One of the emergent trends in the sustainable energy transition is the development of distributed power generation. In Europe, it is estimated that up half of citizens of the European Union (EU) could be energy self-sufficient, potentially supplying 45% of Europe’s final energy demand by 2050 (Kampman, et al., 2016). While there are many challenges with a move towards more […]

This briefing note discusses key linkages between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UNFCCC-mandated Technology Needs Assessments (TNAs), and the role of technology per se in achieving sustainable development. Reflecting on many years of experience in conducting TNAs, the brief concludes with some recommendations on how to sharpen the linkages between country-driven efforts to achieve climate-related SDGs, including how […]

Technology developments reflect changes in market demand and can further influence the energy use of domestic appliances. This report examines the major development trends in household appliances for entertainment purposes, also known as consumer electronics, and their impacts on the energy use of these appliances. It analyses the design and implementation of policies and programmes to influence consumers’ purchase choices […]

The objective of this report is to illustrate the opportunity, costs, and benefits of the coupled decarbonization of the power and transport sectors in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC), which together account for two-thirds of fossil CO2 emissions, and about one-quarter of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the region. These sectors are expected to more than double […]

The District Energy in Cities Initiative is a multi-stakeholder partnership led by UN Environment, with support from Danish International Development Agency, Global Environment Facility (GEF), Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP) and the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea. The initiative is one of the six accelerators of the Global Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform launched under the United Nations’ Sustainable […]

This report contains the rapid assessment of the Indian city of Bhopal undertaken alongside four other district cooling rapid assessments of Coimbatore, Pune, Thane and Rajkot. This report sets out a high-level analysis of the current impacts of space cooling in Bhopal, the potential of district cooling and its benefits in the city, policy options to accelerate district cooling and […]