"Energy efficiency - opportunities for developing and emerging countries"

Conference hosted by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and the KfW Entwicklungsbank for ambassadors from developing and emerging countries with the aim of enhancing energy efficiency: opportunities, obstacles and the way ahead

Background

In times of scarce fossil fuel resources and continuously rising energy prices, an economy's growth and prosperity depend more than ever on the capability to make the use of energy more efficient - not only in Germany but all over the world. Heavy dependence on fossil energy imports and rising oil and gas prices on the world market are exacerbating the social and economic situation in many countries. 

Due to their economies' low diversification and scarce financial resources, the oil and gas importing countries are particularly hard hit by high energy prices. And the ecological implications of conventional fossil fuel usage, such as local air pollution and the risks of global climate change, make the need for action even greater. Especially in emerging countries, fast economic growth and the expansion of production capacities place an excessive burden on the ecosystems. There is a risk that the negative impacts of accelerated industrialisation could undo the economic achievements made so far and harm future opportunities for development.  

By 2030, the worldwide energy consumption will rise by around 50%. Over 70% of this increase will be accounted for by emerging and developing countries, especially by China and India. Today, energy consumption relative to gross national product in most developing countries is considerably larger than that in industrialised countries. In many cases, this must be put down to a lack of incentive systems to promote the implementation of efficiency enhancement measures, to the use of outdated technologies, to insufficient maintenance and servicing of technical equipment and facilities, and to a lack of skills and know-how. These and other factors lead to the conclusion that energy must in future be produced and consumed more efficiently.   

Modern, innovative technologies and more demanding standards in all fields of application can unleash existing efficiency potential right now and can save large amounts of energy. They help to save costs, to increase the security of supply, to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of companies and to reduce ecological damage. Many countries, including numerous emerging and developing countries, have set themselves energy reduction targets and are committed to achieving them by targeted measures and specific technologies.

Germany is the global market and innovation leader in energy efficiency technologies and energy consulting services. We therefore believe we have a responsibility to support the efforts to increase energy efficiency undertaken by emerging and developing countries in particular.

It is vital to point out technically and economically viable energy efficiency solutions to the emerging and developing countries and to identify possibilities for financing. To this end, a conference will be held on 25 November 2008 for ambassadors of emerging and developing countries. We hope that they will subsequently report the received information to the political and business leaders in their home countries.

Objectives of the conference:

• to show the wide range of possibilities to improve energy efficiency in the various fields of application, such as industry, building technology and energy supply
• to give an overview of the offer provided to these countries by the Energy Efficiency Export Initiative and to present its current range of information and consulting services
• to identify various possibilities for financing of energy efficiency measures
• to illustrate energy saving potential by presenting current best practice examples and results of implemented efficiency measures and their economic effects, and thereby
• to encourage similar activities in other countries
• to create an environment for an exchange of ideas between ambassadors and key players from politics, business and relevant institutions as well as other significant stakeholders in the field of energy efficiency and development cooperation.

Hosts of the conference

The conference will be hosted by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in cooperation with the KfW Entwicklungsbank.

• Further parties involved are:
• Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs
• Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety
• Representatives of relevant trade associations
• Representatives of gtz (German Agency for Technical Cooperation) and dena (German Energy Agency) [requested]
• Energy Efficiency Export Initiative

Participants and guests

• Ambassadors/ Embassy representatives from developing and emerging countries
• Members of the Bundestag and representatives of the parliamentary groups
• Representatives from the fields of energy and development policy
• Specialised media representatives and journalists

For further details of the conference, please have a look into our programme