Rehinking Development Assistance for Renewable Electricity Sources

According to US DOE projections, the developing world`s demand for electricity will grow by 50% by 2010. While nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide emissions are expected to decline in North America and Europe over the next 25 years, they will more than double in the rest of the world. This article attempts to explore ways in which developing countries can be motivated to develop renewable energy sources to meet their capacity needs. It outlines how multilateral lenders and donor nations can make renewably generated electricity more economically appealing for developing countries. Greater use of renewable technology would allow developing nations to build the capacity they need without endangering human and environmental health. An examination of the history of official development assistance for renewable technologies, however, reveals the necessity of a change in strategy if this shift is to ever take place. Looking at how different renewable electricity technologies - photovoltaics, geothermal, wind, hydropower, and biomass - have been implemented in projects around the world demonstrates the benefits of that change, as well as the price paid by mistakes.