This report examines how renewable energy can help developing countries boost economic development and alleviate poverty. It highlights the benefits of using renewable energy technologies — from increasing access to electricity to creating jobs — and outlines the hurdles to scaling up production, including the lack of subsidies and government support. The report suggests several actions for policymakers, including creating supportive policies, promoting private investment, nurturing micro-enterprise, and building projects around local needs.

This report, published by Greenpeace, highlights global trends and developments in solar photovoltaics (PV). It includes background information on how PV technologies work and an overview of global PV markets, including predictions for market growth to 2030. Applications of PV technology for grid-connected and off-grid energy are presented and the benefits, cost and competitiveness of these are discussed.

The report makes several policy recommendations, including adopting support schemes, removing fossil-fuel subsidies and implementing legally enforced mechanisms to accelerate PV development.

This report, written by Cédric Philibert of the International Energy Agency, provides an overview of solar thermal technologies and examines the economic, technical and institutional barriers to diffusing these. Examples of barriers include high investment costs, lack of trained engineers and lack of awareness among policymakers and the public.

The author suggests several policies to overcome these — for example, by supporting research and development, encouraging professional training, establishing subsidies for solar thermal technologies, reducing import tariffs and carbon trading.

This report examines ways to increase flows of domestic and foreign investment into clean energy infrastructure and technology in developing countries. It is a synthesis report of the International Institute for Sustainable Development's Clean Energy Investment project.

The authors outline the investment climate in developing countries and suggest ways that policymakers can remove barriers and establish incentives. They suggest there is a need for analytical national studies that highlight the obstacles to clean energy investment — such as a lack of clear guidance on future energy policy, monopoly structures for existing producers, and weak environmental regulation — and a concerted effort at implementing policies to overcome these. The authors also discuss existing international investment law, suggesting ways in which this might foster more clean energy investment.

A policymakers summary of the report is also available.