Topic: innovation

Fact Sheet: The Power of Innovation: Meeting our Energy Challenges through Accelerated Innovation

Micah Ziegler — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 12:44:38 -0500

Innovation can close the gap between the low-carbon technologies of today and the low-cost, high performance technologies the world needs.

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Read more on WRI Insights: Want Low-Cost Clean Energy? Bank on Innovation

This fact sheet is based on the WRI working paper Two Degrees of Innovation — How to Seize the Opportunities in Low-Carbon Power.

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We are facing two urgent energy challenges. We need to maintain modern energy services and expand energy access to another 1.4 billion people.¹ We also need to mitigate further climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning.² Low-carbon technologies such as wind and solar power exist and have the technical capacity to meet global energy needs,³ but they are expensive compared to high-carbon alternatives and face performance challenges like requiring large quantities of water or land. They are new to the energy system and can create integration headaches. Innovation—improvements in cost and performance—will close the gap between the low-carbon technologies of today and the low-cost, high performance technologies the world needs.

These infographics demonstrate how innovations in solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power over the past thirty years have dramatically improved performance and reduced cost, creating the technologies we recognize today. They also project the target costs that experts estimate are necessary to reach our energy goals, highlighting how much more we need to innovate.

For example, if we built the solar PV installations necessary by 2050 using technology from 1982, we would spend US$53.5 trillion (2010$). Building the same solar capacity with 2008 technology would only cost US$8.46 trillion. If we meet the cost goal set by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) we would spend just US$1.58 trillion. Similarly, between 1982 technology and ARPA-E’s goal technology, the total land area required for solar panels would drop by 64 percent.

Innovation is a powerful, cumulative process but it does not happen automatically in a highly regulated sector like electricity. It is critical that policymakers support innovators by building a robust, dynamic innovation ecosystem. This goes beyond investing in public research and development and creating markets through subsidies. It also includes building collaborative networks, creating stable regulatory environments, providing infrastructure, supporting innovators’ needs for finance, and building capacity in the workforce.

To achieve a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (compared to 2005 levels) the International Energy Agency estimates that 3,155 GW of photovoltaic capacity will be required by 2050, enough to provide 11 percent of global electricity production. Over time, innovations have made reaching this target easier.⁴ Innovations like new materials and improved methods of production, including improvements through learning-by-doing and finding economies of scale, made solar photovoltaic cells significantly cheaper and more efficient between 1982 and 2008. While many factors—such as commodity prices—also impact costs, future innovations can continue to improve solar cells and push toward a competitive cost of equipment, estimated in U.S. electricity markets to be US$0.50/Wp by the U.S. Department of Energy.

To achieve a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (compared to 2005 levels) the International Energy Agency estimates that 2,000 GW of installed wind capacity will be required by 2050, enough to provide 12 percent of global electricity production. Over time, innovations have made reaching this target easier.⁵ Between 1985 and 2010, innovations like new materials and improved methods of production, including improvements through learning-by-doing and finding economies of scale, made wind turbines more capable and their electricity cheaper. While many factors—such as commodity prices—also impact costs, future innovations can continue to improve wind turbines and farms and push toward a competitive position in electricity markets, estimated in U.S. electricity markets to be a levelized cost of electricity of US$.069/kWh by the American Wind Energy Association.

International Energy Agency, “Access to Electricity,” World Energy Outlook, 2010, http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/electricity.asp. ↩
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Working Groups I, II and III, Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report, IPCC Assessment Report (Valencia, Spain, 2007), http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr.pdf. ↩
Ottmar Edenhofer et al., IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation - Summary for Policymakers (Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2011), 7, http://srren.ipcc-wg3.de/report/IPCC_SRREN_SPM. ↩
These calculations focus on crystalline silicon photovoltaic technology only, assume photovoltaic cells operate at peak capacity, and only consider module cost. For simplicity, this excludes many other factors that can make solar photovoltaic installations more efficient and cheaper, such as careful siting, improved operations, and reduced maintenance costs. This analysis includes only the solar module cost and omits installation and maintenance costs. ↩
The graphic slightly understates the story; the difference in number of turbines needed is so large that it was necessary to round up to make the comparison visible at all. Each turbine in the graphic represents approximately 1 million turbines. The 50% reduction goal could be met by 1.25 million 1.6 MW turbines and 200,000 10 MW turbines. In addition, these calculations focus on horizontal-rotor, onshore wind turbines and treat the 2,000 GW target as “nameplate” capacity. The cost calculations use estimates of the levelized (or lifecycle) cost of energy (or electricity) and compute the cost of producing 5,200 TWh of wind energy, which is stipulated in the IEA Blue Scenario Wind Goal. ↩

Two Degrees of Innovation: How to Seize the Opportunities in Low-Carbon Power

Maggie Barron — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:38:40 -0400

This paper offers a strategic framework for those seeking to capitalize on the low-carbon transition. The first section presents innovation as a key strategy to achieve economic development, energy, and environmental goals. The second section explains why the innovation process is unique in the low-carbon power sector and introduces the innovation ecosystem. The third section lays out a stepby- step process to identify and capitalize on the enormous potential and emerging opportunities in this sector.

Key Points

A global transformation of the energy infrastructure is urgently needed to meet the need for modern energy services while avoiding a climate disaster.
There is a large and growing global market for utility-scale, low carbon power technologies as this transformation begins. Both developed and emerging economies can benefit from it but competing in the global value chain will require explicitly building innovation capacity.
Innovation—improvements in price and performance—will close the gap between low-carbon technologies today and the low-cost, high performance technologies that are needed.
Innovations include new products, processes, or policies that reduce costs or improve performance and can happen at any point in a technology’s lifecycle—from design through manufacturing through operations and maintenance.
The innovation ecosystem approach captures the complexity, uncertainty, and heterogeneity of innovation processes and identifies the critical services innovators need to thrive. These are the services policymakers need to focus on when investing in innovation.
The framework provides step-by-step guidance to identify the opportunities in the sector and build a robust innovation ecosystem to capture them.

