Energy Efficiency: Lessons Learned from Success Stories (Europe and Central Asia Reports) (Eastern Europe and Central Asia Reports)

Gary Stuggins,Alexander Sharabaroff,Yadviga Semikolenova

ISBN 10: 0821398032 / ISBN 13: 9780821398036

Editore: World Bank Group Publications 2013-05-30, 2013

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Codice articolo 6666-IUK-9780821398036

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Energy Efficiency: Lessons Learned from Success Stories (Europe and Central Asia Reports) (Eastern Europe and Central Asia Reports)
• Editore: World Bank Group Publications 2013-05-30
• Data di pubblicazione: 2013
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0821398032
• ISBN 13: 9780821398036
• Rilegatura: Paperback
• Condizione: New

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Riassunto

Energy efficiency is an important factor in an economy, since it helps meet energy needs, decrease costs, and lower environmental impacts. A review of the evolution of energy intensity in European and Former Soviet Union countries indicates a positive trend: high-energy-intensity countries have now reached the level of medium-energy-intensity economies 15 years earlier, and in the same period, medium-energy-intensity ones had similarly evolved to levels of low-energy-intensity. At the same time, the fast transitioning economies of Central Europe converged towards similar levels of energy intensities, in line with EU Directives, while successful EU-15 countries managed to maintain economic growth while keeping energy use flat. This report looks at how countries effect the transition from high- to medium- to low-energy-intensity, exploring whether leapfrogging is possible (it’s not) and what policies can be particularly helpful. Some of the lessons include: energy prices tend to evolve from subsidized levels to full-cost-recovery to full-cost-recovery-plus environmental externalities; industrial energy efficiency is often the starting point, with privatization and competition driving companies to reduce production costs, including energy; successful countries excell at governance (setting targets, building institutional capacity, creating and improving the legal and regulatory framework, and monitoring and evaluating); households tended to be the last, and most difficult, area of reform, starting with pricing improvements, outreach campaigns, financing programs, and building certificates programs.

Product Description

Upon reviewing the evolution of the energy intensity of countries in Europe and the Former Soviet Union, a number of interesting trends became apparent: high energy intensity countries have reached the level of medium energy intensity economies 15 years earlier; medium energy intensity had similarly evolved to levels of low energy intensity economies in the same period. Furthermore, the fast transitioning economies of Central Europe were converging towards similar levels of energy intensities, particularly those adopting EU Directives. And successful EU-15 countries had managed to maintain economic growth while keeping energy use flat. This title looks at how countries make the transition from high to medium to low energy intensity. It explores whether or not leapfrogging is possible and what policies are particularly helpful. A few lessons that were learned: energy prices tend to evolve from subsidised levels to full cost recovery to full cost recovery plus environmental externalities. Industrial energy efficiency tended to be the starting point, with privatisation and competition driving companies to reduce their cost of production, including energy. Successful countries excelled at Governance: setting targets; building institutional capacity; creating and improving the legal and regulatory framework; and monitoring and evaluation. Households tended to be the last, and most difficult, area of reform, starting with pricing improvements, outreach campaigns, financing programmes and moving to building certificates programmes.