High energy costs contribute to dampening Caribbean competitiveness and potential growth. This paper overviews power sector challenges and takes stock of national and regional strategies to address them. It presents recommendations to move the energy agenda forward based on analyses of macro-aspects of energy reform. These include: i) quantitative assessment of the impact of energy costs on growth and competitiveness; ii) evaluation of gains from implementing announced renewable energy and energy efficiency targets; and iii) analysis of the impact of energy investments on debt sustainability. The paper argues for a bigger role for the private sector in energy reform and discusses prerequisites for good public-private partnerships.

This volume aims to illustrate the uniqueness of the economies of the countries and territories of the Caribbean as well as the similarities they share with other regions. While most countries in the region share many of the characteristics of middle-income countries, theirs is a matter of extremes. Their generally small size suggests a fragility not found elsewhere. While much of the world is beginning to feel some effects of climate change, the Caribbean is ground zero. These factors suggest a difficult road ahead, but the chapters presented in this volume aim to help to spur the search for creative solutions to the region’s problems. The chapters, written by expert contributors, examine the Caribbean economies from several perspectives. Many break new ground in questioning past policy mindsets, while developing new approaches to many of the traditional constraints limiting growth in the region. The volume is organized in four sections. Part I examines commonalities, including issues surrounding small economies, tourism, climate change and energy security. Part II looks at obstacles to sustained progress, for example debt, natural disasters and crime. In Part III chapters consider the specific role of external influences, including the USA and the European Union, the People's Republic of China, as well as regional co-operation. The volume concludes in Part IV with country case studies intended to provide a sense of the diversity that runs through the region.

How do households consume and spend on energy? What are the drivers of their spending and consumption patterns? How does energy consumption has evolved? What is to be expected as the region climbs the development ladder? What are the distributive implications of different energy pricing approaches? This book looks at these questions and examines which policies work in reducing energy poverty and increasing energy savings. The authors unveil the growing household demand of better quality of energy and show that to achieve more cost-effective and progressive public policies, it is necessary to strengthen the transparency and sustainability of energy pricing while having into account the consumer behavioral responses. This volume is a resource for designing energy policies based on an empirical understanding of the household’s energy needs.

Physical Capital Development and Energy Transition in Latin America and the Caribbean introduces the reader to applied theory and potential solutions to manage the transition from fossil energies to renewables given the resource wealth and infrastructural limitations of Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. The work presents consistent empirical approaches and relevant econometric approaches grounded in case studies that offer realistic portrayals of complex multidisciplinary phenomena. It provides policymakers with the knowledge needed for economic decision-making, especially regarding the energy transition and the physical capital development in the LAC (and similar developing regions). The work concludes by road mapping future LAC physical capital investment options to promote 21st-century sustainable energy development. - Analyses the macroeconomics of physical capital and energy transition in LAC countries - Uses case studies to draw pragmatic comparative energy policy implications - Deploys econometric techniques to address empirical approaches on energy and development economics - Discusses the effects of the energy transition on environmental degradation - Links energy economics and public investment management

It will appeal to scholars of sociology and development studies with interests in the Caribbean region and world order.

This volume centers on the idea that innovative approaches for energy access can work with previously underutilized or unrecognized resources, as this may lead to circumstances for the development of successful and sustainable energy programs. Such untapped resources may be seen in the discovering of synergies in areas such as pre-existing service infrastructures, supply chain and value chain management, natural resource availability, financing schemes, and leap frog technologies. Additionally, decentralized approaches can contribute to climate change adaptation measures and increase resiliency for vulnerable communities. Of course small-scale solutions have clear limitations in regard to global climate, and it is important to consider how far they can extend and aggregate impact. This book assembles a selection of articles, collected from the 2014 Energy Access Conference at UC Berkeley, aiming to consider technical, financial, human, institutional, and natural resource capital. Im Fokus der Konferenz “Innovating Energy Access for Remote Areas: Discovering Untapped Resources”, die vom 10. bis zum 12. April 2014 an der University of California stattfand, war der Zugang zu moderner Energieversorgung in strukturschwachen Regionen. Dieser Tagungsband trägt eine Reihe von innovativen Ansätzen zusammen, die auf der Konferenz diskutiert wurden. In den Beiträgen spiegeln sich aktuelle Konzepte, Theorien, Methoden und Techniken im Bereich der dezentralen Energieversorgung. Im Mittelpunkt vieler Beiträge steht die Frage, wie sich vormals ungenutzte oder unbekannte lokale Ressourcen nutzbar machen lassen. Neue Potentiale ergeben sich aus Synergien zwischen supply and value innovation, neuen Finanzierungsansätzen und der Nutzung sogenannte „leapgfrog technologies“. Die Beiträge zeigen, wie dezentrale Ansätze und kleinteilige lokale Lösungen zur Bekämpfung des Klimawandels und die Anpassung an seine Folgen beitragen und die Resilienz gefährdeter Gemeinschaften stärken können.