PRESS RELEASE: 6th Asia Clean Energy Forum Opens in Manila, Philippines

Michael Oko — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:26:18 -0400

ADB President Calls for “Radical Steps” on Clean Energy

Leaders in government, business, policy and nongovernmental organizations are gathering this week for the 6th Asia Clean Energy Forum in Manila, Philippines. According to the Asian Development Bank, 800 million people in Asia live without access to electricity and a significant push is needed to fast-track new business models and policies for clean energy development. With over 550 participants from 40 countries in attendance, ACEF is being organized the World Resources Institute, the United States Agency for International Development, and ADB to promote efforts to scale up clean energy in Asia and the Pacific.

“Asia is poised to be a world leader in clean energy that can propel the regional economy, while increasing its energy security,” said Manish Bapna, executive vice president and managing director, WRI. “In order to achieve its clean energy potential, leaders in Asia need to make the right policy decisions and increase their investment in clean energy. This forum will inform this important dialogue on Asia’s energy future.”

The year’s forum, from June 22 - 24, will focus on “New Business Models and Policy Drivers: Building the Low-Carbon Future,” including discussions around best practices in energy policy and regulation, financing and investment, innovative business models, and energy access. Parallel sessions will provide opportunities to discuss successful innovation and methods to break down barriers to large-scale clean energy development and deployment. (See the full agenda here)

“Asians have more to lose from climate change than any other people. The climate fight will be won or lost by decisions made in this region,” said Haruhiko Kuroda, ADB President. “An important key to lowering energy intensity is the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies and a rapid transition to renewable energy. Asia must also take radical steps to increase energy efficiency and the efficiency of entire economies.”

The opening plenary session, on June 22, will include remarks from Mr. Kuroda; Mohamed El-Ashry, Senior Fellow, UN Foundation and chairman of the Renewable Energy Policy Network (REN21); and Amory Lovins, Co-founder, Chairman and Chief Scientist, Rocky Mountain Institute (by video). Jennifer Morgan, WRI’s Director of Climate and Energy Program, will give the closing plenary speech.

“In order to meet the challenge of climate change, we need a fundamental transformation in our global energy system with a rapid increase of renewable energy and improvements in energy efficiency,” said Morgan. “With a significant increase in investment in clean energy, Asia can drive economic growth and innovation as it reduces carbon emissions that are altering the climate.”

WRI is working to support Asian countries in reaching their clean energy potential by drawing on the institute’s technical expertise, research, analytical tools, and stakeholder engagement. WRI experts work in areas such as policy and regulation, finance and investment, innovative business models and energy poverty to help a smooth transition to renewable energy.

“Hundreds of millions of people in Asia still lack access to energy and, meanwhile, energy demands are accelerating in the region,” said Athena Ronquillo-Ballesteros, Project Manager of International Financial Flows and Environment Project, WRI. “It’s up to governments, investors and other decision-makers to determine the path ahead for clean energy in the region. More investment is needed to increase energy access and move Asia toward a low-carbon future.”

Get more information about the 6th Asia Clean Energy Forum

Read an Op-ed by Jennifer Morgan and Athena Ronquillo-Ballesteros

MEDIA ADVISORY: Asia Clean Energy Forum Kicks-Off June 22, Philippines

Lauren Zelin — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:20:23 -0400

Leaders exchange ideas on clean energy innovation, business models, policy and investment at ACEF2011

The Asia and Pacific region will be one of the most important areas for clean energy over the next several decades.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) will co-host the premiere knowledge-sharing platform for clean energy investment in Manila, Philippines, from June 22-24, 2011. The 6th Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) will explore issues in the clean energy sector including policy, regulation, financing and innovative business models; all under the theme of “New Business Models and Policy Drivers: Building the Low-Carbon Future.”

Senior representatives from the host organizations along with energy leaders from around the world will participate in the event.

The Opening Plenary session on June 22 will include remarks from Haruhiko Kuroda, ADB President, and Mohamed El-Ashry, Senior Fellow, UN Foundation and Chairman of the Renewable Energy Policy Network (REN21).

On Friday, June 24, Jennifer Morgan, Director of WRI’s Climate and Energy Program, will give the closing plenary speech “A Vision for a Low Carbon Future.”

Throughout the week, WRI experts will be featured in panel discussions on topics including renewable energy policy, carbon and energy finance, greening public transportation, ESCOs, universal access to energy, energy efficiency financing, low emission development strategies, and more.

WHAT:
Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) 2011, a detailed program of events is available here.

WHEN:
ACEF: June 22 – June 24, 2011

HIGHLIGHTS FOR MEDIA:

Wednesday, June 22, 2011 9-10:30 a.m.: Opening Plenary Session with remarks from Haruhiko Kuroda, ADB President, and Mohamed El-Ashry, Senior Fellow, UN Foundation and Chairman, REN21

Wednesday, June 22, 2011 10:30 a.m.: Media Availability with WRI experts

Thursday, June 23, 2011 6:00 p.m.: Cocktail reception hosted by WRI, ADB and USAID

WHO:
WRI experts are available for media interviews, including:

Jennifer Morgan, Director, Climate and Energy Program
Athena Ballesteros, Project Manager of the International Financial Flows and Environment Project
Dr. Zou Ji, China Country Director
For more information on WRI experts click here

WHERE:
ADB Headquarters, 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City, Philippines

RSVP:
To receive a press pass or to set up interviews, please contact:
DC: Lauren Cole at lcole@wri.org
Manila: Emily Chessin at echessin@wri.org
Beijing: Xiaohua Sun at xsun@wri.org

WRI Experts on Asia's Clean Energy Future

Maggie Barron — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 10:44:50 -0400

Why is Asia such an important region for clean energy deployment? WRI experts respond.

From June 22-24, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) will co-host the premiere knowledge-sharing platform for clean energy investment in Asia, the 6th Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF). Taking place in Manila, Philippines, the event brings together energy leaders from around the world to discuss clean energy policy, regulation, financing and innovative business models.

I sat down with WRI experts who will attend the events in Manila and asked each of them, what is unique about Asia’s path to low-carbon development?

Opportunities of a Low-Carbon Economy

Large and small countries in Asia understand the opportunities of a low-carbon economy. We’re seeing these countries transition rapidly to renewable energy, and in doing so driving global markets. China, for instance, is leading the world in renewable energy investment, and others are looking to follow its lead. These successes may help drive even greater ambition among Asian countries, allowing countries to reap the economic, environmental and development benefits of a low-carbon economy.

