PGTF Promotes South-South Cooperation in Renewable Energy

“It has been a privilege to share the research and activities undertaken in China with partners in other developing countries,” said Professor Xiaobo Hu, Chief of the Division of Multilateral Development at the ICSHP. “Particularly meaningful was to see firsthand how our experiences empowered Uruguayan counterparts to plan and lead the refurbishment of their small hydropower centres.”“China has developed good small hydropower technologies and equipment,” said Mr. Martin Scarone, Director of Renewable Energies at the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mining of Uruguay. “The study tour gave us the opportunity to learn from ICSHP’s experiences.”ICSHP has developed small hydropower projects across various river basins in China, and in recent years it has significantly refined and certified its research methods to comprehensively survey environmental and socio-economic impacts of hydropower resource development. It has gained substantial expertise refurbishing and upgrading small-scale hydropower plants. Capitalizing on these knowledge, ICSHP organized two regional seminars for partners to share lessons learned, including a multi-partner workshop in Turkey, and a practical joint exercise in Uruguay in 2013 where partners assessed the feasibility of refurbishments at 3 potential sites.Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires a mix of efforts to jointly address environmental sustainability and human development. Small hydropower presents an opportunity to directly contribute to both of these objectives. Its focus on green renewable energy and minimal environmental impact are complemented by its contributions to poverty reduction: providing access to energy, safe water and enhanced livelihoods.Despite its benefits, the current estimated usage of hydropower resources in South America stands at 40%. Even more striking, Asia is only utilizing 25% of its hydropower resources. This implies that an enormous untapped potential exists to foster development in rural areas, while minimally impacting the environment, generating energy, supplying running water and where applicable enabling irrigation. In addition, a large number of single-function aging or abandoned hydropower facilities exist, which are in need of upgrades and maintenance to enable their sustainability.The Perez Guerrero Trust Fund project portfolio includes a number of cooperative initiatives focused on developing country approaches to extending and popularizing renewable energies.