Energy Efficiency is considered a crucial element of resolving two major contemporary challenges: universal access to energy, as well as mitigating climate change. Having traditionally played only a minor role, the topic is now increasingly prominent on the global energy cooperation agenda. Both the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative as well as the Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP) have set ambitious targets for promoting energy efficiency.

However, international experience and approaches to bring about a paradigm shift and a real uptake of energy efficiency in a development context are still limited. Despite the commitment at high international level it is not widely understood how energy efficiency can be promoted, and in particular how a dynamic market uptake for investment in energy efficiency can be stimulated.

This year’s EUEI PDF Discussion Forum thus focused on energy efficiency along three main issues:

• Which business models can deliver energy efficiency?
• What is needed to make it happen in terms of policy aspects?
• What can we do in terms of development instruments to support energy efficiency investments?

The forum report can be downloaded on the right hand side of this webpage.