— Jennifer Morgan, Director, Climate and Energy Program

Global Leadership and Innovation

The low-carbon transformation will be very different from technological transformations of the past because many of the innovations will come from developing countries, in particular countries from Asia.

These are the countries making large scale investments in energy infrastructure. They are transforming their economies to be competitive participants in the global clean energy value chain, as they make the transition from low cost, low skill manufacturing to high skill, high value-added manufacturing. They see the potential to become global leaders in the clean energy sector while meeting domestic energy challenges.

— Letha Tawney, Senior Associate, Two Degrees of Innovation

The Meaning of “Clean” Energy

Asia is home to a large proportion of the world’s poor, who either have no or very limited access to energy. And it’s also home to some serious gaps in governance. That’s why when we say “clean energy” we need to make sure we’re talking about both a type of fuel and an absence of corruption. There is no reason why vested interests will not become entrenched in the clean energy space, just as they have in the energy sector in the past.

So governments need to strive for more transparency, inclusive decision-making, and accountability. Business as usual will allow inefficiencies to continue, with little if any regulatory oversight.

Countries that exclude people from decisions about clean energy deployment run serious governance risks. To a farmer whose land is taken over without due process, it’s of very little consequence whether it’s for coal or for a solar PV plant. The governance challenges in the energy sector don’t go away just by calling it “clean.”

— Bharath Jairaj, Senior Associate, Electricity Governance Initiative

Scaling Up Smart Renewable Energy Policies

Asian countries are providing more and more examples of smart policies that lead to increased deployment of renewable energy in line with their broader development objectives. And they are learning from each other, instead of looking only to developed countries or international institutions for advice.

These countries can develop good models of what we refer to as “smart renewable energy policy”, but if they want to scale them up to the level that is necessary to meet the huge energy challenge Asia faces, they will need international financial support. For example, both India and Thailand pay guaranteed prices to renewable energy producers, paid for with a surcharge on electricity. They are supporting renewable energy with their own resources. Yet their resources are limited, so their support for renewables can only go so far. Donors need to step in, build on existing successes and help bring them to scale. A meeting like ACEF brings donor institutions and in-country experts together and provides an opportunity to form the partnerships necessary to expand on countries’ successes so far.

— Lutz Weischer, Research Analyst, Two Degrees of Innovation

A Role for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs in Asia are taking on the issue of energy access. There’s a lot of talk about large solar installations, but those come with their own storage and distribution challenges – how are you going to expand the grid to get that solar energy to a remote village? That’s why there is so much potential for decentralized clean energy, like solar lanterns, microhydro plants, and biomass gasification.

For the first time we’re starting to see a critical mass of companies that are selling these kinds of electricity products, and prices keep coming down. So it’s no longer an issue of technology, or price. It’s now about getting these technologies to consumers. That’s a really important shift, and entrepreneurs are coming up with creative solutions to tap into this very significant rural market.

— Saurabh Lall, Research Officer, New Ventures

Energy Efficiency Brings a Competitive Advantage

In Asia, there’s very real pressure for companies to invest in energy efficiency, both from governments and from large customers who want to squeeze carbon out of their supply chains.

So there’s this confluence of very strong policy drivers, very strong demand drivers, and industries that recognize the opportunity to gain a competitive advantage. These all create the conditions for a good market for energy efficiency technology.

The challenge now is that a lot of the low-hanging fruit for energy efficiency projects has already been achieved. The next step is for companies to make longer term investments, and for that many of them need external financing. If Asian countries can help companies address some of the financing and capacity barriers, they can jumpstart a lot of new technology and continue to drive costs down.

— Xiaoyu Shi, Associate, Climate & Energy Program

An Urgent Necessity

Right now Asia is at a crossroads. Energy demand in the region continues to grow rapidly and is expected to rise at a rate well above the global average. Asia must decide whether to meet this demand using traditional carbon-intensive technologies or switch to clean energy and enable the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Asian countries face serious threats from the potential impacts of climate change on their economies, their ecosystems and their people. This combined with rising prices for food and fossil fuels make the case for low-carbon future. This is no longer a matter of choice - it’s an urgent necessity. With Asia leading the charge on massive investments in wind, solar, biomass and geothermal, it has the opportunity to become a major hub for clean energy investments.

— Athena Ballesteros, Project Manager, International Financial Flows and Environment

Renewable Energy & Efficiency

Kevin Lustig — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:43:14 -0400

Open Climate Network

The Open Climate Network (OCN) is an independent, international partnership that tracks and reports on the progress of key countries on climate change. OCN partners will be tracking clean technology policies, investment, jobs, and more in countries around the globe.

Read more

A variety of technologies, including wind power and solar power, exist today to provide low-cost, low-carbon power to nations and communities of all sizes, and a variety of policies and incentives can make renewable energy both effective and economical everywhere. WRI works to help stakeholders navigate the technical, financial, and policy issues surrounding renewable energy and energy efficiency, and promote those actions that make clean power available to everyone.

Wind and Solar Power

Clean electricity produced by the power of the wind and the sun is key to efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change. WRI provides resources to help key groups identify the right mix of policies, strategies, and incentives to maximize the benefits of these technologies. Read more

» See all WRI resources on wind power | solar power

Renewable Energy in Developing Countries

The majority of new electrical capacity around the world in the coming decades will be built in developing countries–the same countries that are at greatest risk from the impacts of climate change. WRI works with partners around the world to identify the right mechanisms for growing renewable energies in developing countries. Read more

» See all WRI resources on renewable energy in developing countries

Energy Efficiency Financing in China

The China Energy Efficiency Financing project seeks to help remove one of the principal barriers to implementing energy efficiency projects in the industrial sector in China – lack of access to financing sources under reasonable terms. Read more

Low-Carbon Energy Technology

Kevin Lustig — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:37:59 -0400

The engine of economic growth around the globe has traditionally run on fossil fuels. However, a wide variety of technologies now provide opportunities for tremendous growth while reducing the risk to our climate. WRI informs efforts to employ an effective mix of policy, economic mechanisms, and international cooperation to spur the global energy transformation yielding low-cost, safe, and reliable low carbon energy solutions.

