27 June 2012: The July edition of the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) newsletter includes program highlights on: ESMAP support to the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Initiative; a solar forum to raise awareness of concentrated solar power (CSP); the newly launched Model for Electricity Technology Assessment (META); the role of the public sector in markets for energy efficient goods and services; concerns about security of supply in energy markets; and a renewable energy resources mapping initiative.

The newsletter describes ESMAP and World Bank support for SE4ALL announced at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20). ESMAP will provide key inputs including mapping renewable energy resources, supporting development of geothermal power generation and scaling up support for energy efficient cities. ESMAP is then expected to produce a report assessing progress towards the SE4ALL goals.

The newsletter continues by highlighting that ESMAP recently developed and launched the META, an assessment tool that models environmental externalities, capital and operational costs over time, and distribution, generation and transmission options to provide a comparative assessment of levelized costs for energy supply, including renewable energy. It aims to help electricity policymakers and planners assess appropriate electricity technologies.

The newsletter then describes a session ESMAP organized at the Fifth World Forum on Energy Regulation (WFER). Within the context of a more efficient power sector but increased price volatility and greater commercial risk, the forum considered security of supply in energy markets and facilitated knowledge exchange among energy regulators, policymakers and practitioners.

Additional project highlights include a new ESMAP initiative on renewable energy resources mapping expected to launch in late 2012 that will see ESMAP supporting national level mapping of biomass, small hydro, solar and wind resources to improve the availability of renewable energy resources datasets. The newsletter also lists recent ESMAP publications. [ESMAP July 2012 Monthly E-Bulletin]