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While nearly every country in the world saw progress in sustainable energy policy between 2017 and 2019, the fastest improvements occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, according to RISE 2020, a new World Bank report showing global progress in energy policies. . But global policy progress is generally slower than in the past, particularly when it comes to renewable energy and energy efficiency.
RISE – Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy – 2020 measures the progress of policies in 138 countries on renewable energy, energy efficiency, access to electricity and access to clean cooking – the four target areas of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), that requires achieving access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030.
“We must continue to drive forward the progress made before the pandemic hit. The prospect of a post-pandemic recovery and low carbon growth presents policymakers with opportunities to accelerate the adoption of sustainable energy policies and accelerate the move towards universal access to energy, ”said Makhtar Diop, World Bank Vice President for Infrastructure . “Recovery plans are also opportunities to establish longer-term strategies and align energy policies with SDG 7 targets over the next decade.”
According to the report, policy progress from 2017 to 2019 accelerated for access to electricity and clean cooking. Among the countries with the largest deficits in access to electricity, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania made the greatest advances in policy adoption. Policies for mini grids and autonomous power systems showed the largest increase in adoption, reflecting the growing role of distributed power for access to electricity relative to the grid. Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania also made progress in the policy of consumer affordability and transparency of public services.
When it comes to clean cooking, major gains were made in 2017-2019 in sub-Saharan African countries, notably Benin, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania, albeit from a low base. That follows notable progress since 2010 in lower and upper-middle-income countries in Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Nepal) and Latin America (Guatemala). While only 15 percent of countries with access deficits to clean kitchens have achieved advanced policy frameworks, of these countries China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia and Kenya account for more than half of the world’s underserved population.
Renewable energy policies are converging between high-, middle- and low-income countries, after a decade of rapid progress across the board. Among the countries covered by RISE, only 37 percent had a national renewable energy target in 2010. By 2019, 99 percent of the world’s countries had established or started a comprehensive legal framework for renewable energy. One-third of countries around the world had advanced policy frameworks for renewables, putting them in the report’s “green zone”, while 44 percent remained in the “yellow zone,” suggesting that there is room for improvement. While the overall renewable energy gap between lower-income and high-income countries closed in 2017-2019, another gap widened: while almost all countries adopted renewable energy policies for electricity, only a third of countries have a clear goal or plan for the use of renewable energy in heating and cooling, and only half for renewables in the transport sector.
By 2019, nearly 70 percent of RISE countries had enacted energy efficiency plans. While OECD countries have the most advanced energy efficiency policy frameworks, the fastest-advancing regions were Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, led by Chad and Ecuador, respectively. The heating and cooling sector recorded the highest scores in energy efficiency policies globally, with approximately 75 percent of surveyed countries having adopted minimum HVAC energy performance standards and labeling measures. However, improvements are still needed across the income spectrum; for example, some Persian Gulf countries have high income levels but lag behind in adopting efficiency measures.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need for policies and regulations that mitigate the risk of global shocks while boosting investments in resilient energy systems and fostering behavioral changes. At the same time, improved sustainable energy policy supports increased employment, particularly around energy efficiency and distributed electrification.
RISE 2020: Sustaining the Momentum is the third edition of the report. The report is published by the World Bank with funding from the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). The full report, along with detailed country profiles, is available at https://rise.esmap.org/
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