Use these links to explore WRI’s work on low-carbon energy technology:

Grounding Green Power: Bottom-Up Perspectives on Smart Renewable Energy Policy in Developing Countries

Maggie Barron — Tue, 24 May 2011 12:51:13 -0400

Watch the summary interview with Lead Author Lutz Weischer

This paper was published by the German Marshall Fund of the United States in cooperation with the Heinrich Boell Foundation and the World Resources Institute.

Developing Countries in the Renewable Energy Transformation

In order to meet the intensifying climate challenge, the global energy system must undergo a fundamental transformation, with a rapid increase of renewable energy worldwide. Developing countries are at the forefront of this challenge, since they are expected to add around 80 percent of all new electric generation capacity worldwide in the next two decades.

The deployment of energy from renewable sources is accelerating in developing countries, and already accounts for a higher percentage of electricity generation than in the developed world. In 2008, non-OECD nations generated 21 percent of their electricity from renewable sources including large-scale hydroelectric power (compared with 17 percent in OECD countries), according to International Energy Agency (IEA) statistics. However, this figure must more than double by 2035, to 46 percent, in order to meet the IEA’s “450 scenario,” which outlines a climate friendly pathway for meeting global energy demands.

Transforming the energy system on this scale will require significantly increased support from developed countries, channeled through both bilateral assistance and multilateral institutions, as well as philanthropic initiatives. Our conclusions, derived from a series of case studies and a comprehensive review of existing literature, suggest that donors should deploy financial support more effectively by moving beyond a project-by-project approach to one that creates the right environment for investments in scaled-up, nationwide deployment.

This working paper seeks to assist in this process, by identifying key components of smart renewable energy policy in developing countries, focusing on the power sector. It also provides recommendations for maximizing the effectiveness of international support for deployment of renewable energies, drawn from these on-the-ground experiences in developing countries.

About this Working Paper

Chapter 1 introduces the approach and methodology taken in this paper and describes the key concepts we address. The second chapter discusses what developing countries are already doing to deploy renewable energy sources, and how they can be supported in scaling up such efforts. It also introduces a set of principles of smart renewable energy policy to propel such a transformation, developed by the World Resources Institute. These are based on insights drawn from case studies of existing renewable energy policies in 12 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America as well as from existing literature.

The following five chapters each examine one key element of smart renewable energy policy, discuss lessons learned, and identify needs for international support. These cover planning and strategy (Chapter 3), well-designed generation-based incentives (Chapter 4), an enabling policy and regulatory framework (Chapter 5), attractive financing conditions (Chapter 6), and the necessary technical environment (Chapter 7). Our findings and recommendations are summarized in Chapter 8.

Principles of Smart Renewable Energy Policy

We define smart renewable energy policy as the set of rules, regulations, and government actions that lead to an increased share of renewables in total electricity consumption in line with a country’s development objectives. Smart renewable energy policy encourages private investment, achieves its objectives in a cost-effective way, promotes continuous innovation, and is designed through transparent, accountable, and participatory processes.

Presentation

Download Slides (PDF, 839 Kb)

IPCC Study: Renewable Energy Could Provide Majority of World’s Energy by 2050

Lutz Weischer — Mon, 23 May 2011 09:09:17 -0400

Recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a comprehensive study on renewable energy, entitled Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation. The report finds that by 2050, nearly 80 percent of the world’s energy supply could be provided by renewable energy sources. WRI Analyst Lutz Weischer, who works on renewable energy policies, sat down to talk about the report’s implications.

Why is this report significant?

IPCC reports have a credibility and legitimacy that few other sources can match. Because this report draws upon the analysis of preeminent scientists, economists and engineers engaged in climate and energy research, the conclusions have considerable weight. This particular report looks at 164 peer-reviewed energy scenarios to find common themes about what the world’s energy supply will look like in 2050. They also assessed the literature on the technical potential of renewable energy sources, the benefits they can bring beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the barriers that stand in the way of broader deployment. The report will be the go-to place for anyone who wants to get a credible and comprehensive view on the global potential of renewable energy.

What are the report’s primary findings?

The report predicts renewable energy, excluding traditional biomass¹, to grow three to ten times by 2050. Not all of the 164 scenarios analyzed in the report predict significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions; but those that do show a massive expansion of renewables. In other words, you can’t solve the climate crisis without renewable energy. Depending on how ambitious countries are, nearly 80 percent of the world’s energy supply could be provided by renewables in 2050. The best news is the report finds that we would have enough wind, water, sun and biomass resources available to meet all of the world’s energy needs with today’s technologies. However, it highlights several political and financial challenges to reaching those numbers.

Many fear that cost is the biggest barrier to large scale deployment of renewable energy. What’s your take on that?

People shouldn’t have to chose between affordable and clean energy - but in most cases fossil fuels are still cheaper than renewables. One reason is that most countries heavily subsidize fossil fuels. The IPCC report suggests that if fossil fuels were not subsidized and reflected their true costs – taking into account externalities like their impact on health and the environment – renewables would be much more cost-competitive.

The world needs cleaner energy, but we also need to find ways to increase energy access for the hundreds of millions of people who currently go without. At WRI, we try to reconcile these two goals. We’re studying ways to drive down the cost renewable energy and also improve its performance, so that it can become available to more people.

One strategy is for countries to phase out fossil fuel subsidies while adding incentives and subsidies for renewable energy that are designed to encourage innovation. In the long run, this would allow renewable energy to be competitive with traditional sources of power, and countries could phase out those incentives as well.

It’s important to note that in some regions of the world, such as rural regions in Africa, renewable energy is already a cost-competitive source of power.

What other policies are needed to tap into our renewable energy potential?

WRI’s research shows that it’s not enough to just create financial support for renewable energy. Smart renewable energy policy should also include targets (such as a renewable energy standard that sets a renewable generation requirement), improvements to a country’s regulatory structure (to ensure that rules are in place to integrate renewables into a country’s energy system), and incentives to encourage community participation in energy decisions. To accelerate the transition to clean energy, you also need companies that are willing to invest in renewable energy projects, and banks willing to back those projects. In developing countries, that support may need to come from bi- and multilateral development banks.

What does the IPCC report say about how renewable energy can meet development goals?

The report suggests that renewable energy may be a good way to increase energy access. In many areas of the world that lack advanced grid systems, electricity is best produced locally. Rather than importing and transporting diesel fuel to a rural area, for instance, a village could create a micro-grid based on the solar resources they have and save money in the process. In many remote areas, decentralized projects can be cheaper and cleaner than grid expansion, as well as providing energy security.

