Project spotlight: Renewable energy

Poised for inclusion in the post-2015 global development agenda, renewable energy has been garnering more attention and increased funding from the donor community lately. As a recent Devex analysis revealed, most major aid donors have pledged to increase the share of their energy aid spending on renewable energy sources — including wind, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal power — albeit with only mixed results to show for so far.

We dug into the data even further and solicited comments from the Devex community to find some of the most interesting donor-funded renewable energy projects. These projects provide a snapshot of the priorities and approaches of major donors in the sector.

In sub-Saharan Africa, where seven out of 10 people lack access to electricity, solar power has emerged as the centerpiece of the European Union’s energy aid strategy. As European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs highlighted in a recent exclusive interview with Devex, the European Union is investing 25 million euros ($34.1 million) in the construction of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest solar power plant in Burkina Faso. The EU anticipates that the solar power plant, which is being built on the outskirts of Ouagadougou, will generate 32 gigawatt hours per year, or 6 percent of the country’s electricity production. EuropeAid issued a contract forecast notice for the project in February.