Nexus Newsletter - February 2012

Nexus-Carbon for Development

Newsletter|February 2012

In this issue:

• Updates from members
• First call for proposals under the Grants for Innovation
• The voice of pro-poor project developers to high level institutions
• Events Participation
• Announcement

Editorial

As the framework for the Sustainable Energy for All initiative was made public last month in Abu Dhabi, the world’s attention is turning to the issue of how the most deprived populations can leapfrog polluting nations and go from energy poverty to access and control over clean sources of energy. What is at stake is a flagrant unfairness, but also the future of our planet (cf. GEI report on rural energy in China). Our member organizations – eco-businesses and NGOs – are already implementing best practices in that field (cf. update from members), leveraging on Nexus cooperative model and financing tools, such as the Grants for Innovations. But the challenge is colossal: according to Practical Action’s Poor People’s Energy Outlook, a third of the world’s population has no access to modern energy services. To participate in designing the solutions, Nexus brings the voice of grassroots development organizations to institutions providing climate funding, such as the Climate Investment Fund, and the UNFCCC Clean Development Mechanism that recently launched its review. Will carbon markets manage to improve the way they account (or not) for the benefits to the communities? Nexus and its members just launched a discussion on this topic, and they are looking forward to keep you posted.

We wish you an enjoyable reading through these selected topics
Marion Santini, for the Communications team

Updates from members

Hydrologic selected for the IMPACT awards by GIZ: Hydrologic Social Enterprise received the IMPACT Business Award from GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH) as an exemplary business model presenting innovative solution to climate change in developing countries. Hydrologic received a € 5,000 prize and will be given the opportunity to present their work to influential audiences during the 15th International Business Forum. Hydrologic distributes Ceramic Water Purifiers (CWPs) in Cambodia: these filters reduce the need for boiling water, thus decreasing the demand for non-renewable wood and charcoal used for cooking, which are sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrologic project uses a market-based approach to water treatment and creates high environmental and social impacts.

Cambodia National Biodigester Programme - a project supported by Hivos - won Energy for Life Award: The National Biodigester Programme (NBP) in Cambodia won the first prize in the election of Energy for Life Best Practice Award. The NBP is a joint programme between the Cambodia Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), supported through the Hivos Climate Fund. Prize winners will be officially announced at the Energy for Life international conference: “Bridge to the Future” to be held in Madrid next March. Energy for Life is an initiative that aims to convince stakeholders and the public at large that making a commitment to renewable energies is an investment in the future.

TerraClear, Global Environmental Institute (GEI) and Eco-Watch received funding from blue moon fund: Three projects received funding from American philanthropic blue moon fund to support their early development stage (carbon finance feasibility studies):

• GEI’s project: Disseminating Advanced Biomass Stove Technology through Carbon Finance
• Eco-Watch Institute’s project: Disseminate Biogas Digester Reactivation Activities through Carbon Finance
• TerraClear’s Ceramic Water Filter project.

The funding proposal was a direct follow up from the workshop organized by Nexus as part of the Rural Energy and Climate Initiative last July.

Global Environmental Institute (GEI) published a research paper on rural energy in China: GEI published a research paper entitled “Analysis of rural residential energy consumption and corresponding carbon emissions in China”. An extract is available online. The paper presents an analysis of rural residential energy consumption in China from 2001 to 2008 and corresponding impacts on climate change. The result shows the annual growth rate of per capita CO2 emissions was nearly two times faster than that of urban area. The major driving force for the consumption of commercial energy was the income of rural farmers, while strong rural energy policies supported the development of renewable energy. You can read more about GEI’s activities in their newsletter.

CRT/Nepal published its January newsletter: The Centre for Rural Technology, Nepal (CRT/N) published its January 2012 newsletter covering topics such as improved cookstove and other renewable energy technologies for rural areas. Read the newsletter here.

First call for proposals under the Grants for Innovation

The Nexus Grants for Innovation is a grant scheme open to members. With the support of private partners and institutions, it awards grant funding for innovative approaches that address climate change mitigation and poverty alleviation through technology and market innovations. It is a unique opportunity for members to apply for funding to:

• ensure a technology is appropriate for a new target group (as part of a project scale up plan);
• develop and test a new distribution model or dissemination strategy for products: and
• explore and identify ways to integrate carbon financing in a project.

Selection criteria include:

• The project must build on existing success;
• It should have the potential to scale-up; and
• It should have the potential to provide social, environmental and economic co-benefits.

