Conference
resolution
On the
occasion of the World Wind Energy Conference & Renewable Energy Exhibition
(Cape Town, South Africa), 400 delegates from 40 countries have gathered
to jointly discuss concrete implementation strategies for the broad wind
energy utilisation in a future energy system completely driven by renewable
energies. Wind energy offers very good opportunities for the poor to obtain
a reliable, affordable and secure energy supply.
1. The biggest barrier for renewable energies on the existing energy market
is still the cost gap caused by enormous subsidies and non-internalised
external cost of fossil and nuclear energies. The world community is called
on to create a level-playing field and fair conditions for renewable energies.
To compensate these market distortions, guaranteed feed-in tariffs have
proven to be very effective and efficient.
2. Due to the specific cost structure of wind energy technology, innovative
financing schemes have to be developed and donor funds have to be raised
especially for the poorer countries in order to foster the wind industry
in these countries.
3. Local communities should become active and should benefit directly
from wind energy installations. To retain all economic benefits of renewable
energies, after all job creation, the share of local production has to
be sufficiently high. The OECD consensus on public export credits currently
limits the local share. This should be increased for renewable energy
technologies up to 50 %.
4. The Kyoto framework should be amended in order to foster long-term
investment in clean renewable energies instead of setting up incentives
just for short-term efficiency improvements and without regarding the
energy source itself. The “additionality” criterion must not punish those
governments of developing countries that have created a favourable framework
for renewable energies. It should be considered to introduce a fourth
Kyoto mechanism focussing on Renewable Energy Implementation.
5. WTO law must be amended so that the national governments have the explicit
right to prioritise renewable energies and to internalise external costs
of fossil and nuclear sources. Within the GATS framework, energy services
must not be liberalised without a clear priority for renewable energy
services. National governments should define the creation of a domestic
renewable energy supply as part of their national security strategy.
6. The industrialised nations must put a stronger emphasis on renewable
energy supply through their development policies. Development programmes
must focus on the establishment of domestic renewable energy industries.
7. Transfer of know-how is essential to enable local communities to build
up their own production facilities, in cooperation with experienced entrepreneurs
and scientists from the countries where wind energy is already contributing
to the energy supply.
8. An International Renewable Energy Agency has to be created which serves
as a global information pool for renewable energies, cooperates with further
international and national organisations that are dealing with renewable
energies, and coordinates their activities. Besides, such agency should
launch ambitious international implementation programmes for renewable
energies, including financing programmes, and it should enhance the role
of independent power producers.
The upcoming International Conference on Renewable Energies Renewables
2004 (Bonn, June 2004) should embrace these demands. The governments of
the leading countries in the field of renewable energy – like those that
have formed the Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition – are called on
to continue extending their successful policies and to create new national
and international implementation programmes including new and ambitious
targets. Not the broadest possible consensus, but only the strongest possible
alliance of the like-minded governments, international organisations,
companies and of civil society should be the main target of the Renewables
2004 conference. All relevant social groups, associations, public bodies,
universities, companies etc. are called on to participate in the Renewables
2004 conference and to introduce their specific expertise and perspectives
in the preparatory process in order to foster a broad alliance for renewable
energies.
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