Favourable and stable policy and regulatory mechanisms are critical to growing the clean energy market. The Sustainable Energy Regulation Network (SERN) facilitated the exchange of experience and knowledge between regulators and government officials on these topics.
The Sustainable Energy Regulation Network (SERN) was co-ordinated by researchers at University College London - Energy Institute (UK) and funded by REEEP until 2014. The aim of the network was to:
- generate greater understanding of the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy amongst energy regulators and government departments
- secure regulatory mechanisms that incentivise energy efficiency, renewable energy and distributed generation
SERN activities
- coordination of an exhaustive policy and regulatory review covering 190 countries, with some countries updated in 2013-2014
- development of a training package on sustainable energy and regulation and case studies of sustainable energy regulation (see http://africa-toolkit.reeep.org/)
- compiling of literature and web reviews and a glossary of key terms in sustainable energy regulation
- disseminating the SERN newsletter to more than 900 individuals from energy regulatory agencies, government departments other stakeholders, drawn from all continents
- working with the main energy regulator associations in African countries, Caribbean countries and in South Asia to hold capacity-building events
Key milestones
Capacity building activities
- participation at the World Forum on Energy Regulation III, in Washington, October 2006 and at the WFER IV in Athens, October 2009
- organising a side-event on feed-in tariff policies for developing countries at the WFER V in Quebec City, May 2012 and at the AFUR 10th annual conference in Tanzania, April 2013
- collaboration with World Resources Institute (WRI), Asian Development Bank and others on a workshop on Clean Energy, Good Governance and Regulation for regulators from SE and South Asia, in Singapore in March 2008 and in Johannesburg, May 2010
- workshops on Policy and Regulation for Energy Efficiency in Southern Africa and Feed-in Tariffs in Africa, jointly organised by SERN and the REEEP Southern Africa Regional Secretariat, in July 2009 and November 2010 respectively
- workshops on Energy Efficiency and Feed-in Tariffs in Manila in June 2011
- two-day side event on energy access and regulation, in Manila, June 2012 alongside the Asian Clean Energy Forum
Support to specific projects
- input to a UNIDO-REEEP training course for regulators in Africa on sustainable energy issues. The course is now made available as a CD-ROM training package for African institutions and on-line at http://toolkits.reeep.org/
- advisor on a REEEP funded project on off-grid regulation and rural electrification with solar photovoltaic ESCOs in Africa
- advisor on a REEEP project on feed-in tariff in Namibia
