themselves and to the government entities that oversee them.

Although measures of economic, financial, environmental and social impact are all taken into account in this research, the greatest emphasis is placed on measures of market tranformation, given the relative difficulty and importance of this particular metric to the work of member agencies.

2. FINANCING INSTRUMENTS CASE STUDIES

This work aims to assess the advantages and disadvantages to using different types of financing instruments at the various stages of project and technology development and deployment. It entails assessing the experience of financing agencies and relevant lessons learned, leading to a compilation of effective methods in a ready-to-share format. The compilation will include resource materials and case studies of best practice, and should document in meaningful,deep and practical detail both (A) a range of finance transactions - that is, the structures of individual deals between commercial parties; and (B) finance programmes, of the type that clean energy funds can undertake which organise and systematically deliver project development services and financing to implement multiple project transactions in specific market sectors.

This work began with a case study on venture capital instruments, available here, the aim of which is to go more in-depth than similar previous studies.  A second case study on guarantee instruments is being conducted in 2009.

 

The following pieces of specialised research have been delivered by the Secretariat during its second year of operation (2009) thus far:

1. ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT

This report was commissioned in response to the global economic downturn and analyses the connection between government clean energy spending and various measures of economic health, such as growth and job creation. The analysis compiles and assesses the latest evidence regarding the economic impact of clean energy public investment in order to provide decision-makers with a comprehensive understanding of the economic potential of clean energy spending.  Direct investment by governments in clean energy is key in terms of filling financial gaps, overcoming market barriers, and scaling up commercial investment in the low carbon economy.  This report is timely and significant given present economic difficulties and the potential presented by green stimulus packages as an economic solution. 

The report, Why Clean Energy Public Investment Makes Economic Sense - The Evidence Base, can be accessed here.