Beyond hardware financing: Pro-

poor pathways to low carbon

energy access

Dr David Ockwell

June 2013

D.G.Ockwell@sussex.ac.uk

www.steps-centre.org/project/low_carbon_development

3

Overview

1. Pathways to low carbon development (Stirling 2012)

2. Dominant framing: Hardware financing

3. Alternative 1: Building innovation capacities

4. Alternative 2: Socio-technical nature of change &

development

5. Implications for policy and research

Multiple Pathways to “Low Carbon Development”- What? For who? How?

Multiple Pathways to “Low Carbon Development”- What? For who? How?- Multiple configurations of energy services, access, behaviour, technologies….

Intended and unintended processes and power ‘close down’ pathways

Social expectations, cultural norms

Intended and unintended processes and power ‘close down’ pathways

Historical contingency: Path dependence

Intended and unintended processes and power ‘close down’ pathways

Politics: Interests, power – who frames the problem?

Intended and unintended processes and power ‘close down’ pathways

Economics: Lock-in to inferior technologies – even in competitive markets

Dominant framing: Hardware financing

CDM registered projects and accumulated

investment value, as at end of February 2010

Brazil, 1.2, 2%

China, 32.2, 67%

India, 6.7, 14%

ROW, 8.2, 17%

Source: Bryne et al. based on figures from UNEP Risø (2010)

Number of registered CDM projects as of the end of February 2010, disaggregated by project type (2062 total registered projects)

562

318

297

277

154

132

60

56

45

26

21

19

19

19

13

12

8

7

6

5

2

2

1

1

Hydro

Methane avoidance

Wind

Biomass energy

Landfill gas

EE own generation

N2O

EE industry

Fossil fuel switch

Coal bed/mine methane

HFCs

EE supply side

Solar

Cement

Forests

Fugitive

Geothermal

EE households

PFCs and SF6

EE service

Transport

Energy distribution

Tidal

CO2 capture

Source: Bryne et al. based on figures from UNEP Risø (2010)

• Over 75% registered CDM projects use just five types of technology

• Only one new renewable energy technology – wind – although mature relative to other new renewables

Building innovation capacities

Technology

suppliers

Technology

importers

Technology

transferredSupplier

firms’ engineering, managerial and other

technological capabilities

Capital goods, services & designs

Skills & know-how for operation & maintenance

Knowledge & expertise

behind technology

Accumulation of innovation

capacities

New production capacity

Flow A

Flow B

Flow C

Building innovation systems

Indigenous support for technological

capabilities

National Innovation System

Skills & know-how for operation &

maintenance

Accumulation of innovation capacity

Knowledge & expertise behind

technology

Technology transfer

New production capacityCapital goods,

services & designs

CDM registered projects and accumulated

investment value, as at end of February 2010

Brazil, 1.2, 2%

China, 32.2, 67%

India, 6.7, 14%

ROW, 8.2, 17%

Source: Bryne et al. based on figures from UNEP Risø (2010)

Socio-technical nature of change &

development

Socio-technical nature of change &

development

Socio-technical nature of change &

development

Socio-technical nature of change &

development

Funding distribution of externally manufactured, culturally inappropriate technologies

Different framings: Different distribution of benefits

Funding for one-off, international hardware investments

Participatory technology development & implementation e.g.

- Capabilities to build & maintain cook stoves

- Locally available materials

- Fit with social practices

- Facilitate knowledge transfer within & beyond communities

Different framings: Different distribution of benefits

Building innovation capacity & systems, e.g.

- Nurturing niches of low C energy

- Brokering knowledge flows

- Sourcing local labour & parts

- Cementing networks

Different framings: Different policy, practice & research

Conclusion: Pro-poor pathways to low carbon development?

www.steps-centre.org/project/low_carbon_development