Much of the growth in renewable energy is predicted to come from developing countries. Why?

The report highlights that 53 percent of current renewable electricity generation capacity is in developing countries, and that the majority of future renewable growth will also be in developing countries.

Developing countries are interested in renewable energy for several reasons: energy access, energy security, economic development opportunities, and even the health benefits that renewable energy have over fossil fuels. These countries are acting in their national interests.

How does the IPCC report relate to WRI’s work?

WRI examines how to realize the full potential of renewable energies that is presented in the IPCC report. For example tomorrowk we will release a paper titled Grounding Green Power, that draws lessons learned from developing countries on smart renewable energy policy and provides guidance to donors who are looking for the most efficient ways to support the clean energy transition. In a recent report, High Wire Act, we looked at one of the key barriers identified in the IPCC report, integrating renewables into the power grid, with detailed case studies of the United States, China and the EU. We also conduct research on issues related to governance and finance and how they influence renewable energy deployment. At the upcoming Asia Clean Energy Forum in Manila, we will present the full spectrum of our renewable energy analysis.

The report looks at six renewable energy sources: Direct solar, geothermal energy, hydropower, ocean energy, wind energy and bioenergy. ”Traditional biomass” is a form of bioenergy and mainly refers to burning wood for cooking and heating purposes in many parts of the developing world. In most scenarios, a decrease in the use of traditional biomass is predicted, as people switch to more modern energy sources. To get an accurate idea of the growth in all other renewable energy sources, traditional biomass was excluded when calculating these growth rates. ↩

Purchasing Power: Best Practices Guide to Collaborative Solar Procurement

Maggie Barron — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:30:59 -0400

Executive Summary

Background

Solar photovoltaics (PV) is a commercially proven technology and, in markets with incentives, can compete with traditional fossil fuel-based power. Wider adoption and decreases in manufacturing costs are driving down the cost of solar electricity. As the industry grows and matures, it will optimize and standardize its practices to further reduce costs and make solar energy accessible to a mainstream market. The crucial role of policy in accelerating this industry growth and maturation cannot be understated. Today, however, several barriers remain to bringing solar PV to scale:

Transaction costs can be high. Because the industry is fragmented and installation processes are not standardized around the country, each developer has different procedures and negotiated contracts. Allocating internal staff resources to research solar power and to negotiate fair contracts for each potential site can be expensive.
Learning takes time and effort. Potential buyers have to learn on their own about the solar market, financing, and technology, while building internal consensus for moving forward.
Demand is fragmented with many individual sites being developed opportunistically. The current patchwork approach of designing, permitting, contracting, and installing systems for one facility at a time is inefficient.

These barriers help explain the slow pace of solar PV adoption among commercial and government consumers. However, collaborative purchasing can help overcome these barriers and scale up solar PV deployment. By organizing interested consumers (and their potential installation sites) into groups, collaborative purchasing can reduce transaction costs, educate potential buyers, and aggregate demand so that solar panels can be installed at lower-than-average costs.

Purpose

This Best Practices Guide is intended to assist commercial and government entities in the process of organizing and executing a collaborative solar purchase. A measure of success will be the number of readers who use this guide in purchasing solar power to meet their electricity needs more sustainably and at an affordable price. The guide outlines a list of best practices, which together constitute a 12-step process to capture the economic and practical benefits of a joint purchase. The starting point for participating in such an effort is simply an interest in purchasing solar electricity. The best practices are intended as a resource for project planning and decision making. They provide specific actions in chronological order, with milestones to indicate when to move from one step to the next. The end goal is that regional groups of participants will have solar PV installed on their facilities at competitive prices.

Experts in the solar energy field, including those specializing in regional collaboration, helped to develop the best practices presented here. They are based on extensive research and real-world experiences, and are supported by case studies (one a private sector collaborative and one with public-sector participants). These two cases were unique models of regional collaboration, among the first in the country at this scale. Like all new approaches to a problem, both efforts encountered challenges along the way. Throughout the guide, we illustrate the lessons learned from these challenges, point out pitfalls to avoid, and highlight ways to streamline the process. We also provide resources, such as solicitation and procurement documents, participant questionnaires, and evaluation criteria.

By promoting the use of this guide and sample documents, we hope to encourage the use of these models for regional collaborative efforts. Successful collaboration can lead to lower costs, increased competition and vendor performance, and better projects with higher visibility.

Twelve Steps for Collaborative Solar Purchasing

1 Early regional recruiting

RESULTS: Initial participants indicate interest and agree to proceed with site identification and assessment in next stage.

2 Initial participant questionnaire

RESULTS: List of potential participating organizations with site opportunities and considerations documented.

3 Solar project workshop

RESULTS: All participants share common understanding about the basics of collaborative purchasing, key metrics to evaluate, timeline, and expectations of them. Lead organization has been identified.

4 Consolidated analysis of sites

RESULTS: Compelling technical overview of total purchase size and individual bundles. This initiative overview is consolidated into packet including talking points explaining expected benefits for participants and lead organization.

5 Internal decision maker consultation

RESULTS: Buy-in to proceed in procurement process to drafting RFP is obtained from decision makers in each participant/lead organization.

6 Design of procurement process & documents

RESULTS: All participants agree to procurement process, template contracts, and standard terms with understanding of risks and opportunities.

7 Request for proposals

RESULTS: RFP issued with compelling bids received from potential vendors.

8 Proposal evaluation

RESULTS: Winning bidder is selected for each bundle through competitive process that ensures best-value vendor selection.

9 Negotiations and award

RESULTS: Negotiations are complete with successful award and signed contracts with a qualified vendor for each bundle, within agreed timeline.

10 Installation project management

RESULTS: Solar PV systems are properly built to meet or exceed specifications and safety standards.

11 Commissioning and operations

RESULTS: Successful solar installations demonstrate energy production and savings as planned for 25 years or more.

12 Celebration of success

RESULTS: Participants’ internal and external stakeholders, regional community, and government are aware of the positive impact of this effort and support future projects.

