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21
Centres of Excellence
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| Africa |
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 The
African Energy Policy Research Network / Foundation for Woodstove
Dissemination, AFREPREN/FWD in Kenya, brings together 106 African
energy researchers and policy makers from Africa who have a
long-term interest in energy research and the attendant
policy-making process. AFREPREN/FWD has initiated policy research
studies in 19 African countries. The key objective of AFREPREN/FWD
is to strengthen local research capacity and to harness it in the
service of energy policy making and planning . Initiated in 1987,
AFREPREN/FWD is a collective regional response to the widespread
concern over the weak link between energy research and the
formulation and implementation of energy policy in Africa. |
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 Environnement
et Développement du Tiers Monde (ENDA-TM) is a Non Governmental
Organisation based in Dakar, Senegal. The objectives and
activities of ENDA’s Energy Program include contributing to a
better technical, economic and socio-cultural understanding of
energy issues in African countries and identifying conditions
needed for widening access to affordable energy services and the
most efficient energy technologies for the most underprivileged
groups.In addition ENDA-TM also works with assisting energy
professionals and the strengthening of co-operation and dialogue
between countries. |
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 The Energy
Research Centre (ERC) is an amalgamated group of the former ERI
and EDRC. ERC is based in South Africa and seeks to be a
leading-edge African energy and energy-environment policy
research, development and capacity building institution. In
achieving this vision, ERC is committed to:
• undertaking research to deepen knowledge and understanding of
the energy needs, problems and challenges in South Africa and the
rest of Africa,
• contributing to transformation and improved social equity,
economic efficiency and environmental sustainability in the energy
sector,
• educating, training and developing human resources in the energy
sector. |
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 MEDREC,
Mediterranean Renewable Energy Centre Regional Centre for
training, information dissemination, networking and development of
pilot projects in the field of renewable energies in the
Mediterranean region. MEDREC is a donor-funded project established
within ANER through funding from the Italian Ministry of
Environment. An MOU signed by the Italian Ministry for the
Environment and Territory and ANER outlines the nature of the
Center's mandate |
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| Europe |
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 The Energy
research Center of the Netherlands (ECN) is a major non-profit
organization for energy and environmental research and development
in Europe. ECN contributes to sustainability in all major areas of
technological innovation: renewable sources, particularly wind,
solar and biomass energy; clean fossil fuel applications such as
fuel cells and hydrogen options; and end-use efficiency
improvements in buildings and industrial processes. ECN has a
separate unit for policy studies which aims to improve the synergy
between goals of sustainability and market forces by providing
independent advisory services to the public and private sector on
a national, European and global level. |
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  The
Department of Energy and Environmental Policies (EPE) is located
within the Production and International Integration Economics
Laboratory (LEPII) at Université Pierre Mendès-France. It conducts
economic research in energy, environment, and sustainable
development. The core themes address the links between
technological innovation and sustainable development, energy and
climate, institutions and industrial dynamics. To name a few,
research focuses on power sector reforms in Africa, economic
instruments to spur new and renewable energy technologies, energy
and greenhouse gas emission modelling, challenges of the climate
negotiations and future options for mitigation. LEPII-EPE annually
organizes a training program for energy professionals from
developing countries. LEPII-EPE was previously named Energy
Economics and Policy Institute (IEPE). |
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 Future
Energy Solutions, part of AEA Technology-Environment, is one of
Europe's leading sustainable energy consultancy. We work with both
public and private sector organisations around the world to help
meet sustainability challenges. With over 25 years experience in
all aspects of energy generation and use, covering both fossil
fuels and new and renewable energy sources, we provide trusted
information and advice. Our experts understand sustainable
development energy issues from social, economic, technical and
environmental standpoints. Energy and social development
specialists bring in-depth knowledge and experience from their
work to understand and develop solutions for a wide range of
energy and poverty reduction issues. This includes developing
policies, strategies and programmes to improve the accessibility
and affordability of energy by poor people in developing
countries. |
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 The
International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE)
at Lund University in Sweden is engaging with industry,
government, academia and civil society to support the process of
sustainable development and to demonstrate the value of
preventative approaches which address social, cultural and
economic issues. The research at IIIEE broadly address sustainable
production and consumption systems, and specifically on energy for
sustainable development, product policy, sustainable tourism, and
decentralized economies. The IIIEE has an international program
reaching over sixty countries through its Master's Degree in
Environmental Management and Policy, and an extensive and
significant research program. |
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 The
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) based in
Germany conducts research on the technology needed to supply
energy efficiently and on an environmentally sound basis in
industrialised, threshold and developing countries. To this
purpose, the institute develops systems, components, materials and
processes for the following business areas: buildings and building
services technology, solar cells, off-grid power supplies,
grid-connected electricity generation from renewable sources, and
hydrogen technology. The Institute's work ranges from basis
scientific research relating to solar energy applications, through
the development of production technology and prototypes, to the
construction of demonstration systems. With 400 employees,
Fraunhofer ISE is the largest European solar energy research
center. |
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 KFA Forschungszentrum Jülich,
Germany |
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 UNEP
Risø Centre (URC) is part of the Danish Government's national
scientific research laboratory, Risø. The Centre was established
in 1990 as a research and technical support unit supporting UNEP
in energy-environment matters. URC currently employs about 20
full-time professional staff comprising economists, engineers and
natural scientists. The Centre is involved in a wide range of
activities related to energy for sustainable development (SD),
operationalised through research, information dissemination and
capacity building on energy planning and policy-making, renewable
energy technologies and energy efficiency. A closely related area
of activity and expertise is climate change, especially mitigation
analysis and CDM, where URC is currently engaged in methodological
development and capacity building in a number of developing
countries. |
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| North and South America, and the Pacific |
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 The Bariloche
Foundation is a private, non-profit research institute, founded in
1963 for the purpose of furthering research, training, technical
assistance, diffusion and other creative activities in San Carlos
de Bariloche, Argentina. It is supported by private and public,
national and international sources.The Bariloche Foundation is
member of the GNESD, through its associated Institute for Energy
Economics (IDEE/FB), responsible of basic and applied research
activities, training, and technical assistance in the field of
Energy Economics and Planning and Sustainable Energy Policies.