Results from the selection process will be announced in April 2012.
If you wish to know more about this program, please contact Sarah Carter ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

The voice of pro-poor project developers to high level institutions

Nexus appointed as an observer for the Climate Investment Funds: Following a selection process including a poll, Nexus has been appointed as a civil society observer for the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) Pilot Program for Climate Resilience. Our application was supported by an important number of votes from the civil society and received a high score. Nexus is now responsible for sharing information with its constituency about the key issues and activities of the CIF committee. This includes soliciting feedback from constituents and reporting that feedback to the CIF committee. Nexus will bring to CIF the voice of pro-poor project developers and promote the specificity of rural energy and pro-poor projects. This gives us a chance to influence the design of high level financing scheme. If you would like to be involved in the process, please get in touch with Marion Santini ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

Participation in Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) policy dialogue: The Executive Board of the UN CDM launched a policy dialogue to review past CDM experience and help ensure the readiness and positioning of the CDM to meet the challenges of the post-2012 period. The board called for public inputs on issues to be addressed in the dialogue. Nexus' input can be downloaded here.

Events participation

COP 17, Durban: Nexus attended UNFCCC COP17, in Durban, South Africa, last December, with the aim of raising awareness about the challenges encountered by project developers to fund low carbon technologies for the most vulnerable populations. Nexus co-organized two side events. One with Yale University about “Financing Clean Energy for Rural Populations: Bridging climate finance with field realities” and a breakfast workshop in partnership with GERES, presenting a new tool that supports project developers to assess the opportunities of CDM for small scale clean technologies. Priya Karve, Nexus Chairman, covered the event for the Ashden awards blog and Nexus staff members were interviewed by Climate Change TV.

Energy and Environment Partnership with the Mekong Region Forum (EEP - Mekong), Bangkok: Marion Verles, Nexus Executive Director, participated in the 2nd EEP – Mekong annual regional meeting on 31 January - 1 February 2012. The EEP Mekong is supporting wider provision and use of renewable energy and combating climate change by providing funding for projects, studies, capacity development and information-sharing related to the issues. The event focused on the theme of “Barriers to Clean Energy Project Financing”. During the session “Banking on Rural Energy Projects-Myth or Reality?”, Marion Verles presented the work done by Nexus and its members, the Rural Energy and Climate Initiative (RECI) as well as the project incubation framework which was developed as a result of the initiative. More information here.

Workshop in Cambodia to launch ADB funded project: As part of its involvement in shaping climate finance streams and in order to secure financing for pilot projects, Nexus participates in the Asian Development Bank funded initiative “Capacity Building for Efficient Utilization of Biomass for Bioenergy and Food Security in the Greater Mekong Subregion”. The US$ 3 million project, led by Landell Mills Ltd, in consortium with Nexus and Practical Action Consulting, will last 30 months and enhance regional cooperation on bio-energy development and pilot test scaling up of climate friendly biomass energy projects. Nexus recently participated in the launch workshop for this project. The objective was to explore the participants' perspective on the interrelation of bio-energy, food security, value chain development, poverty alleviation and regional cooperation/trade. Nexus is part of the project steering committee, which will shortly screen pilot projects and technologies which can potentially enhance bio-energy and food security systems in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

Nexus hosted its first webinar: Nexus hosted its first webinar on 20 February 2012 on the theme of "The ability of the CDM and voluntary carbon market to bring benefits to communities". The webinar started with a presentation by Tracey Crowe, who recently completed research on this theme, followed by a discussion session. More information in this event report. Please contact Sarah Carter ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) for more information.

Announcement

New staff

Eleonora Gatti, a Carbon Project Development Intern, graduated with a BA (Hons) in International Relations - Cooperation and Development - and holds an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London, where she specialized in Ecological Management. She previously worked on Land Use Change and Carbon Stock Assessments in Chile as environmental consultant. She has also worked on EU Common Fishery Policy and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing in West Africa. Her passion in sustainable forestry and carbon brought her to Nexus.

Nexus-Carbon for Development is an alliance of pro-poor project developers whose shared vision is that the carbon market should serve both climate change and poverty alleviation in a sustainable way. As a global alliance of social ventures, Nexus acts as a peer-to-peer carbon services platform, providing awareness raising, capacity building, carbon project development, and carbon asset management. Nexus builds on its members’ expertise to create synergies, streamline procedures and share risks, reducing transaction costs and time to market. www.nexus-c4d.org