Next Practice Collaborative: Business in a Zero-Carbon Economy

Kevin Lustig — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:13:27 -0400

Road Testing: Tool for Sustainability SWOT Teams

This tool, currently in draft form during our corporate road test, is designed to help you gather perspectives on multiple “megatrends” and draw connections to the environmental challenges creating important business risks and opportunities.

Interested in road testing the SWOT tool? Contact Eliot Metzger at emetzger@wri.org or (202) 729-7848.

Current Road Testers:

Log In to the SWOT tool

Mining Megatrends for Innovation

WRI is working with partner companies to develop practical tools and guidance that will help make a compelling case for sustainability innovations. Key themes are emerging from research and interviews with leading companies regarding the competitive advantages to be found in understanding and exploring megatrends.

Climate and energy mega-trends can drive tomorrow’s markets. These represent mega-opportunities for those who reach beyond today’s best practices and pioneer what late WRI board member CK Prahalad termed “next practices.”

Tomorrow’s economic leaders will be those who capture mega-opportunities, advancing transformative strategies at the pace and scale required to meet today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. The “winners” will be those with solutions that meet global demands for resources like energy and water, eliminate greenhouse gas concentrations, and enable climate-resilient development.

WRI and partners are pioneering new, innovative approaches to move beyond today’s leadership standards. We expect to transform business models and realize new markets to build prosperous economies.

Corporate “Next Practices”

Photo credit: flickr/Philippe Put

Two Degrees of Innovation

Kevin Lustig — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:53:55 -0400

Key Resources

Innovations in the global power sector need to emerge and spread quickly to drive down cost and improve performance to the point that low-carbon development becomes the default choice everywhere in the world. Today, the available low-carbon energy solutions - renewable energy such as wind and solar, energy efficiency and other clean technologies - are often too costly to meet the dual challenges of climate change and economic development.

WRI’s Two Degrees of Innovation project works with practitioners to build a robust global innovation system to catalyze rapid and continuous improvements in the price and performance of low-carbon power sector technologies through innovation beyond the lab.

To Increase Use of Solar Power, Collaboration Can Help

Jenna Goodward — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:04:20 -0400

Collaborative solar purchasing brings buyers together to reduce the costs of solar energy.

With its stable pricing and strong generation during high-consumption hours, companies and government agencies are increasingly turning to solar power to meet their environmental targets. Yet for organizations with little experience in purchasing solar power, the process can be complicated and seem prohibitively expensive.

See our new Best Practices Guide to Collaborative Solar Purchasing

That’s why WRI is piloting collaborative solar purchasing initiatives, in partnership with the Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, Optony Inc. and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These regional collaboratives will bring interested solar users together to increase demand and lower transaction costs.

April 26, 2011 Download our new Best Practices Guide to Collaborative Solar Purchasing

Solar Opportunities on the Rise

Solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity can be an attractive option for companies and government agencies to shift to a reliable, renewable electricity source:

The recent Executive Order 13514, requiring federal agencies to reduce their GHG emissions by 28% by 2020 (below a 2008 baseline), provides more motivation to explore solar installation.
On the corporate side, voluntary climate commitments continue to grow and leading companies are installing ever larger solar systems. Many organizations have found that their large roofs (atop commercial buildings, warehouses, government offices, military bases, schools, etc.) are ideal locations for installing solar, and more efficient than solar on individual homes.
Solar companies are using power purchase agreement (PPA) to win customers by charging them for each unit (kilowatt-hour) of electricity rather than the whole system upfront.

Solar Barriers

To capture the opportunity for widespread solar adoption in these markets, a number of barriers must be addressed:

Transaction costs remain high for solar purchasing, in part because the industry is more fragmented and less standardized than “traditional” energy providers. Staff time for research and legal fees to draft new contracts are not cheap, and the first few megawatts of projects may not seem worth such investments.
Education takes time. If staff have to learn on their own about the solar market, financing, and technology, it can be overwhelming.
Demand is fragmented. The current patchwork approach of designing, permitting, contracting and installing systems for one facility at a time is inefficient. Customers are missing out on the economies and efficiencies of large scale solar.

New Possibilities for Collaborative Solar Purchasing

Solar@Work

Our new pilot program, Solar@Work, will help San Francisco area business purchase affordable solar electric systems. Solar vendors, financiers, and local businesses are encouraged to participate. Learn more here.

In an effort to make solar purchasing easier and more affordable for the private and public sectors alike, WRI and Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network have both piloted on-the-ground collaborative solar purchasing initiatives. By organizing interested energy users in the same region, these types of initiatives reduce transaction costs, educate potential buyers, and aggregate demand so that projects can be installed at lower average cost per megawatt. The U.S. EPA has launched its Clean Energy Procurement Initiative in the Washington DC and metro areas, and is developing regional aggregated clean energy purchases at scale for multiple government and educational organizations.

We have now joined forces, with the additional expertise of Optony Inc. to write a best-practice guide to solar purchasing. The Guide will be published in early 2011, and additional resources will be made available on this website to help potential solar customers navigate the learning process, and find others who are interested in joining forces to buy solar together. Check back here to find new resources,

A Preview of What’s to Come:

Best-Practice Guide to Collaborative Solar Purchasing
Guidance on how to issue a joint Request for Proposals;
Contract templates, like the Power Purchase Agreement that the Silicon Valley Initiative will use to buy solar;
Information on locations where solar makes the most sense given current incentives;
Connections to potential buyers who are looking to collaborate.

For more information on this project, contact Jenna Goodward

Scaling Up Low-Carbon Technology Deployment: Lessons from China

Maggie Barron — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:33:28 -0400

Executive Summary

The low-carbon energy imperative

Among the issues domestic and international policymakers must address in combating climate change is how to deploy and diffuse current low-carbon technologies in developing countries.

Developing countries, while bearing little responsibility for historical releases of greenhouse gases (GHG), now account for an increasingly large percentage of global atmospheric emissions. Today, they make up around 50 percent of emissions (CAIT 2005) and by 2030 this figure will rise to 65 percent (EIA 2009). Thus, without widespread deployment of low-carbon technologies in China, India, and beyond, global efforts to stabilize emissions and prevent dangerous levels of warming will be severely undermined.