IDEE/FB has until now published more than 500 research documents
and developed some 80 texts of teaching material. |
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 Two
Brazilian centres have joined forces in GNESD. The research team
in Rio de Janeiro is within CentroClima - Center for Integrated
Studies on Climate Change and the Environment. In São Paulo, it is
hosted by CENBIO - National Reference Center on Biomass. These are
located at the Institute for Research and Postgraduate Studies of
Engineering of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (COPPE/UFRJ)
and at the Institute for Electrotechnics and Energy - University
of São Paulo (IEE/USP), respectively. They have a common approach
to GNESD and as such take advantage of the expertise in renewable
energy accumulated by two of the most active academic institutions
in this area in Brazil. |
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 The
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the U.S. Department
of Energy's premier laboratory for renewable energy research,
development and deployment, and a leading laboratory for energy
efficiency. The laboratory's mission is to develop renewable
energy and energy efficiency technologies and applications,
advance related science and engineering, promote technology
commercialization and deployment, and transfer knowledge and
innovations to address key energy and environmental goals. NREL's
programs advance domestic and international use of wind, biomass,
photovoltaic, solar thermal, hydrogen, geothermal, small scale
hydropower, buildings, and clean vehicle technologies and fuels. |
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The Stockholm Environment Institute is an
independent, international research institute working on
environment and development issues at local, national, regional
and global policy levels. It was founded from the Beijer Institute
in 1989 and is named for the first UN conference on the human
environment held in Stockholm in 1972, which came to be known as
the Stockholm Conference. The institute has its headquarters in
Stockholm, Sweden and has recently opened an office in Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania. It also has offices or centres in Boston (USA);
York and Oxford (UK); Bangkok (Thailand) and Tallinn (Estonia).
SEI staff conduct an interdisciplinary program of policy research
and capacity building on key linkages between environment and
development objectives. |
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 University of the South
Pacific (USP), Fiji |
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| Middle East and Asia |
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 The
Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), based in Thailand, is an
international postgraduate institution of higher learning with a
mission to develop highly qualified and committed professionals
who will play a leading role in the sustainable development of the
Asian region and its integration into the global economy. AIT is
organized into four schools, including the School of Environment,
Resources and Development (SERD) which undertakes research and
training on energy and the environment, i.e., renewable energy
technologies, energy conservation, cleaner production, energy
economics and planning, energy and environmental policies, power
sector restructuring, environmental engineering and management,
and climate change studies. |
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 The
Energy Research Group (ERG) at The American University of Beirut (AUB)
in Lebanon was founded in April 2000 as a multi-disciplinary group
to lead basic and applied energy research in Lebanon and the
region towards a sustainable energy future by advancing related
science and engineering, with emphasis on technology transfer and
integration with social and economic development in the region.
The research specialty areas are energy conversion, renewable
energy systems, energy conservation, modelling of thermal systems,
heat recovery systems, power systems, energy policy and planning,
environmental assessment, solid waste management, and economic and
management issues. |
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 Energy
Research Institute (ERI) of the National Development and Reform
Commission (NDRC) is the governmental energy economics and policy
study institute at national level in China. The research fields of
ERI cover all energy policy issues, including energy strategy
development, energy demand and supply balance analysis, energy
safety policy, energy pricing, energy conservation potential and
policy, environmental protection related to energy, rural energy
development, renewable energy, and energy modeling. ERI is the
major supporting group in Climate Change policy making in China
and active in many international cooperative projects with both
bilateral and multilateral parties. |
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 Institute of Energy Economics (IEEJ),
Japan |
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 The Energy
and Resources Institute, TERI, was established in 1974 and is
located in New Delhi, India. While in the initial period the focus
was mainly on documentation and information dissemination
activities, research activities in the fields of energy,
environment, and sustainable development were initiated towards
the end of 1982.TERI is deeply committed to every aspect of
sustainable development and is the largest developing-country
institution working to move human society towards a sustainable
future. Well on its way to becoming a cybercorp, TERI makes
effective use of the latest developments in modern information
technology in both its in-house and outreach activities. |
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