Consultation workshop on renewable energy solutions for enterprise development in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Background

With a view to understanding the energy needs in mountain economies and the opportunities offered by renewable energy solutions, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) joined hands to conduct a comprehensive scoping exercise to assess key economic value chains, from an energy perspective, in the HKH region. The work will also contribute to ICIMOD’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Capability for the Hindu Kush Himalaya (REEECH) Initiative.

This partnership presents an opportunity to form a synergistic partnership owing to IRENA’s mandate to serve as a centre of excellence and a repository of policy, technology, resource, and financial knowledge on renewable energy, and ICIMOD’s presence as a regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge-sharing centre.

Objectives

This comprehensive scoping exercise to assess selected economic value chains (e.g. yak, bamboo, tourism) in the HKH region, from an energy perspective, will identify the gaps and potential actions for advancing renewable energy solutions.

Accordingly, IRENA and ICIMOD are organizing a consultative workshop to consolidate the findings of the scoping exercise and validate the proposed actions. The scoping exercise and workshop consultations will provide a basis for developing a regional action plan for the HKH, which will outline potential areas for targeted interventions to foster an ecosystem conducive for deploying renewable energy solutions.

Expected outcomes

• Collection of feedback on the findings of the scoping exercise and validation of proposed actions to accelerate renewable energy deployment and mobilize investments in the sector
• Exchange of regional best practices and sharing of lessons learned on renewable energy applications across different value chains
• Increased awareness among governments, practitioners, and development agencies on the cross-sector opportunities offered by renewables for strengthening economic value chains

Expected participants

Renewable energy experts; entrepreneurs; business-sector representatives; government officials; and representatives from IRENA, ICIMOD, and other developmental organizations will attend the consultation workshop.

You can download the event’s concept note and agenda here:

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