Overview

The Global Workshop on Grid Connected Renewable Energy, sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and organized by the United States Energy Association’s (USEA) Energy Utility Partnership Program (EUPP), was conducted in Washington, D.C. August 31 to September 4, 2009. The Global Workshop brought together key energy industry officials from eight developing countries, the European Union and the United States to discuss the ever-growing role of renewable energy in meeting today's energy demand and the methodologies and policies required to bring these resources efficiently and competitively to consumers. The Global Workshop included three days of presentations, including a session where each country presented their current renewable energy outlook, followed by two days of site visits to renewable energy facilities within the metropolitan D.C. area.

Background

The focus of the Global Workshop was the integration of grid-connected renewable energy in the power sector. The participants-along with key U.S. and European expertsdiscussed the technical, market, regulatory, and policy barriers of renewable grid connection and the strategies, both conceptual and currently implemented, to accelerate renewable energy development. Utility executives, regulators and policy makers increased their knowledge of the latest renewable energy technologies, financing strategies, policies, and successful project development methodologies to learn how to accelerate implementation of renewable energy in their home countries and create a more attractive investment climate for the renewable energy sector. The site visits were designed to allow the participants to observe the methodologies and technologies discussed during the workshop as they are actually implemented in a real-world environment.