Globally, while the pace of technology deployment has dramatically accelerated over recent decades, technology deployment within low- and middle-income countries remains slow. Only 30 percent of developing countries have reached the 25 percent penetration threshold and only 9 percent have reached the 50 percent threshold for technologies invented between 1975 and 2000 (Comin & Hobijn 2004). Low-carbon technology deployment generally aligns with this rule, with a few exceptions, notably China.

China’s leadership and approaches The speed and scale of technology deployment is highly correlated with income level. Despite being a lower-middleincome country, China has bucked this trend, boasting technological achievements greater than those of many high-income countries. In particular, China’s government has poured money, R&D resources, and a combination of incentives and regulatory levers, into developing and deploying technologies in the cleaner energy (such as supercritical/ultrasupercritical coal-fired power generation), renewable energy, and energy efficiency sectors. It has also invested in a range of partnership models with overseas governments and companies, including joint ventures, licensing agreements, and joint design. As a result, China has transformed itself over the past two decades from a low-carbon technology importer to a major manufacturer of a number of low-carbon technologies.

Scaling Up Low-Carbon Technology Deployment: Lessons from China examines how low-carbon technologies have been introduced, adapted, deployed, and diffused in three greenhouse gas-intensive sectors in China. By focusing on key policy and program drivers, the report identifies the building blocks for China’s successful low-carbon technology deployment infrastructure. Its purpose is twofold: to draw lessons of use in informing broader international cooperation on technology transfer and deployment; and to help governments and industries in middle- and low-income countries to pursue an effective transition to a low-carbon economy.

Focus technologies

This report focuses on three energy technologies:

supercritical/ultrasupercritical (SC/USC) coal-fired power generation technology;
onshore wind energy technology; and
blast furnace top gas recovery turbine (TRT)technology in the steel sector.

Why these particular technologies? First, all three if widely deployed could make a significant dent in emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas. As the power and steel sectors are major global energy consumers, efficiency improvement in these sectors entails large carbon dioxide reduction. Wind, the fastest growing renewable energy source, is the most likely renewable technology to capture a big share of the global electricity mix. Coal will likely remain a key global energy provider for decades to come. Second, these three technologies present diverse opportunities for future deployment both in China and internationally. Such diversity enables the lessons contained in this report to address issues across a broad spectrum of low-carbon technology deployment— thus maximizing its potential impact.

Key findings

China has accelerated its low-carbon technology deployment in recent decades, making the transition from technology importer to major manufacturer of a number of low-carbon technologies. China has made comprehensive efforts to put in place the infrastructure to achieve accelerated deployment and diffusion of the three technologies examined in this report. This indicates its commitment to becoming a global player in the low-carbon economy, securing a domestic energy supply, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
China’s experience highlights the important role of effective domestic policy in stimulating low-carbon technology. While the government took different approaches for each of the three technologies examined in this report, its building blocks for technology deployment infrastructure include:

Making a deliberate, holistic plan and long-term commitment to the localization of a low-carbon technology. This approach is taken in all three cases.
Establishing direct R&D funding programs to support the launch and scale-up of low-carbon technology innovation. This approach is especially prominent in the case of SC/USC coal-fired power generation technology.
Improving businesses’ technological absorptive capacity through directly funding their technology learning. The success enjoyed by two leading Chinese clean energy companies—Goldwind’s surge in the global wind market and Shanxi Glower Group’s dominance of the domestic TRT market— are both indebted to this measure.
Capitalizing on public-private and industryacademia synergies to bring together multi-sector expertise. The success of the localization of SC/ USC in particular is built on such multi-sector synergies.
Designing national-level and sector-wide laws, policies, and regulations to scale-up commercialization of low-carbon technology, create domestic markets, and drive down the costs. The rapid development of domestic wind energy greatly benefited from such a legal and regulatory infrastructure.
Relying on international cooperation to pursue new-to-market technology and knowledge. TRT technology’s transfer and deployment resulted from China-Japan cooperation in the steel sector.

China’s ambitious localization process for low-carbon technology has raised concerns about intellectual property rights (IPR) within some foreign governments and among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) companies. The case studies found the situation regarding technology transfer to be more complex, including issues related to ambiguous ownership and contractual arrangements as well as IPR. While our case studies show that some foreign firms have benefited significantly from China’s low-carbon technology sector, both the SC/USC and TRT case studies reveal that while the Chinese government viewed these models as successful, international companies involved were less convinced. Our survey of multinationals involved in China’s low-carbon technology sector also revealed that such firms typically do not transfer all parts of a technology to China, holding back some of their IPR. This approach addresses the international companies’ concerns about IPR protection, but compared to an atmosphere of higher trust is suboptimal both for Chinese and overseas companies.

Conclusions and lessons learned

For Chinese policymakers:

China’s comprehensive efforts to put in place the infrastructure to achieve accelerated deployment and diffusion of low-carbon technology has been very successful in the three technologies examined in this report. Within 20 years, China emerged from a technology importer to a major manufacturer of low-carbon technology. If the same level of effort continues, China could soon be a player at the forefront of low-carbon energy technology innovation. However, underlying China’s success are some concerns that need to be addressed.
China’s preoccupation with localizing key energy technologies may be viewed by foreign companies and governments as going against standard international business practices, such as relying on trade to acquire technologies. The global wind industry, for example, is a globally integrated industry. China’s ambition to localize key wind energy technologies, such as bearing and electric controls, leaves China outside the global integration process—a process that can be harnessed to reduce the cost of wind technologies by increasing economies of scale, fostering competition, and encouraging innovation (Kirkegaard et al. 2009).
In spite of the national government’s effective technology deployment policy, China has not yet addressed the pressing issue of deployment of low-quality technologies. The low entry barrier for domestic wind energy developers highlighted by the wind case study, in particular, underscores the importance of setting high technology standards at the beginning of technology deployment.
China’s business sector still has lessons to learn in conducting international business negotiations. On the one hand we see government-managed processes in the coal and steel sectors that—while effective—may have left some legacy of distrust; on the other hand we see the hyper-competitiveness of the wind industry with its minimal barriers to entry. Nurturing a more sophisticated domestic business sector through market means is a key task for Chinese policymakers seeking to minimize costs and barriers and maximize trust and cooperation so as to scale-up low-carbon energy industries.

