HNPW 2022: Market-Based Approaches to Energy Access in Humanitarian Contexts

Background:

There is growing recognition that ensuring access to clean energy in humanitarian contexts improves quality of life of conflict and crisis affected communities while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring environmental protection (commitments 2 and 6 of the Humanitarian Climate and Environment charter), yet humanitarian organizations have yet to systematically integrate clean energy across programming and operations. This session aims to discuss the ‘how to’ and lessons learned from different approaches to delivering market-based energy access for humanitarian operations and conflict affected communities at scale, based on learnings from displacement settings in Rwanda, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Niger. The focus of the discussion will be on how to leverage grant finance and innovative finance mechanisms to reach scale, as well as how to partner with the private sector for end-user focused energy product and service delivery.

Expected Audience: Humanitarian staff and project managers, energy sector partners, donors and financers

Objectives: 

• Raise awareness about different delivery models and blended finance options (outside of typical grant funding) for increasing energy access in humanitarian contexts.
• Provide examples and resources for practitioners to consider and draw inspiration from for future energy programming

Expected Outcomes:

• Experiences from implementing market-based energy access for improved cooking and electricity solutions in displacement settings are shared and documented
• Critical dialogue on lessons learned and challenges is held to learn together as a sector and inform future programme design and implementation

Agenda: 

Timing	Section	Presenter	Key Messages
0:05	Opening & Welcome	Mark Gibson Senior Desk Officer, GPA Coordination Unit	Welcome to session Framework for Blended Finance (from report) Importance of leveraging grant funding to achieve more sustainable delivery of energy access in displacement settings
0:10	Case 1: Sustainable delivery of LPG (Niger) and Holistic Electrification Model (Ethiopia)	Cecilia Ragazzi, Director for Energy Access, Mercy Corps	Presentation on market based, sustainable approaches to LPG delivery in Niger and mini-grid in Ethiopia from Mercy Corps
0:10	Case 2: Market based delivery of solar home systems and productive uses of energy (Rwanda, RE4R)	Laura Clarke, RE4R Project Manager, Practical Action	Presentation on market-based access to solar home systems in multiple refugee camps in Rwanda
0:10	Case 3: Anchor model - Using Renewable Energy Credits for electrification (South Sudan)	Eva Mach, IOM   Linda Wamune, Energy Peace Partners	Details on how greening IOM’s energy infrastructure served as a catalyst for community electrification Details on how Peace Renewable Energy Credit (P-REC) was used to finance electrification of community needs
0:25	Panel Discussion and Q&A	Guiding Questions: How has blended finance has been applied in humanitarian contexts for increasing energy access?  How did this enable market-based approaches (especially in resource constrained / low purchasing power environments)?  What are lessons learned for future project design?