USAID - US Agency for International Development

Donor profile

Origin of funds

Government of USA

Goals/aims

Energy programmes are managed by the Office of Energy, Environment, and Technology (EET) within the Global Environment Centre of the Bureau for Global Programs. USAID's energy sector strategy follows two tracks: the fostering of energy sector reform (legislative, regulatory, and institutional reform) to stimulate private investment, and the promotion of the use of renewables, energy efficiency, and clean energy technologies.

Main form of support

Grant or Subsidy

Typical budget size

Support type

Technical assistance, Social development, Information dissemination, Demonstration projects,

Countries of operation

developing countries worldwide

Main target groups

NGOs, Foundations, Education, Private utility, Research, Consultants, Industry, Government

General conditions

Example projects

In helping to amend legal frameworks to increase private sector investments, USAID activities have supported the legal separation of electricity generation, transmission, and distribu-tion into different competencies in Armenia and El Salvador, and enabled the establishment of the first privately funded power production project in Nepal. Working with the Philippines Department of Energy, USAID is developing economic models that account for externalities of energy planning options and reflect these costs in revised regulations. USAID's renewables programme includes actions on policy and regulatory changes, mobilisation of business entities, increasing financial commitments, and building capacity in host country institutions which promote renewables. The joint USAID/US Department of Energy-sponsored Mexican Renewable Energy Program has promoted the use of off-grid PV and wind energy, and succeeded in getting these technologies included in a large national agricultural modernisation programme. Energy efficiency activities have been widespread and include the support of energy service companies, DSM, capacity building, the development of standards and codes, and the definition of inter-national financial credit windows to support energy efficiency projects. In CEEC and the NIS, USAID established five energy efficiency centres and provided experts and energy efficiency equipment to produce industrial and building energy audits. This gave some 200 new energy service companies financial, management, and marketing experience. Elsewhere feasibility work in Mexico led to the ILUMEX programme which aims to procure and install two million compact fluorescent lamps. A new credit window, The Environmental Enterprises Assistance Fund (EEAF), set up by USAID, has raised US$13 million for debt or equity investments in environmental projects, including energy efficiency.

Contact details

Webpage: http://www.usaid.gov
Contact: Jeff Seabright
Email: jseabright@...

Sources

This profile, based on initial information contributed by Eco Ltd, was updated within the framework of the Sparknet project supported by the European Commission's Fifth Framework Programme.

Click here for the full list of donor, organisation, and project profiles from Sparknet.

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Page created: 12 March 2004; Last edited: 12 March 2004; Version: 0
Knowledge Bank text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.

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