27 June 2012: The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) of the World Bank hosted a two-day “Public Procurement of Energy Efficient Products Practitioners Workshop,” which focused on harnessing the public sector to develop markets for energy efficient products.

More than 30 experts from a range of countries and international organizations attended the workshop to discuss issues including: barriers to and drivers of procurement of energy efficient products; policy tools; incentive mechanisms; financing; harmonization of testing protocols and technical standards; and alternative procurement strategies. They agreed that governments at national and municipal levels have the ability to stimulate markets for new technologies, through actions such as establishing procurement policies for energy efficient products. Participants also considered the findings of a draft report on global experiences and good practices in energy efficient purchasing, titled “Public Procurement of Energy Efficient Products: Lessons from Around the World,” which will be finalized and published by ESMAP in late 2012. The workshop proceedings, outlining participants’ experiences and challenges in developing policies and programmes to encourage the procurement of energy efficient equipment by public agencies, were published online. [ESMAP Release][ESMAP Workshop Proceedings]