For U.S. policymakers:

China’s ambition is to emerge as a global science and technology power and Beijing is keenly aware that the next phase of the science and technology revolution will likely center on low-carbon technology. While the term “indigenous innovation” has been interpreted in international policy circles as encompassing a very narrow group of government procurement policies, in fact, the policies are much more ambitious and involve the kinds of long-term support for RD&D that are detailed in these three case studies.
There are major business opportunities for U.S. companies in China’s low-carbon technology deployment efforts. The success of Japanese and German companies in the wind and power sectors indicates that through joint venture, licensing, or joint design, foreign technology providers can benefit from China’s financial resources, manufacturing capacity, and enormous market. While China’s ambitious localization process for low-carbon technology has raised concerns about intellectual property rights in some foreign governments and among OECD companies, major multinationals surveyed as part of the study did not view IPR as a major issue. In the three case studies, the issue was somewhat more ambiguous. There did not appear to be any outright IPR violation, but instead different perceptions of ownership and contracts have colored some of the arrangements.
China’s experience highlights the importance of effective domestic policy and long-term government commitment. Without clear and lasting signals from the government and a central role for government-funded R&D, the market will not automatically embrace low-carbon technology.

For technology providers:

China’s preference for domestically manufactured technologies can present a competitive risk for foreign companies seeking a foothold in China. However, in practice, depending on the technology investors’ own conditions and needs, foreign technology providers can make a profit through various approaches, including:

Joint venture: Benefits include easy access to the Chinese market and freedom for foreign companies to use their own business model to sell products. One disadvantage is the possibility of leaking intellectual property rights to local partners. Because of this drawback, many joint-venture companies in China act as manufacturers or post-sale maintenance facilities instead of technology developers.
Licensing: Its benefit is guaranteed patent fees and royalties free of concerns about the technology users’ business model. The disadvantage is that China’s exports might swamp the marketplace and the patent owners receive only a small portion of the profit, usually from 3–6 percent of profits.
Joint design: If technology providers lack manufacturing capacity and financial resources, joint design offers good access to China’s financial capital and enormous market. The drawback is that in most cases all patent rights are lost to the Chinese partner companies.
Wholly foreign-owned investment: Benefits include freedom for foreign investors to use their own business models and easy access to China’s large skilled and relatively inexpensive labor force. For China this is a mechanism for training up a workforce in new technologies and related services. The disadvantage for the foreign company is that the Chinese government and scholars do not view wholly foreign-owned investment as a technology transfer mechanism. Therefore the foreign investors are less likely to receive administrative or financial support from the Chinese government.

For other countries who are adapting technology:

Other countries might lack the tremendous scale of resources for domestic investment in R&D that China can bring to bear, but China’s experience demonstrates some clear successes from which other countries can benefit. These include: the active role of the government in pursuing bilateral engagement internationally (in the case of steel); the importance of providing clear and lasting policy signals for clean energy markets (in the case of wind); and the central role that government-funded R&D can play (as illustrated by the localization of all three technologies).

Courage to Lead Dinner Honors Environmental Innovators

Rich Barnett — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:43:26 -0500

WRI Annual Dinner gathers leaders tackling today’s toughest environmental challenges, and raises more than $1 million to support WRI’s work.

Last night more than 350 people joined WRI at The Mandarin Oriental in New York to recognize two visionary leaders who have blazed new paths to protect the environment and improve people’s lives.

Daniel L. Doctoroff, President of Bloomberg L.P., is a successful investor who injected passion and drive into public service and in doing so brought to life to one of the most ambitious urban sustainability initiatives in the world. Under the leadership of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Mr. Doctoroff led New York’s dramatic economic resurgence after 9/11 with a comprehensive five-borough economic development strategy. He also led the creation of PLANYC, the most extensive plan to strengthen an urban environment ever undertaken by an American city.

The Courage to Lead

Watch on YouTube

Charles O. Holliday, Chairman of DuPont, is an engineer who, throughout a career in industry, has harnessed the power of innovation and top line growth toward solving society’s most pressing environmental challenges. Under Mr. Holliday’s leadership, DuPont established its mission to achieve sustainable growth – increasing shareholder and societal value while decreasing the company’s environmental footprint.

WRI’s Courage to Lead Dinner raised over $1 million in unrestricted funds to support the Institute’s ability to find practical solutions to environment and development challenges.

DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman

Marine Conservationist Celine Cousteau, CNN National Correspondent Alina Cho

New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, EMBARQ Director Nancy Kete

Bloomberg President Dan Doctoroff and artist Alex Schuchard

Related Chairman and CEO Steve Ross, Doug Harmon, WRI Chairman Jim Harmon

Jeff Gordon and Ingrid Vandebosche

Dinner Co-Chairs were Peter T. Grauer, Jeffrey R. Immelt, Ellen J. Kullman, and Stephen M. Ross. CNN National Correspondent Alina Cho served as master of ceremonies. Other featured speakers included DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman, WRI President Jonathan Lash, and Director and Producer Ric Burns. The dinner featured a small, dynamic auction led by Lydia Fenet of Christie’s Auction House.

WRI is pleased to recognize the supporters of the evening’s event:

Investors

Bloomberg
DuPont
GE
Stephen M. Ross and Related Companies

Benefactors
Ogilvy & Mather

Sponsors
Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Doctoroff Family Foundation
Louisa and Bob Duemling
Duke Energy and Jim Rogers
Goldman Sachs
Matthew Nimetz and General Atlantic
Ronald Perelman and MacAndrews & Forbes
Invenergy LLC and Michael Polsky
Tishman Speyer
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Patrons
Alcoa Foundation
Angeleno Group and Daniel Weiss
Bank of America
Crowell & Moring
Dickstein Shapiro LLP
Geller & Company
Al and Tipper Gore
James A. Harmon
JPMorgan Chase
News Corporation
NRG Energy, Inc.
Ted and Connie Roosevelt
Shell
Todd S. Thomson
TPG Capital, L.P.
Van Scoyoc Associates and Van Scoyoc Kelly PLLC

Supporters
Glenn R. August
Ballard Spahr LLP
BNY Mellon
CH2M HILL
Estée Lauder Companies, Inc.
Richard Hayes and Deloitte LLP
Morgan Stanley
PNM Resources
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Rio Tinto
Siemens
Peter J. Solomon Company, L.P.
Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch
The Traveler’s Companies, Inc.