4th International AREA Conference

May 22 – 26, 2012 Rockefeller Bellagio Center, Italy

Access to Sustainable, Renewable Energy in Africa as Prerequisite for the MDGs

As 2012 marks the UN International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, the African Renewable Energy Alliance (AREA) will focus on identifying and promoting the necessary frameworks and instruments for the scaling up of access to renewable energy for all African citizens to improve their livelihoods and to protect the environment. Universal access to sustainable energy means the provision of access to clean and affordable energy with low greenhouse gas emissions for electricity, cooking, lighting, heating and cooling as well as processing.

The conference “Access to Sustainable Renewable Energy in Africa as Prerequisite for the MDGs” will serve as a high level platform for discussion and the development of implementation models. Participants of the conference – policy makers, stakeholders from business, civil society, academia and multilateral organizations – are invited to network, catalyze ideas and share information in a focused manner. Since all participants are experts in their respective fields, there will be no classroom-style talk, but a strong emphasis is put on collaborative work. The meeting aims to concentrate on the evaluation and dissemination of proven models for access to renewable energy, with brief introductions and inputs serving as the basis for collaboration to resolve operational issues, barriers and challenges as well as elaboration of sustainable solutions on various levels of implementation.

The workshop will consist of consultation around four areas of renewable energy promotion that propose innovative solutions.  Models introduced for thorough discussion and evaluation will be micro-financed off-grid systems, mini-grids in connection with telecommunication infrastructure, financing mechanisms for thermal applications and scaling up access by switching from fossil to renewable. The institutional, financial, technology research & development and human resource frameworks will be highlighted, evaluated and taken further.